Essential Japanese Vocabulary: Learn to Avoid Common (And Embarrassing!) Mistakes: Learn Japanese Grammar and Vocabulary Quickly and Effectively

by Akira Miura, Wesley Jacobsen (Foreword)

This is a clear, simple and compact guide to colloquial, everyday Japanese.

-Acquire basic proficiency in spoken Japanese
-A streamlined, efficient approach
-Perfect for self–learners or classroom use
-Includes kanji and kana

Essential Japanese Vocabulary teaches all the Japanese grammar you need to speak and understand simple spoken Japanese. Covering only what is essential, it provides and efficient way for learners who have limited time to gain basic proficiency and begin to communicate naturally with Japanese language speakers. Intended for both self–study and classroom use the guide offers a practical course in colloquial Japanese, but leaves aside forms that are unnecessary or little used as well as those that are more important for written Japanese. In short chapters, it helps the user understand the logic of Japanese grammar, while its straightforward explanations and clear examples make learning as easy as possible. The book includes a glossary of grammatical terms and an index, as well as appendixes on Japanese pronunciation and verb conjugation.

In a focused and convenient approach, Essential Japanese Vocabulary is an indispensable tool for beginners just starting to learn Japanese or a handy aid for more experience learners who wish to refresh their knowledge.

Genres: Japanese Literature, Language, Reference, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2011

About the author

Akira Miura is emeritus professor of Japanese at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he taught all levels of Japanese as well as Japanese pedagogy for more than thirty years. A native of Tokyo and a graduate of the University of Tokyo, he received his Ed.D. from Columbia University. He is also the author of English Loanwords in Japanese, An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese, Problematic English Words Written in Katakana, Japanese Cultural Episodes for Speed Reading, and Let's Get to Know Japan! His translations include Sakae Tsuboi’s Twenty-four Eyes and Takeo Suzuki’s Words in Context.

Reviews

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I often search for comparison between two Japanese words on the web and on multiple occasions, I got hits from this (as a Google Book). I finally decided to get it...

First, the title is wrong and sounds dumb. It doesn't teach you "essential vocabulary" and except for one example given in the preface, there's no "embarrassing" mistake to avoid (I guess they thought it would sell better by playing on fear of embarrassment?) The book is actually about correct word usage and especially distinction between similar words.

For example, what's the difference between 世の中, 世界 and 世間? Between 転ぶ　and 倒れる? Between　手伝う and 助ける? 疑問　and 質問? It can be difficult to find a clear explanation anywhere and the author isn't always perfect either... sometimes his explanations are a bit vague, but most of it is clear. The real value of this book for me were the unknown unknowns; subtleties I had never thought of, that do make a difference in meaning or that would be incorrect, like saying something is ぬるい if it's pleasantly warm.

Of course there's only so much you can pack in 300 pages and I already knew the majority of it, but the stuff I didn't know would have been difficult to come across otherwise. So I think it's good for upper beginner to mid/upper intermediate and especially self-learners like me (who don't get as much info on usage as people taking classes).

[Rin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for reference when you need to figure out how to use a word in a sentence, but it wasn't what I thought it was--and isn't very useful at this time. I plan to pick it up when I'm more advanced in studying, possibly after I pass the N3.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What this book does is explain the nuances of usage for about 500 basic vocabulary words that students of Japanese learn typically pretty early in their studies. It uses a lot of examples to demonstrate natural sounding sentences and point out the differences between similar words. If you can't find a copy of Kodansha's Effective Japanese Usage Dictionary by Masayoshi Hirose, this can be a viable cheap alternative for students around N5-N4 level, since both books cover some of the same ground; however, higher level students are likely to have already outgrown this book.

I do have to point out though that this book has some of the sloppiest copy-editing I've ever seen in a professionally printed book -- so many spelling and layout mistakes. And I can't recommend the companion book Essential Japanese Grammar: A Comprehensive Guide to Contemporary Usage: Learn Japanese Grammar and Vocabulary Quickly and Effectively when there are better grammar resources available not only in print but on the web.

[Hali Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't recommend this series enough for beginners! Even as an advanced learner just perusing the book, I found some neat information herein. My go-to reference book for ages was its grammar counterpart, and currently I have the Korean version checked out, so I am naturally very eager to see if its brilliance holds up across languages!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

2013年に、漢字の意味処理に興味を持っていた心理学の大学院生として、日本語を学び始めました。結果は、この本を買いました。この本は素晴らしい日本語の語彙と表現の入門ですよ。おかげさまで、日本語でメールを読み書くのは上手ですね （喋ると聞くのはまだまだまずいけど、笑）。残念ながら、日本語で会話する機会は少ないよ。

[David Bauwens · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book with the subtitle "Learn to avoid common (and embarrassing!) mistakes, this sure has an enormous amount of typos.

[Hans Ollaiver]

Vit. Paperback. 23 cm.