Berlitz Japanese Phrase Book (Berlitz Phrase Book) [Paperback]

Berlitz Guides (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 2831562678 | ISBN-13: 978-2831562674 | Publication Date: September 1998 | Edition: 9th

Fit every pocket -- and every traveler's need for a compact, easy-to-use, and dependable reference source.

Part language instructor, part tour guide, the world-renowned Berlitz Phrase Book series has been the ideal companion guide for millions of travelers worldwide. Providing a wealth of essential information and practical tips, this popular series, redesigned and with updated phrases and expressions and over 2,300 words covering just about any situation a traveler is likely to encounter, remains the unparalleled market leader.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In January 2003, the renowned Berlitz Publishing became part of the Langenscheidt Group. The Langenscheidt Publishing Group, the premier group of map and travel companies, offers over 4,000 North American and international street maps, road maps, atlases, language-learning, bilingual dictionaries, and travel-related products covering countries, cities, and languages in every continent.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Berlitz Guides; 9th edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2831562678
• ISBN-13: 978-2831562674
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #522,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Japanese
  • #21 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Dutch
  • #26 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Japanese

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best tool out there, September 14, 2000

By 

Rawfish (Salt Lake) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Berlitz Japanese Phrase Book (Berlitz Phrase Book) (Paperback)

I have been living in Japan for over two years now and this thing is still in my back pocket (albeit a bit ratty now).

I have invested tons in pocket dictionaries and phrasebooks. I don't even bother to carry anything else with me now.

Even though my Japanese can get me through a conversation, I still have trouble, and that's where this book comes in.

Excellent organization, and the fact that it's written in both romanized characters, so you can read it, and Japanese characters, so they can read it, is a Godsend.

I have copied pages from it for my Japanese students who were taking a trip to the states.

I could go on and on, but this little book has been a life saver. Easily the best 10 bucks I've ever spent.

Extremely useful if you have no Japanese, and still quite handy even if you do. Even has a section on hitting on people!

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Indispensible aid to communicating in Japanese, January 12, 2002

By 

Silver Springer "mary1anne2" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Berlitz Japanese Phrase Book (Berlitz Phrase Book) (Paperback)

This phrasebook was used as a "textbook" by a Japanese student who tutored me in Japanese before a recent trip to Japan. It contained many helpful phrases for a lot of situations you will encounter when traveling in Japan. I consider this critical for "survival Japanese"--contrary to what you may have heard, everyone does NOT speak English. I used this book in talking to cab drivers, making a train reservation, ordering food, asking directions, making purchases. I gave this four stars instead of five because this lacks some elements you need to be understood. The biggest one is knowing how the Japanese accent words. Also missing was the discussion of the differences in using different numbers for different objects. I was able to "fill in the gaps" from my tutor and the Pimsleur Japanese tapes. All in all, a great reference book for travelers.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easiest to use in practical settings, May 6, 2007

By 

Matthew Melia (Manchester, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Berlitz Japanese Phrase Book (Berlitz Phrase Book) (Paperback)

Hey,

I've had to travel to Japan a couple times for work and have both this and the Lonely Planet phrasebook. While the Lonely Planet version has more stuff on how to speak in japanese I found it extremely difficult to use when I was on the street, in a store, or at my hotel trying to communicate. The berlitz is sectioned out pretty well and one thing I really appreciated which the lonely planet didn't is how to ask for a drink on the rocks. I still keep the Lonely Planet one with me when I travel over there but leave it at the hotel. When I go out and wonder around the country I'm never without my Berlitz guide. It has a little less content but I find the content is both more useful and a lot easier to get through when trying to talk with the locals.