Customer Reviews

A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar

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I found this book while living in Japan, and it became my prime book for studying Japanese. My Japanese host father used this book just as much to study english--the example sentences and translations are incredibly natural and original. After my year in Japan, I went to the University of Washington and was lucky enough to take a Technical Japanese class with Professor Tsutsui. He was an incredible instructor, and this book reflects that.

This book is arranged like an encylopedia, with two to four pages dedicated to explaining each grammatical structure. Samples include 'sore ni', 'totan', 'zaru o enai', and 'kara to itte'. What is also very useful is the appendix, which includes all sorts of goodies such as compound verbs and particles. Although it all sounds as boring as the word 'grammar' itself, this book really makes it interesting.

I recommend this book for any ambitious student of Japanese at about a 3rd to 4th-year level. Furigana readings are attached to most Kanji, but there is very little romaji. There is also another companion book, which is by the same authors and covers basic Japanese grammer.

I bought this book when I was in Japan and it was one of the best investments I made. I was in a Japanese class where the teacher only spoke Japanese, and all of my classmates were Korean. It was very hard for me to learn grammar in that environment, because the teacher couldn't just tell me the meaning in English, he had to try to explain it in Japanese. I went out and bought this book, and it was a life saver. I could look up the grammer points I needed to learn, and the explanations were incredible. All of my friends who are learning Japanese love this book too.

I really can't think of anything bad about this book. It contains a very useful appendix of compound verbs and compound particles. This is the best 750 pages of grammar you will ever read.

First of all, you need both this book and the beginner's guide (Also available). The index in the back of this volume references both books and occasionally you will look up a grammar phrase and find it's in the blue beginner's volume.

Expensive, but a necessary reference. My main gripe is that it's sometimes not obvious how to look up a phrase and i spend a lot of time digging through index. A little standardization would help (Ex: yarou to suru... would you look this up under "you to suru", or "to suru", or "suru"?)

The appendices offer good usage info on topics as compound verbs and counters. I use it as an English counterpart to some of the japanese profieciency exam grammar reviews that are available in Japan in Japanese.

This is a great book as the Basic japanese grammar. it's well organized like an encyclopedia. having this book and the one before will cover most often used japanese grammars. one of the best grammar out there. very concise and useful for those who are serious about being fluent in japanese. no other book have i come across that is as easy to use and understand as this book. this book is like the bible of japanese grammar. Also get the Basic japanese grammar. it will give you a very strong foundation which is a must for those who love the japanese language.

I've been a student of the language since 1989 and consider this two-book series to have been the most useful for both study and reference, as they illustrate grammatical constuctions that are otherwise difficult to understand, even with today's online tools.

These are so good that I'd buy the 3rd in the series, if it existed, sight-unseen.

This book is still the standard, the one recommended to and for Japanese students, and they let it drop out of print? Why? Someone please either update this book or reissue it because it is still the best book available and getting harder to find!

Everytime I am confused about an element of Japanese grammar I consult this reference book and I always walk away satisfied with all my questions answered. The translations are fantastic, the example sentences are chosen to clearly demonstrate the grammar point, and different usages are explained. What I like most is that this book takes varying English translations of the grammar point and shows how they are conceptually connected, so that you only have to remember the one grammar point rather than memorizing a bunch of seemingly different English translations.

I hope to be a Japanese teacher in the future, and I'll be keeping this book by my side at all times.

If you can only have a few books to learn the Japanese language then this would definitely be one of them. I Highly recommend this book and its beginner and advanced versions.

Having graduated with a degree in Japanese, I was dismayed to find that the level I had obtained was a fair bit lacking. For a good while I looked for sites and books that could help me take language to a new level and most things seemed to be lacking in places.

This book is a great compendium of usual grammatical structures that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else so completely. However, if you're looking for a book that gives you drills and exercises in which to practice and master the structures therein, you won't find that here. There are a few key sentences, a brief section on formation and some notes about exceptions but there are not drill sections.

Sometimes the language can be a bit stiff and unfamiliar when compared to textbook writing style but a quick glance at the glossary in the front should set you right.

If you really want to practice the grammar to make sure you understand it and are using it correctly, looking for a language site like lang-8 that allows users to correct each other and interact.

This is a good book to start learning or refreshing your grammar but it is not going to help you retain it. That you have to do for yourself.