Let's Learn Japanese Picture Dictionary [Hardcover]

Marlene Goodman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Let's Learn (McGraw-Hill)

Created by leading educators, these colorful, large-size dictionaries introduce beginning language learners to more than 1,550 commonly taught basic words. Each Let's Learn Language Picture Dictionary in the series boasts 30 delightful two-page spreads that vividly illustrate the meanings of words. Fun-filled panoramas focus on scenes familiar to children aged three through eight, such as home life, the classroom, city life, sports, the zoo, and even outer space! Learners will love to revisit these detailed depictions of people, places, actions, and objects, each time improving their recall. Featured words are set off with individual illustrations and definitions to help learners at various levels build vocabulary. Includes an index and glossary of all the individually illustrated words. An ideal selection of first word books for parents and teachers who want to encourage second language acquisition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (January 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071408274
• ISBN-13: 978-0071408271
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries
  • #51 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Japanese
  • #91 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Japanese

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Japanese Picture Dictionary, April 8, 2000

By 

E. Martinez - See all my reviews

This review is from: Let's Learn Japanese Picture Dictionary (Let's Learn...Picture Dictionary Series) (Hardcover)

This book is a necessity for any student of the Japanese language. Hundreds of words each have their own illustrations and most pages have large, beautiful composite drawings great for point 'n' mane practice. The subjects are very diverse and include "The Make-Believe Castle", "The Attic", and "The Mouse Hunt", which list some unusual and fun words. I might just need to say 'fairy princess' while in Japan, or reading manga. The book uses English, romanjij (Japanese words in the Roman alphabet), as well as kana and kanji (Japanese characters) so readers of any skill level can read and use the book. As a beginning student of the language, I found the multiple alphabet format used for each word very helpful. I enjoyed reading and learning from this book very much and I recommend it as an addition to any language student's or child's library.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a nice book, with a helpful way to learn some Japanese words, September 21, 2007

By 

S. Geyer (Hiroshima, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Let's Learn Japanese Picture Dictionary (Hardcover)

I bought this book in a bookstore before we moved to Japan; I was so excited to see a Japanese picture book that my daughter may enjoy that I bought it immediately. In reading through it before our move here, it was interesting, although a bit dense with information since I initially bought it for my preschool-aged daughter. This may be more useful for adults or school-age kids who want to learn Japanese words in a context beyond just memorizing the words and their meanings, but rather associating pictures with the Japanese words and how they are pronounced. The pictures are good, and my daughter enjoys looking at them for a little while; however, they really are geared more toward adults or school-age children (i.e. they are not the fun and happy pictures to which preschoolers or that age group are typically drawn). I do still go over it in limited doses with my 3-year old to help her learn Japanese words, but this is not a book she will pull off the shelf and look through on her own (she does do that with most of her other books).

Now that I am living in Japan and learning the language and having to use it in everyday life, I find myself reading this book more than my daughter, where it is useful as a tool to increase my vocabulary. There is also a nice index in the back of the book with both the english as well as romaji text for the Japanese words. I wouldn't use this book by itself to learn Japanese, but do not think that was ever its intention anyway. This is a nice book in that it does include the kanji/hiragana/katakana text for the words as well as how it is pronounced. The actual Japanese script for the words is great because it can help you identify it on packaging or other times you need to learn the written word. For a real beginner, having the romaji pronunciation help there is a plus, since learning all of the kanji scripts and their respective pronunciations can be more than a little overwhelming (at least there are more limited numbers of hiragana and katakana scripts to learn). For those of us learning Japanese and needing to use it in everyday life, having the romaji pronunciation there is a big help, vs. a more academic approach of strictly learning all of the Japanese script (kanji, hiragana, katakana) for the words.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My First Japanese Dictionary. It Is Fantastic!, April 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Let's Learn Japanese Picture Dictionary (Let's Learn...Picture Dictionary Series) (Hardcover)

My mother is a Japanese and I am a Japanese American. She and I will be using this book to teach my son Japanese. The drawings in this book are very friendly. Kids have fun time reading this book.

We also use this book to teach adult students Japanese. Like the saying "pictures worth thousand words", the grown-ups also find the classes interesting when using material like this one.

One great thing about this book is that Kanji and English are also listed next to each picture. That is a big help for those who are serious about learning how to read and write Japanese...

We highly recommand this book.