Customer Reviews

Japanese Street Slang

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

 

 

This book has been moderately useful because it gives you vocabulary that makes Japanese interesting and come alive. Most Japanese books don't include the slang spoken on the streets, which essentially is the way people speak. Try listening to TV in Japan and you'll understand why Berlitz insturction gets you no where in your quest to learn the language. No one speaks the way you will learn through books. This helps and does have some important slangish grammer focuses like the use of "me" for males from the polite "watakushi", the usualy "watashi", the boyish "boku", and the rough "ore".

However, there are downsides to this book. It is terribly out-dated and with slang, you need to be on top of the latest phrases. I would give examples, but they would probably be offensive. More research and a new edition is needed. Moreover, the explainations of the words and expressions are too long: more vocabulary could be included instead of a mass of explaination. Some slang I learned from Japanese speakers was from the 80's and I got ridiculous smiles from locals. They hadn't heard "that" in years.

One last word...the words in the book can be offensive and try them out with younger friends. Unko means "poo-poo" in Japanese, not the offensive 4-letter word the book says it means. Kids use it as well as wildlife shows. A lot of other words in here have debatable meanings, but the majority are interesting.

After having lived in Japan and interacted with Japanese on a daily basis, as well as a good dose of Japanese television and movies, I can tell you that most of the phrases in the book are just not used, are probably outdated, or even taken from obscure dialects. If you are looking for a good book on Japanese 'slang', I'd reccomend "Kansai Japanese" by Peter Tse - while not really 'slang' per se, it is one of the most interesting and lively dialects in Japan, and more useful than any of the 'slang' found in this book..

When I read this book seven years ago and tried to use some of the new words I learned on some Japanese friends of mine, the only reactions I got were blank stares. I showed them the book and the words, and they still had no idea what I was talking about. I highly suggest staying away from this book. There are better ways to learn slang, like from real Japanese people. Japanese comics, or manga, are also a great source that I recommend for people wanting to learn slang.

This ranks among one of my favorite bedside books. Page long explainations of certain words, with detailed comments on related words, history, regionalization. It's a little naughty, but with a scholorly flair. His translations of japanese sentances are like what you always wish they taught in high school french, and Constantine's command of English slang is impressive. The best part is his look at japanese culture through slang. Constantine uncovers gem after gem. It's unlikely that I'll ever be fluent enough in Japanese to judge the veracity of the book, but it rings true, and is a delight to read, even if you will never need to know the Japanese word for Lesbian, or when a root is more than just a root.

If I had to recommend a book of Japanese slang to someone, this book probably wouldn't show up near the top of my list. It's very vulgar, repetitious, and outdated. I'm sure there are better rescources out there to use than this one.

Japanese Street Slang.. vulgar, outdated, and just not slang. The author expresses that the so called "slang" of Japan is something that is not acknowledged by those who profess or study the language professionally. While the purpose is interesting, the proof however is not convincing. I doubt the existance of a Japanese slang like that portrayed in this book. Besides many horribly dirty, gross, outdated, and innaccurate words in this book, there is not much else of practical use. I strongly discourage the purchase of this book for communication in Japanese because most of the words are not even used anymore or are not known by many Japanese speakers. Few words are of much use, and those which are have no distinctions from the other not so quite useful words.

I think the author either made a profoundly deep excavation into the tiny corners of the Japanese language, or just some of the material is fabricated. If you read this book, please keep in mind that many of the words or phrases are not used in everyday Japanese speech. I do not reccomend this book.

Want to ask for a reputable speed dealer in Japanese? Want to be amused? Even if you have no interest in Japanese at all, this book will be an invaluable addition to your library of "cool" books. Buy it!

A fun and well-written tour of the exciting nooks and crannies of Japan's street language. If you thought Japan was all about cherry blossoms and anime, read this book. Most of the words and expressions you will (hopefully) never use--but they are wild and rollicking, their etymology fully explained, and you will be glad to know them. Many four-letter words, words from drug rings, the sex trade, thief's jargon, club-scene words. All wild and kakkoii--awesome!Japanese Slang: Uncensored

I have to echo some of the other reviewers' comments and say that some of my Japanese collegues have never heard a few of the phrases in this book. I did find some interesting phrases in this book that I could not get from a dictionary. But one thing has to be said: this book is mostly just a collection of vulgarity and obscenity. I wouldn't recommend it, even for that. You might as well just go and buy a porn mag.