Customer Reviews

Beyond Polite Japanese: A Dictionary of Japanese Slang and Colloquialisms (Power Japanese Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would like to respond to the review entitled "Not the Best." First, the reviewer says the book is not comprehensive. Well, I have looked around quite a bit, and I have yet to find a comprehensive dictionary of slang and colloquialisms even in the Japanese language, so it is a bit much to expect this book to be that dictionary; and then there is the question of whether this book was INTENDED to be comprehensive, which apparently it was not (according to the Preface). Second, the reviewer says that the book is outdated. Well, my understanding from the Preface is that this book is meant to cover traditional slang and colloquial expressions, those expressions which are long-lived and not likely to disappear very quickly. That is, it is meant as a solid foundation for further study but also meant for immediate use in a great variety of common situations. Third, the reviewer complains that the book is arranged "in a not so easy to use format." Here, I agree, but then I cannot think of any other better format, whether alphabetical or whatever; and there is also an index to be referred to.
Overall, I wonder if the reviewer is judging the book not for what it was intended to be, but for what he was expecting, or hoping, it to be--two different things.
In my experience, which has covered a good deal of time in Japan, the expressions in this book are those which you are likely to hear quite often, and therefore form a good foundation for the study of the language. If you want to go beyond this, you are left pretty much on your own at present, and good luck to you.

As one of the other reviewers noted, many other books of "slang Japanese" focus primarily on vulgar vocabulary. While this book does have some pretty salty expressions, it has a great deal more depth than that, including expressions you might actually use. Also, many slang dictionaries are out-of-date before they hit the shelves. Being able to say the equivalent of "I'm a hep cat, daddy-o" in Japanese may have some humorous value, but in the grand scheme of understanding what is being said around you, it's not very useful. So this book has chosen to be quite conservative in the slang and colloquial expressions it uses. As a result, more than 80 percent of the expressions introduced in the book can be used today. It's a good first step out of the textbook and into the real world.

This book calls itself "A Dictionary of Japanese Slang and Colloquialisms", and it is exactly that. Unlike some books which claim to teach the colloqual speech and then get bogged down in vulgarity and profanity, this book, though it does feature such things, also spends a good deal of time on idiomatic phrases that will prove to be far more useful in conversation. I found the categorization scheme somewhat whimsical, but it's fun to just flip through the book anyway. There is also an index in the back for fast reference.

I have to agree with "Another opinion". It is a good starting point for those who want to get in touch with Japanese slang, although it is not actual. As said in the preface, slang is something that flows and changes with time. Even in your own mothertongue, you will find that slang changes from time to time, and therefore it is hard to write a good reference book on slang.

I have read this book for 3/4th part, and skimmed through it a bit a few times. I have used some expressions in my daily conversations with my Japanese friends too, and sometimes they got surprised, sometimes they laughed a bit and told me that it was outdated, but it was still funny.

I also have to mention that this book is meant for the advanced students of Japanese, because the translations do not literally agree with what was given in Japanese. You'll have to understand Japanese to be able to decipher the sentence structure and then agree with the translation given (or not :) ) And then, only then, you'll be able to create your own examples!

As a sidenote, if you really want to learn slang, talk to Japanese people, a LOT! That really helps ;)

Really great for translation reference, but don't expect to be able to trot out onto the streets of Harajuku and chat with random passersby.

I have studied Japanese since 1997 and have been to Japan 31/32 times. On some trips, it really rains hard, so I ended up watching the asa dramas (daytime/morning dramas) all day (if I go outside, I am going to get really wet, as there is nowhere to hide like in American cities). Sometimes even I need clarification on what's being said. This book uses the slang from those shows to illustrate and explain the etymology of the words. Great purchase, never regretted it.

This book is indeed funner than hell and even if you don't know a hint of japanese you can also find this book enjoyable. An important note is that some of the expressions that are used in this book are outdated or some region of Japanese people might not know what you're saying. In general Japanese people themselves are more open in their language you just got to crack their social sheel so they speak in more of a plain level. Excellent book!

I live in Japan and I find this book not too useful. Whenever I hear a slang word that I don't know, I would try to look it up in this book but 95% of the time it's not there. It's fun to read the entries on its own, but it's not very comprehensive and a bit outdated. Also, the sections are arranged in a not so easy to use format. I wished that I had spent my money on something else.

The English slang in this book is weird. He uses words like "hanky-panky" and "comes unglued". I don't get it at all.