5 comments about Let's Learn Katakana: Second Book of Basic Japanese Writing.

1. I bought this book after finishing "Let's Learn Hiragana". This one has a similar layout, but introduces symbols at a faster pace than the Hiragana book. It gives 15 symbols at a time rather than the 8 or 10 that the Hiragana book throws at you. I wish it didn't go so fast. I had to do more supplemental exercises to get the symbols memorized. I feel that it doesn't have enough practice after each group of symbols and has excessive practice after you learn all the symbols. I didn't even work through the last 1/3 of the book because I wanted to get going on my grammar book.
   
   If you're quick to learn new symbols then the pace may be just right for you. Otherwise expect to have to do supplemental exercises. I used the words from the Hiragana book and wrote them out in Katakana.
   
   All in all though it's a great book. It shows you stroke order and explains many things about Katakana. After using it for maybe 2 weeks I felt that I knew the symbols well enough and felt ready to move on to learning grammar.



2. This is still the best book to learn Katakana, having gone through some modern attempts.
   
   First of all, this is the 2nd book in a 2 part series. The book clearly states this but some reviews seem to have missed it.
   
   I wont go into detail, other people already have, but basically it tells you everything about katakana you want to know, need to know and should know.
   
   The BEST part of this book is that it uses REAL katakana words, not just random japanese words writing in katakana. Sorry if you dont understand what i mean, but believe me this is important and you will not find another author that has gone to this much effort.
   
   Want to learn japanese?
   -Get the 1st book, Lets learn Hiragana - it will take 1-2 weeks to master.
   -Start learning basic grammar / phrases (you will need a textbook or classes for this, note learning Kana at a school is a BIG waste of money, do it your self at home)
   -Get the 2nd book, Lets learn Katakan - will take probably a week to learn, much easier once uve done hiragana but there are some new things added to the pot.
   -Start the journey of learning kanji, begin with numbers, 0-9, 10, 100, 1000 etc... days of the week, months, etc.
   -Continue with classes to learn more basic grammar and vocab (which will involve more kanji) to complete "beginner" type courses.
   
   BTW thats about 100hrs study right there, 6-12 months depending on time available, as little as 2hrs a week to do it in 1 year. With some kanji cramming you'll be ready for JLPT 4 (2010 = 5)



3. Would recommend to anyone who is interested in learning Katakana. My order came promptly and in perfect condition.



4. I was greatly disappointed in this book
   
   It does NOT have:
   
   Answer key
   nor examples
   
   
   1st set of 15 is just 2 pages to practice writing, then you turn the page and it gets right into the ", but with only 1 example of the ones covered and then it starts right in on writing and reading without even an answer key
   
   This book is not for the true beginner and certainly not for self-study.
   Yes it has a lot of practice; but I am a complete beginner trying to learn on my own without a class. Therefore, I need at least 1 example of how each one is written and an answer key to know that I am on the right track - which is missing from this book.
   
   If anyone knows of a truly helpful book that offers PRACTICE in both Reading and Writing - WITH an ANSWER KEY - I would truly appreciate it.
   I can't understand how so many books, including this one, get away with not having an answer key and yet call themselves beginning books.



5. This product was in very good condition and arrived within a week of ordering it.

5 comments about Random House Japanese-English English-Japanese Dictionary.

1. I bought this book using a gift card at a local bookstore, while on a budget, so price was important to me. I looked at just about every japanese-english, english-japanese dictionary at the store and chose this one because I liked the structure of the entries (including the kanji and the English-Japanese side includes some common uses of the word), and it seemed to be pretty comprehensive.
   
   Upon using it (for about 2 months now) I find it to be exceedingly frustrating if you want to use it to use the Japanese-English side. For example, I didn't know that 'hanabira' and looked it up in this dictionary, and assumed it wasn't there. It wasn't until I looked up 'petal' on the English side that it made sense. This happens with too many words for the japanese-english side to be useful to anyone that is serious about translating something.
   
   Another complaint that I have, is that it 'translates' Bonito (a type of fish) from the English to the Japanese, crazy enough, it is also bonito. but it doesn't have the translation for koala, which I think is a more common animal to come up in conversation. I have encountered a few other instances like this where common words are absent but it is not nearly as common as the failings found in the Japanese-English portion of the book.
   
   I am still glad that I purchased this book, because I got it primarily to work on my vocabulary, but I will probably buy another dictionary soon to make up for this one's failings.



2. I was very pleased with my purchase from this seller. The book was cheap and in great condition. I would buy from this seller again!! ^_^



3. If you have a decent grip of Japanese (you can read the kana and maybe some kanji, know basic sentence structure, etc. etc.) then this is a great everyday dictionary. The words are in romaji so English speakers can find the words quickly, and there are modern words in there that you might find in manga or casual conversation (but this is no slang dictionary). One of the best perks of this dictionary is that it will give you the most commonly used word, unlike more extensive dictionaries that give you 6 different words and no means of differentiating which is what you're looking for.
   
   However, like others have said, the English and Japanese sides are not mirrored so you won't find all the words in both sections; this is annoying, but the thing's not very big for a dictionary so maybe they tried to cut down. Also if you don't have a good grasp of Japanese and don't know how to use a noun in a sentence, or don't know your particles, this dictionary will not explain them to you.
   
   Overall, if you're not willing to shell out for a perfect dictionary, this is a decent substitute and a significant step up from the pocket dictionaries.



4. I own a couple of Japanese dictionaries, and have seen several more. This one is probably better than average, both in terms of ease of use and number of entries. Nevertheless, I do not recommend that you buy it.
   
   Instead, get an electronic dictionary. They are far, far easier to use, have far more entries and far more information. For example, you can look up a word by spelling it out in hiragana, get the English definitions, plus sample sentences, plus kanji. An electronic dictionary is far smaller and lighter. The only draw back is the price -- about $150 to $300, depending on the model. Nevertheless, if you are really going to learn Japanese, a book dictionary like this is pretty much useless compared to the electronic version. Everyone in my third year Japanese class at UCLA extension would tell you the same thing.
   
   Electronic dictionaries are readily available all over Japan, but they seem to be hard to find in the US. Amazon does not seem to carry them. You may have to ask around.



5. Overall I think this is one of the better dictionaries on the market. I've used it to translate things back and forth for my college level Japanese class and only recently have I started to notice some things that might bother me from time to time.
   
   1. As some reviews have mentioned the English-Japanese section is more in-depth than the Japanese to English. I wish this were better mirrored. For example the other day I came across the word mizutamari - I went to look it up but it wasn't in the Japanese to English side. Thanks to the kanji and an accompanying picture I went and looked up puddle in the English-Japanese side. It was there. Now why wouldn't the author just make his dictionary a little thicker and mirror the words better?
   
   2. I wish that this would specify what type of verb it is - some of them are obvious but it'd be nice to note that a verb is a u or an ru in some cases.
   
   Other than that the dictionary is pretty nice - it gives the words in kanji after the romanji or hiragana version, it's easy to use, the Japanese side goes by our English alphabetical order,the dictionary includes phrases and different ways to use words, and overall it is pretty thorough. But if you want to translate primarily Japanese back to English there should be a better dictionary for you.

5 comments about Dirty Japanese: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!" (Dirty Everyday Slang).

1. A fantastic book to sit with your mates and just have a laugh. A lot of these frases are very seldom used amongst the general public and if you go to Japan you'll probably only use the friendlier side of the book. The cursing and the ero ero nihongo parts are for closer friends and as I wrote earlier a great gag at a casual gathering with friends, even better if alcohol is included.
   It is definetly not to be taken too seriously but it is idiomatically correct through and through. I asked a Japanese friend to look through it and there were no mistakes spotted which is a good sign. In many slang books frases tend to be obsolete or slightly mistranslated but no such errors found to my knowledge.



2. While the book does have some actual dirty Japanese, for the most part, it is a practical phrase-book that reveals Japanese as a rather easy to speak language. It is a short and fun introduction to Japanese. A great first book on the subject.



3. I'm Japanese, and I had a good look through most of the pages.
   Some are wrong, most are correct, and most are very creative and make you lol.
   This is not a book for ppl to learn Japanese.
   It is simply just for fun, all or most of this book is slang so do not buy this book for academic reasons.
   I would recommend it to ppl who want to talk to Japanese teenagers.
   Do not use this kind of language to ppl who are older than 30.
   If you do, be prepared to get karate chopped.
   
   All in all, it's a very good, creative book.



4. My son is using this in Japan...even his best Japanese friend wanted a copy! Sent one over for Christmas!



5. If you wanna laugh, then this book is great for that, but I really don't reccomend using it to learn the language itself. There are far better books out there for that. I bought it simply because i did want a good laugh, should I want to learn actual Japanese, I'd get actual textbooks (should that be possible) or maybe an up-to-date dictionary to start out.

5 comments about Essential Kanji: 2,000 Basic Japanese Characters Systematically Arranged For Learning And Reference.

1. This was a definite must. It has very concise pictures and definitions of 2000 kanji.
   
   Any intelligent person could memorize 10-30 per day using this and flashcards.
   
   I would highly recommend it to anyone with a brain.



2. This book is absolutely must-have for everyone who intended to study Japanese. I found it very helpful also for my calligraphy practicing. Highly recommended!



3. Essential Kanji is just what it advertises- one guide for learning and memorizing kanji. To begin, a note for absolute beginners- the Japanese Ministry of Education set forth a list of "essential" kanji for their frequency, everyday use, etc. This book is essentially just an expansion of that list to present the 2,000 most important Kanji the author believes you need to learn and memorize to become fluent with written Japanese.
   
   You must understand up front that this is not nor is it meant to be a complete book on Japanese writing. The kana (hiragana and/or katakana) are not at all included. This book is only meant to teach you the kanji, and so everything is in English except for the kanji themselves. It is thus meant to be part of a larger Japanese course, a role it accomplishes in spades.
   
   The book has three parts- an introduction, the kanji, and index(es). The introduction is a *very* condensed look at how the kanji came to be, and why the guide is set up as it is. For absolute beginners, this introduction alone could take a week to fully parse. However, that's again assuming you're using this as your only book, which shouldn't be the case. You should be cracking open this book because you're taking a Japanese course separately and need to start memorizing the kanji, in which case the introduction is merely thorough yet concise.
   
   The meat of the book is the actual kanji. Each kanji is presented in beautiful calligraphy, with hints on stroke order. You also get both the ON and KUN readings, as well as a short bit on the "definition" of the kanji. I say "definition" as many kanji can have multiple meanings, and this book only gives a few of the most common in a few lines to aid memorization without cluttering the process. You also get a few uses of the kanji, and in a really interesting twist, kanji used in this portion are only drafted from previous entries in the book. Thus, the third kanji will have usages that involve the first two to tie things together, and this roughly continues through the book. Those fluent in the language may find some of these usages to be a bit awkward, but they're all technically correct, and are clearly meant to aid memorization instead of serving as a phrasebook.
   
   The closing of the book tries to give you some fast ways to look up kanji, but this is always problematic. Each kanji is referenced in a separate section be stroke order and by reading, but many kanji may have the same stroke order or the same readings, so this guide is of limited use. It'll help you in a pinch assuming you know either the reading or the correct stroke count, but it's not at all useful as a dictionary. Then again, it doesn't advertise itself as such either, so it's hard to mark it down for that.
   
   So overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is what it is- a guide to help you memorize essential kanji. It is not a complete language program, it is not a dictionary, or a phrasebook. But if you're a self-learner, or even part of a class and you just need a leg up on the kanji, this book should become an "Essential" part of your collection. The only way it could possibly be better would be if it also gave you the pronunciation/breakdown of each kanji using the kana, since that's the form you're most likely to see them in. Japanese manga, for instance, might use small kana to help readers who might not be up on the more difficult kanji yet- it would be useful to know both forms.



4. Essential Kanji: 2,000 Basic Japanese Characters Systematically Arranged For Learning And Reference
   
   The title of the book sums it all up. People have said but i'll repeat. This is by no means a complete book that you can buy and learn just from it. It really shines as a REFERENCE book and it is OK as learning book.
   
   This is the book that you want to have with you all time, because it's small and have all the basic kanji, just bring this to you class or something, it's way more pratical than any kanji dictionary. It's NOT something you can bring in your pocket, but is small enough to place in you backpack or you can just carry arround in your hand.
   
   As a learning tool i find this book to be ok, the kanjis are arranged in such a way that all the compounds are made using previous kanjis with is very nice for memorization. You don't have a lot of info for each kanji so it can confuse you some times, it would be better to give you a sentence instead of a compound, but that wold make the book a litte bigger.
   
   I have two main complaints with this book. First: romaji. If you are a japanese student (not even a serious one, just a japanese student) you need to know AT LEAST the kana and katakana, so romaji is a BIG no. Second: material quality. The book is not made with cheap material, but it could be nicer. The paper could be dictionary quality like, that would make the book even thinner, i find the paper in this book to be to thick (it could just be me).
   
   I recommend this book only if you are also geting a kanji dictionary, this is suposed to be a tool of integration and reference, you should have that in mind. Overall a good book.



5. Ideal textbook of Japanese characters, with full explanation how it could be used and written, and studied. I am not sure that every textbook in the world has this special feature I would like to underline: absolutely beautiful characters in Japanese kanji written both in brush-drawn style by Takatsuka Chikud and pen-drawn performance by Arayashiki Shunrai. A very small question: `What style of the many other styles of Japanese calligraphy is it?' You see, I am not a specialist, I am just a curious student in Intermediate Japanese, I guess ^_^.
   Frankly, I have no right to write this review, because this book is in the progress: every month 100 glyphs of 2,000 should be rewritten carefully. It brings so many interesting hours in my life that I have bought this book for a one of my students and for my nephew too.
   You want to know my opinion yet? Just go to Amazon.com, and buy this book for your parents, grandparents, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, sons and daughters, just go and buy, buy, buy....

5 comments about Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You (Power Japanese Series) (Kodansha's Children's Classics).

1. Rubin has produced a fun treatise on some Japanese grammatical structures. Nonetheless, it will likely contain few surprises for the more advanced student and it is not very useful as a reference. It's also very easy to blow through in a couple hours and you're unlikely to read it again. For a reference, the Dictionary of Japanese grammar series is superior. For fun, light reading, however, this book is hard to beat; not too many grammatical treatises can easily be read cover-to-cover.



2. The author address most common problems that difficult comprehension of Japanese. The point is he can find the differences between th eastern and western way of thinking and this is what matters in learning such a language.



3. This us a good little book for native english speakers that are getting started in Japanese. It covers some of the main hurtles that you encounter. In reality it's a good book to have at any level do to its humor and the fact that the title is in fact pretty self explanatory. How ever if you are a native spanish speaker it may either prove to be extra helpful or half the book becomes kinda unimportant. Still a good book tho.



4. The previous reviewer that said this was the equivalent of a "beach book" for Japanese language studies is more or less right. This is a collection of essays by Jay Rubin (famed translator of Murakami Haruki for Western audiences) previously released under the name "Gone Fishin'".
   
   I have to say, the man's intelligence and wit is far above most traditional teachers and this book really is "what the teachers don't tell you", including the myth of the subject-less sentence, Wa as a topic marker and NEVER subject marker, Wa versus Ga (in its entirety), Kimaru versus Kimeru and so on and so forth. Many of the transitives and particles are given attention, with special attention paid to "Wa" and "Ga", for, as we all know, those give us the most trouble. Everything is successfully broken down after being explained (somewhat exhaustively as in the 'Wa' vs. 'Ga' chapter) at length and Rubin's humor is helpful and prevents this from being, yes, another text book.
   
   So, the negative. The book is great about giving example sentences when talking about intransitives, possessives and all that goes with the language, and Rubin even gives examples from novels of Murakami's, and Yukio Mishima's. The problem? Romaji! Most know it, but I'll say it again: romaji is a crutch best left behind EARLY in the learning process. Having such great examples BEGS the need for original (Japanese) language. Yes, you may not be as far along as I am in reading studies, but you won't get there reading romaji, either!
   
   Toward the end of the book some Japanese text is presented, and alongside romaji at that! What gives? We couldn't have this help throughout all the essays?
   
   I disagree with those that say this is a 'borrow' at best, but I can't recommend it entirely with all this romaji in my eyes. It's entertaining and informative, but only empirically helpful when used as a barebones reference tool; something that will tell you in English how to go about what you need accomplished in Japanese. Keep it on your shelf, it'll come in handy.



5. This book explains the most difficult parts of Japanese grammar in clear and concise English. For example, one of the hardest things to learn is when to use "wa" and when to use "ga." This is sort of like when to use "the" or "a" or no article at all in English. It may come naturally to you, if you are a native English speaker, but it drives everyone else nuts. Unless Japanese is your first language, you almost certainly feel that way about "wa" and "ga," as well as several other concepts, but this book really does help like no other I have found.
   
   All students of Japanese should read this book. The only question is when. My advice is to buy it and read it over quickly as early as possible. You won't follow all of it right away, but that is ok. Just hang onto the book and read it again after you've finished the equivalent of one year's worth of classes. And again after two years, or whenever you get confused.
   
   One word of caution: this is not a text book. It does not have lessons, nor practice exercises, let alone vocabulary. It is a supplement only, but an essential one.

5 comments about Japanese for Busy People I: Romanized Version includes CD (Bk. 1).

1. I think this book does a great job working with the business oriented very basic beginner. For my intents & purposes this book is fantastic - at this point, I'm not looking to have an in depth understanding of the language, I'm looking to be able to communicate just enough with Japanese speaking individuals. The book jumps right in with sentences and useful business phrases written in romaji (romanized writing of Japanese sounds/words) so that learning, understanding and speaking these phrases can begin immediately without having to learn the new alphabet. At this time, I am "illiterate" when it comes to Japanese (Kanji/Hiragana) but I can say enough phrases to get my point across. Should I desire to be able to read, write or better communicate, I would probably suggest a book that deals more thoroughly with the Japanese characters.



2. I was a little hesitant at the begining, because I did not see kanji or a lot of japanese characters, but decided to buy the book with the CD anyway. I have been following the book in partnership with a friend from Japan over the internet who has the same book, and is working very well for me. We have only about 30 minutes sessions 4 or 5 times a week and I can easily read and do the excercises on my own after the online sessions. I recommend the book for somebody who wants to get the basics. This is not an advanced training but it will give you the essentials to start communicating in japanese.



3. I picked up this book in college as required text book for class. Listening to the CD will help the reader through un familiar sounding phrases and greetings. Used separately the book will help a beginner practice sounding out words in the most typical everyday lifestyle from asking directions to buying stamps at the post office, to counting items in an department store.



4. This book is great, It has helped me learn so far so I am able to keep up with my class. The audio CD is great to listen to and easy to get used to. I had no problem beginning with the Romanized version, I am now transitioning onto using the Kana version. I recommend it to anyone beginning their studies in the Japanese Language.



5. The Japan-America Society of Vermont has used this textbook for at least the past 4 years. We sponsor a Japanese Language class at a local college each semester. We have found this textbook with CD an excellent beginning language class text.Japanese for Busy People I: Romanized Version includes CD (Bk. 1)

5 comments about Genki I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese I - Workbook (English and Japanese Edition).

1. Wonderful buying experience. Shipping was quick and the book was packaged well. The book itself was exactly as advertised. The invoice had highlighting and a hand written "Thank You!" which I thought was a very nice, personal touch. Would definitely do business again.



2. Came the Friday before my Monday class began (a day early) in perfect condition. I was absolutely thrilled and have no complaints whatsoever!



3. This was a brand new book and it arrived very quickly and in perfect condition.



4. The Genki series is the best Japanese companion I've come across so far. The workbook is a great helper for the textbook. It breaks everything down for me and helps me understand things a lot easier. The one area I struggle in is grammar and this serious focuses a lot on grammar and sentence structure.



5. I'm taking Japanese at college and this was the text book that was required. I'm very happy with it. The book explains grammar very well and the pace moves just fast enough so that my skills in the language are progressing but I don't feel lost. It does not go too much into kanji (there are some pages in the back that correspond to the lessons), but if you are just learning Japanese and have no prior experience with an Asian language- that is a very helpful feature. This is the activity workbook that goes along with the text book and it has grammar and writing exercises and kanji practice pages in the back. You don't actually need the workbook to use the text book, but I definitely recommend it for the extra practice it gives with the lessons.
   
   The beginning of the book focuses a lot on speaking in the polite form (like if you were to speak Japanese to a teacher, stranger, acquaintance...) by using phrases such as "masu" and "masen" at the end of verbs and "desu" and "jaarimasen" meaning "it is" or "it is not", as well as the past tenses of the polite forms. The second half of the book focuses on the cordial or familiar (what you use to speak with close friends, family...). This book also teaches the te-form ending (you cannot use "masu" or "masen" with a verb in the middle of the sentence, so you use the te-form). It also teaches"teimasu" ending (both the te-form and the masu form together to indicate that the action is happening at the instant or that a change of action has occurred). For example: "ima ko-hi wo nondeimasu" means "I am drinking coffee right now". So the book focuses on all of the three ways of writing in Japanese- hiragana (used for Japanese words that do not have a kanji and for the particles), katakana (used for foreign words to give them a Japanese sound such as coffee - ko-hi) and some kanji characters.
   
   I'm sorry if I have made any mistakes with my Japanese sentences (I'm still a beginner with learning the language), but I wanted to try to explain this as best I could because if you already understand most of what I'm writing about - then you probably need the Genki 2 book. If this is all new material to you, then this book is a great way to learn the basics and grammar of Japanese. I also apologize because the amazon site will not let me write the japanese characters.
   
   So, I would definitely recommend the Genki textbook to anyone trying to learn Japanese (don't waste your money like I did trying to learn on Rosetta Stone and computer programs!). My 14 year old sister bought the same book to learn Japanese also, so it's a textbook that can work for a lot of different age groups (I wouldn't go any lower than High School though- but it depends on the motivation of the student). Good luck with your Japanese studies!

5 comments about Remembering the Kanji, Vol. 1: A Complete Course on How Not to Forget the Meaning and Writing of Japanese Characters.

1. I'm currently studying for the JLPT2 (more on that later), and my weakness with the Japanese language has always been kanji. I bought this book because it promises a different way to learn the meanings of about 2000 characters, using the imaginative memory. For the most part it works, but it does have serious shortcomings to the serious Japanese student.
   
   There are several reviews already written, so I won't go into many details about the book. Heisig presents kanji in a completely different order than the traditional Japanese system through concentrating on radicals. He begins each section with a radical that gets assigned (usually) a one-word meaning. The idea is that by breaking down characters into discrete, meaningful chunks you can use them, like blocks, to build a story to remember what the kanji means and how it's written. It works. In just a few months I've solidly learned about 500 characters using his method.
   
   However, a Japanese student should not expect this to be the "kanji solution" because it's not the whole package. It's not intended to be. He does not offer any readings and his attributed meanings are VERY basic, sometimes not capturing the entire connotation of the character. Some meanings are plain odd, like "hit on the head" for itadaku, but these are very few. He does have two more books that apparently do address readings. I'm not using them, so I can't offer any opinions.
   
   The book does demand time and concentration. This is especially true for kanji whose radicals don't neatly match the meaning. In order to remember the kanji your story needs to be strong and clear, and awkward stories don't do the trick. There is a great support website called Kanji Koohii where the online community offers their own stories. This website is a huge help when Heisig ends his story contributions (at about the 1/3 mark) or for tricky characters.
   
   Back to the JLPT... In my opinion, this book can be used extremely effectively as part of a study system if you're willing to make some additional time and money investments. The trick is to use Heisig to ground the character, then switch to a more formal resource. I use this book in conjunction with the Kotoba application on my iPod and White Rabbit Press' Kanji Flashcards. Heisig and the cards have completely different numbering systems. Kotoba acts like a cross-reference tool to different ordering systems, including Heisig, so I can pull the more robust flash cards as I move through the book. Heisig is simply the initial step just to remember the basics. It's a kluge, but it works.
   
   You will need to follow the author's ordering because of how the method works. If you plan on studying by Japanese grade level or some other way, you can't if you want to include this book. On the other hand, it includes the 2042 common kanji, so everything is covered. It's a different road, but you'll get there in the end.
   
   Overall, it's a great tool for serious language study when used in its right context.



2. Why spend years to learn all the kanji when you could do one lesson a day out of this book and have them all down in two months? I'm just starting out learning Japanese, but I'm already several hundred characters into the book and it is of tremendous help in deciphering written Japanese. Recognizing so many of the characters I see is really giving me the confidence to go on with the language. I don't know what I would do without Heisig's book! If you want to learn all the Jouyou Kanji in a short period of time, this is really the only feasible way to do it.



3. From time to time the stories that the author will present are a bit streched out, but in the great majority of cases they will be a real help.
   Before using this book I only tried to memorize the kanji, and in a bit of time I always forgot the meaning or the way it was written; since I started using this book I never forgot one, and I hope I will continue this way!
   Perhaps the key words used are not always the best you would choose, but it will be sufficient for you to take a whatever japanese (simple) text, like a manga, and you will soon recognize the kanji and the meaning will take root in your brain.
   I really recommend this book.



4. I just started to study Japanese 6 months ago, I am Italian and I really felt discouraged when tried tolearn Kanji.The author really provides an effective method to understand and remember kanji with a strathegy precise and scientific! I am enthusiastic!



5. If you dream of learning the 2000+ kanji in a quick efficient way, this is the book for you. Rather than depending on rote drilling and unreliable visual memory, this method helps you create vivid stories using your imagination, giving your memory something concrete to grasp on to.
   
   The process of learning the kanji is broken down into parts. In volume 1, you learn to write and recognize each kanji which is tagged with a keyword. Once you get through volume 1, you should be able to write 2042 kanji and know their associated keyword. Then you'll be ready to go on to volume 2, where you learn the Sino and Japanese readings of the characters. For the really ambitious, volume 3 contains an additional 1000 advanced kanji.
   
   Some tips: google "kanji koohii" which is a free website for people that are going through the RTK course. You can swap stories and practice with the online flashcards. Other sources of free RTK flashcards are available online from "anki intelligent flashcards".
   
   Remember to pace yourself, so that you don't get burned out from kanji study fatigue. I'm studying about 100 kanjis a week and taking a break after every block of 500 to intensely review. Another important tip is to always practice by saying the keyword first and then writing the associated kanji, not the other way around! This will help you progress much faster since you are concentrating on the stories, using your imaginative memory to recall the kanji.
   
   Using this method is actually quite fun and effective. For instance, when I hear the keyword "elder brother", I think of my big mouthed, teenage older brother on human legs which is kanji number 103.
   
   Remember that the thousand-mile journey starts with one step and this book is your first step towards remembering the kanji. Good luck and have fun with it!

5 comments about Genki 1: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese 1 (English and Japanese Edition).

1. Absolutely fantastic. I was given a personalised, hand-written note with my book thanking me for the purchase. The seller also upgraded my order to expedited shipping for FREE! I ended up getting the book right after my first class that Monday, meaning I wouldn't have to be the awkward guy who had to share with someone for a week.
   
   Thank you!



2. This is a horrible book. Why the Genki series gets so many good ratings on Amazon, I don't know. Perhaps it's the fact that for some odd reason more people than usual seem to be rating the sellers in the PRODUCT RATING area.
   
   Anyway, this book is much like the Nakama and the Yookoso series. They don't take the learner seriously and the whole program is extremely childish. While popular on community college (and unfortunately even on University) Campuses, the Genki series is horrible for any learner. Like Nakama, it pushes learners to have the many gaps it leaves filled by Japanese instructors. Why not just forgo the pleasure of dropping $50 on a useless book?
   
   The grammar explanations in Genki, like Nakama, are simplistic and examples are insufficient. Again as in Nakama, useless "cultural" aspects of Japan and the Japanese language, such as how to write letters in the language share as much of the spotlight as anything that would be useful.
   
   The vocabulary and the format of the series are atrocious. The most common complaint of the book from both teachers and students is that the vocabulary is simply an illogical and useless mishmash that often has no correlation to the dialogue at the beginning of the chapter or to anything at all. The most famous example of this would be that the first chapter of the second book, which is supposed to be about restaurant service introduces the Japanese word for "UFO." This is ridiculous. The coverage of vocabulary is also glaringly insufficient. The grammatical explanations also follow such chaotic placement throughout the book with no linearity and complex grammatical structures being presented here or there at the author's whim before or after more simplistic ones. This book is so bad that one can almost just pick up the second book and start off from there with no effect on the learning process (assuming one knows the Japanese writing system, of course).
   
   Like Nakama, this book is also a rip-off. It comes with no audio for the student, so it's useless for self-studying. To get the exercises you need to build ability, you also have to buy an overpriced pencil-thin workbook. This is where it differs from Nakama - although they are the same price, the workbook for Nakama is far superior to the Genki one. Expect to drop some 80 dollars list-price to not learn Japanese.
   
   Ultimately, this ill-conceived series of Japanese textbooks should be considered a shame by the Japan Times. And it's also shameful of teachers to push this kindergarten Japanese text in Universities across the country.
   
   Why does it get good reviews? My guess is as good as anybody else's. This book has very few positive points, but it looks extremely good and the paper is of very high quality. It's all flash and no delivery, just like the Japan Times newspaper. The only good thing about this book is that it covers Kanji to an acceptable level.
   
   So why good reviews? I challenge anyone who has become fluent in Japanese in their adult age and used this book as a first two-year starting point to give me an answer. Any takers? I didn't think so.



3. I am currently using this book in college in a course I am taking. This is the third type of Japanese book I have experienced. Its really good. Its not meant to be a self study though. Its kinda of written for a class room environment.



4. Genki I and II cover pretty much the same things as Japanese For Everyone(JFE)and the Japanese for Busy People (JfBP) series - both in terms of Kanji and of grammar - but not so in vocabulary.
   
   There is no such thing as a perfect book on Japanese for everyone because most books have a specific audience in mind and Genki is one such book, I think prospective buyer should keep this in mind.
   
   The Genki-series is less concentrated than JFE but more so than JfBP, and the textbooks are packaged with audio-cds unlike the other books.
   
   It does not use any romanization and starts using Kaji from the start. Unlike the above books this one has an introductory chapter on Hiragana and Katakana.
   
   The exercises are varied, a big plus is that there are many creative exercises such as making your own dialogues.
   There are also a good number of group-exercises to use in classrooms, and many listening exercises as well.
   The grammar is explained in an easy and clear way with many descriptions.
   
   The vocabulary is aimed at younger learners at high-school and college level and covers things like: what major your are taking, exams, dating, etc.
   So it would be ideal for someone taking part in an exchange-program with a Japanese school.
   As you can probably guess the type of language used is also less formal than in JFE and JfBP.
   
   What many people like about this book is that it explains everything in an easy and clear manner, starts using script from the start, and that it has many audio exercises.
   What people complain about is the large number of group-exercises and the college-vocabulary. I agree with other reviewers that the strength of the book is its clear explanations of grammar.
   
   However, in my opinion much of the vocabulary is unsuitable for anyone above the age of 25 and for those who plan to work or do other professional business in Japan. It is also not the best book to use for self-learners due to the large number of group-exercises - for those Japanese for Everyone, Japanese for Busy People and similar books are much better.
   
   There is something patronizing or even humiliating to be a working adult above the age of 25 and use something that looks like Genki: it is like reading a teen-magazine when you should be reading the equivalent of the New York Times or The Guardian, to use an analogy.
   
   For people like me, a 30-year-old professional, it would be strange or even inappropriate to base my knowledge around the college-vocabulary that books like Genki offers. I am most likely to talk to people my own age who have families and started a career, so I do not really need vocabulary focusing on college student life.
   For people like me books like Japanese for Everyone, Japanese for Busy People and similar are more appropriate.
   So to me Genki was a big disappointment.
   
   The fact that Genki uses cartoons & pictures of children and teenagers should tell you who their target audience is, compare this to JFE and JfBP who use drawings & pictures of adults...often in suits.
   
   So if you are a working professional or plan to be one in Japan then choose books aimed at you: Japanese For Everyone, Japanese for Busy People (I,II,III) and similar.
   If you are high-school/college-student exploring a new language: Genki I,II.



5. I'm taking Japanese at college and this was the text book that was required. I'm very happy with it. The book explains grammar very well and the pace moves just fast enough so that my skills in the language are progressing but I don't feel lost. It does not go too much into kanji (there are some pages in the back that correspond to the lessons), but if you are just learning Japanese and have no prior experience with an Asian language- that is a very helpful feature. There is an activity workbook that goes along with the text book and it has grammar and writing exercises and kanji practice pages in the back. You don't actually need the workbook to use the text book, but I definitely recommend it for the extra practice it gives with the lessons.
   
   The beginning of the book focuses a lot on speaking in the polite form (like if you were to speak Japanese to a teacher, stranger, acquaintance...) by using phrases such as "masu" and "masen" at the end of verbs and "desu" and "jaarimasen" meaning "it is" or "it is not", as well as the past tenses of the polite forms. The second half of the book focuses on the cordial or familiar (what you use to speak with close friends, family...). This book also teaches the te-form ending (you cannot use "masu" or "masen" with a verb in the middle of the sentence, so you use the te-form). It also teaches"teimasu" ending (both the te-form and the masu form together to indicate that the action is happening at the instant or that a change of action has occurred). For example: "ima ko-hi wo nondeimasu" means "I am drinking coffee right now". So the book focuses on all of the three ways of writing in Japanese- hiragana (used for Japanese words that do not have a kanji and for the particles), katakana (used for foreign words to give them a Japanese sound such as coffee - ko-hi) and some kanji characters.
   
   I'm sorry if I have made any mistakes with my Japanese sentences (I'm still a beginner with learning the language), but I wanted to try to explain this as best I could because if you already understand most of what I'm writing about - then you probably need the Genki 2 book. If this is all new material to you, then this book is a great way to learn the basics and grammar of Japanese. I also apologize because the amazon site will not let me write the japanese characters.
   
   So, I would definitely recommend the Genki textbook to anyone trying to learn Japanese (don't waste your money like I did trying to learn on Rosetta Stone and computer programs!). My 14 year old sister bought the same book to learn Japanese also, so it's a textbook that can work for a lot of different age groups (I wouldn't go any lower than High School though- but it depends on the motivation of the student). Good luck with your Japanese studies!

5 comments about Let's Learn Hiragana: First Book of Basic Japanese Writing (Kodansha's Children's Classics).

1. As someone who didn't know a thing about Japanese scripts, this book has really helped me grasp the basics. I love the setup: ten characters (or less) at a time, space for rote practice of shape/stroke order, and a worksheet that is short, sweet, and to-the-point -- not to mention "cumulative", so previous symbols don't easily slip away from you. Zooming (reasonably) through the basics with visuals in the first half, the book then introduces diacritics and combining forms in prose (along with more exercises utilizing new and old information). It is an excellent system.
   
   I do wish there were more worksheets/exercises in it. The book's length is perfect if you are reviewing some previous knowledge; however if you are a real beginner, you may want to scan them first for repeated use. Doing the worksheets multiple times has been a huge help for me. I plan to purchase Let's Learn Katakana: Second Book of Basic Japanese Writing because of my great experience with hiragana in this one.



2. Working through this book I was able to learn all the hiragana symbols in about two weeks. The best thing about the book is the extensive practice exercises. You become quite proficient at converting between hiragana and romaji. In addition to the exercises I made my own flashcards to help speed up memorization. Once I felt I had the symbols from one section memorized I tried to do the exercises. I am very impressed with the usefulness of this book so I purchased "Let's Learn Katakana" and will probably get "Let's Learn Kanji" soon. This book is highly recommended!



3. This book, although in recent print, is, well, lets face it, OLD.
   
   That sounds like a bad thing because you think that amazing new ways of learning in the 21st century would be far superior. BUT NO! ITS THE ORIGINAL AND THE BEST!
   
   I agree with the positive reviewers. This book is perfect (well the closest too it anyway).
   It doesnt treat the reader like a baby, it is the most complete and correct book I have seen (compared a few). Id say this is the only REAL Hiragana book on the market, the rest are too basic and miss out important parts (which you simply wont know exist unless you work though this book).
   
   The only thing this book is missing is imagery for the characters to aid your memory. For that i bought flash cards, it would have been nice if ever character in this book, when first presented had cute little picture, and if some basic cut-out flash cards were included. But thats not enough to take away from 5 stars.
   
   If you are having problems remembering the characters, get the Kana Flash cards (white rabbit) as well as this book. There is another book "Japanese Hiragana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System" that has pictures, but they arent really helpful cause there are kind of ill-logical. But it has flash cards in the back.
   
   Once you can remember the hiragana (might take a week with flash cards), this book will guide you through some vocab and basic sentence structure, as well as all the combinations of hiragana (contracted sounds, voiced, elongated etc...). From this book i can read and correctly pronounce any word written in hiragana (katakana has some small additions which i have just stared in the corresponding katakana book), obviously my accent isnt perfect, that takes time.



4. Very, very satisfied. The honest truth? No, you probably don't need this book to learn Hiragana. It's very easy. Find a complete list of Hiragana that tells you the stroke orders and brute-force memorise them. Is it fun? Well, for me, yes, as I find writing Hiragana fun, like creating artwork. But, fun or not, brute-force works fine for both sets of Kana alphabets. It doesn't take nearly as long as you might expect, even for dense learners such as myself.
   
   But, if you want to learn Hiragana quickly, you should probably get this book anyway. They're written BY HAND within the book itself. It's someone's actual handwritten Hiragana being printed into the book. I found this very helpful, but I'm not sure I can really explain why. I've found that others also find this supplements the learning experience. It also includes some very minimal practice quizes; these quizes also incidentally introduce some vocabulary. I have to admit that I didn't use these in the Hiragana volume I'm reviewing here, but I probably should have.
   
   I found having a real book that I can carry around with real paper and pen to be the best way to learn. Getting away from electronics, including the computer, helps many like myself to focus better on the actual material and get it down. If you're like me and find yourself a "lazy learner" - and I know there are many of us out there! - this book's for you. Short, not too expensive, and does what it says, earning 5 stars from me.



5. I like the way this book introduces each hiragana syllable, including a detailed stroke order description, and provides you space to practice. Each set of hiragana is followed by several exercises that help reinforce both the reading and writing - fill in the blank, translate from romaji to hiragana, translate from hiragana to romaji. I'm definitely going to pick up the Let's Learn Katakana book next. I started learning Japanese with "My Japanese Coach" for Nintendo DS, which is a nice introduction to the language for someone who doesn't know any Japanese. You can practice writing characters there, but basically you're writing just the character over and over again, so it gets a little repetitive. I read reviews on this book and decided to try it, and I was learning much faster with this book.