Schaum's Outline of Japanese Vocabulary [Paperback]

Shiqeru Eguchi (Author), Orie Yamada (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071342192 | ISBN-13: 978-0071342193 | Publication Date: October 19, 2000 | Edition: 1

Practice exercises with complete answers allow readers to master newly acquired Japanese vocabulary for real-life situations while authoritative tips on Japanese customs familiarize readers with necessary protocol. Japanese-to-English and English-to-Japanese glossaries explian subtle differences between Japanese words and phrases and their English counterparts. An easy-to-use pronunciation guide is included.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: Japanese, English

From the Back Cover

Master the fundamentals of Japanese vocabulary with Schaum’s—the high-performance study guide. It will help you cut study time, hone problem-solving skills, and achieve your personal best on exams and projects!

Students love Schaum’s Outlines because they produce results. Each year, hundreds of thousands of students improve their test scores and final grades with these indispensable study guides.

Get the edge on your classmates. Use Schaum’s!

If you don't have a lot of time but want to excel in class, this book helps you:

* Use detailed examples to solve problems * Brush up before tests * Find answers fast * Study quickly and more effectively * Get the big picture without poring over lengthy textbooks

Schaum’s Outlines give you the information your teachers expect you to know in a handy and succinct format—without overwhelming you with unnecessary jargon. You get a complete overview of the subject. Plus, you get plenty of practice exercises to test your skill. Compatible with any classroom text, Schaum’s let you study at your own pace and remind you of all the important facts you need to remember—fast! And Schaum’s are so complete, they’re perfect for preparing for graduate or professional exams.

Inside, you will find: * Clear, authoritative review of basic Japanese * Essential vocabulary for typical situations in Japanese life * Basic English-Japanese and Japanese-English glossaries * Easy-to-use pronunciation guide

If you want top grades and a thorough understanding of Japanese vocabulary, this powerful study tool is the best tutor you can have!

Chapters include: At The Airport * On The Airplane * Passport Control And Customs * At The Train Station * The Automobile * Asking For Directions * At The Hotel * At The Bank * At The Post Office * Making A Telephone Call * At The Hairdresser * At The Dry Cleaner * At The Restaurant * Shopping For Food * Buying Clothing And Shoes * At Home * At The Hospital * Entertainment * Sports * The Weather * Numbers * Time Expressions * Foods * Glossary: Japanese-English * Glossary: English-Japanese

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (October 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071342192
• ISBN-13: 978-0071342193
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,224,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Kanji are difficult to read, October 10, 2011

By 

Larson Juhl - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Schaum's Outline of Japanese Vocabulary (Schaum's Outline Series) (Paperback)

The authors of this textbook had what seems like a pretty good idea. They developed a series of Japanese language sentences, each followed by the corresponding English text on the line below. I bought this book after seeing a copy in the local library, thinking that it would be good for practicing reading in Japanese. Using a piece of thick paper, I would shield the English translation and just read the Japanese, and then move the paper to reveal the English translation.
However, someone had the dumb idea of putting much of the Japanese text in bold characters, to emphasize new terms as they are introduced. The kanji characters are small to begin with, and this has the effect of making many of the kanji characters unreadable, as all of the little lines that make up the characters merge and blur together. This gets to be very annoying. If the authors wanted to emphasize certain characters, it would have been better to underline them, rather than to put them in bold text.
Interestingly, I have two other Japanese textbooks, the Minna no Nihongo series, which teach kanji, where the authors made the same mistake, putting newly introduced tiny kanji in bold characters, so that they are difficult to read, but the blurring effect is less pronounced, since the book is printed on better paper than the Schaum's Outline books.
I think that native Japanese people are so used to reading kanji that they don't even notice this kind of detail. They can recognize the kanji at a glance, no matter how blurry they are.
The other reasons I can't give this book a very high rating are 1) there are a number of minor mistakes in the English translations and 2) the whole premise of the book is not very imaginative. As the other reviewer said, it's really much too difficult for a beginner, so to whom is the book directed? For someone like me, who has completed a number of Japanese courses (Berlitz, Pimsleur, Learn in Your Car, Japanese for Everyone) over many years of effort and who can read a few hundred kanji but who has never lived in Japan for more than a few weeks, the level of this book is just about right for reading practice, but the reading is proving to be frustrating because I can't see a lot of the characters. If I didn't know this material already, I would never be able to learn it from such a scattershot approach as these authors are taking.
By the way, if you really want to learn Japanese thoroughly, I highly recommend the textbook, Japanese for Everyone. It's very difficult, but it teaches the grammar, which is the most difficult part of Japanese, systematically and thoroughly. Each chapter builds on the ones before it, and the authors are careful not to introduce too much new vocabulary too quickly.

3.0 out of 5 stars not for beginners, July 7, 2010

By 

rj45 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Schaum's Outline of Japanese Vocabulary (Paperback)

I ordered this with high hopes to learn some japanese, but this book is just too difficult. It may be good if you already know at least some rudimentary japanese, but not for beginners. I recommend going to the bookstore instead for buying books like these. you'll get a better idea of what you're buying.