Guide to Learning Hiragana & Katakana (Tuttle Language Library) [Paperback]

Kenneth G. Henshall (Author), Tetsuo Takagaki (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (December 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804816638
• ISBN-13: 978-0804816632
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,729,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very useful introduction to japanese writing, July 19, 2000

By 

Konstantinos Zampopoulos (Athens, Greece) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guide to Learning Hiragana & Katakana (Tuttle Language Library) (Paperback)

The book is a very useful guide in learning the Kana signs. Pronounciation and stroke order are included for each sign, while in the end of any 'set' of characters is followed by a mini review session with basic words and space for writing practice. The vocabulary may not be vast, but has exellent cultural reference and is definitely useful in both the long and short term. What is most important, it certainly helps the student to familiarize himself/herself with the scripts. Additional aspects of writting, such as consonant and vowel doubling and origins of the kana signs (how they developed out of the chinese characters) are also there.

The material is divided in sets of characters (8-10), at the end of each the mini review follows. A good way to study (my suggestion) is to practice writing the characters (preferably in a blank piece fo paper, one sheet per character), do the mini review, make 'flash cards' with the words and the next day do a review of previously studied material and advance to the following set of characters. In that pace I was able to finish the book in about two weeks (I borrowed it from the campus library), but my ability to read and write was very good by the end (a couple of Japanese classmates where quite impressed).

The book definitly does what it claims to do, that is to teach reading and writing the Hiragana and the Katakana. It does not claim to be a grammar, syntax, vocabulary or phrase book and does not deal in any way with such aspects of the language. It has nothing to do at all with the Kanji; nevertheless, it is rather futile attempting to read anything in Japanese without prior solid knowledge of the syallabaries (they are used to show pronounciation of the Kanji at many texts and the common script is always a mixture of Kanji and Kana signs).

If you want a place to start your trip through the actual Japanese language, going beyond romanized scripts and phrase books, this is an exellent place to start.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Japanese Book ever., March 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Guide to Learning Hiragana & Katakana: First Steps to Reading and Writing Japanese (Paperback)

I can't stand doing boring work. I have very little patience and I lose interest in studies easily. This is the ONLY Japanese book I've ever finished. Why? It kicks ass from beginning to end.

Seriously, if you want to learn Kana, this is the book for you. It starts with a good explanation of the why/how/what of these two syllabaries. Then it goes right into hiragana but doesn't overwhelm you. After you've been introduced to enough material, you get a review. (There are tons of reviews and they all cover word examples that are practical to know for cultural or historic events.) Once you've completed hiragana, the book moves on to katakana. The system builds upon itself and the two syllabaries make sense the way they're presented in this book.

I started this book back in XMAS 2003. Three months later, I know both kana syllabaries like the back of my hand.

Best Japanese purchase EVER.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent starting point, March 25, 2010

By 

Justin Strother "TANSTAAFL!" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Guide to Learning Hiragana & Katakana (Tuttle Language Library) (Paperback)

I had this book recommended to me by a Japanese speaking friend, and I fell in love with it almost immediately. The structure is simple enough to be picked up quickly, and I've actually managed to retain the information that I've learned. I am rapidly becoming able to read the language.

As a note, this is not a one-stop for everything Japanese. Grammar is not touched on in this book, and the words learned here are limited. This book also doesn't take on Kanji at all. But, for a beginner looking for a starting point or an learning student looking for a companion, this book is absolutely worth the money. I do recommend either getting or making a set of flash cards as a study aid, and I also recommend practicing at least a little every day.

As a nice bonus, the introduction explains a bit about the language and how it's evolving in modern society. It also explains the difference between Hiragana and Katakana, and when to use each. Very useful.