Japanese language enrollment is up by 27.5 percent since 2006, making it the sixth most popular language studied on college campuses. Whether studying for school, business, or travel, Japanese For Dummies provides complete coverage of all Japanese language essentials including grammar, usage, and vocabulary.
Complete with free conversational audio tracks online, this handy book offers everything you need to learn the Japanese language to get ahead in class or on a trip to Japan. In no time, you'll make sense of the language well enough to communicate with native speakers!
Includes expanded coverage of grammar, verb conjugations, and pronunciations Provides a refreshed mini-dictionary with even more essential vocabulary Offers useful exercises and practice opportunities Helps you learn to speak conversational Japanese with ease Whether for work, school, or fun, Japanese For Dummies is the fast and easy way to add this language to your skillset!
Good for getting a firm grasp of the language of you have very little exposure. The notes at the end are things I hadn't learned previously, so it was interesting and useful information for someone who is not totally inexperienced as well. However if you are already past absolute beginner stage, you probably won't get much out of this book.
Would not recommend. Good for learning phrases. Not for learning the language or grammar. The order of the book seemed pretty off to me. They introduce odd vocabulary like the names of household items before they introduce the basic Hiragana alphabet. Also, the way the book is displays shows an emphasis on the western spelling (not the characters you would see written on Japanese signs or pamphlets) or the pronunciation. Again, not very useful. The lines and lines of those bold phrases make it very hard to concentrate on learning anything. It's boring. The pictures and quizzes at the end of each chapter might have helped to break up such lengthy vocabulary lists.
I am a native Japanese speaker. I would not recommend this book to beginners who want to learn Japanese. It is very complicated and confusing to the reader because grammar, kanji, and pronunciation are all explained at once. If you want to be able to speak conversational Japanese, first get a feel for how Japanese sounds by watching YouTube or podcasts to learn the Japanese sounds, then concentrate on grammar and pronunciation. And this book is too long.
Would be easier if the correct strokes where also put on the marks. Now I see the order but I'm not a hundred percent sure if I have to start on the left.