Japanese for Busy People I: Romanized Version includes CD (Bk. 1) (Paperback)

by Association For Japanese-Language Teaching (Ajalt) (Author)
Key Phrases: tsutomete imasu, arimasu kara, dewa arimasen, Nozomi Depáto, Nozomi Department Store, Hong Kong (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Japanese for Busy People is the most popular Japanese language textbook series in the world. With over 20 components including texts, workbooks, CDs, videos and teacher's manuals, it is also one of the most comprehensive. Now, a decade after its first revision, the entire series is being redesigned, updated and consolidated to meet the needs of 21st-century students and businesspeople who want to learn natural, spoken Japanese as effectively as possible in a limited amount of time.
The book features not only a sleek, new design but also a unit structure that groups thematically linked lessons together, making it easier than ever to learn Japanese.
Moreover, it now comes with a CD containing audio for the dialogues and listening exercises from the text. The exercises in the book have also been thoroughly revised to incorporate more comprehension and production tasks. Many of these exercises are illustrated, making for a stimulating learning experience, and the purpose of each one is clearly stated.
This first of three volumes introduces "survival Japanese"-the absolute minimum amount of Japanese needed to live in Japan. Thus, the vocabulary and grammatical items it introduces are limited to about a third of what is typically introduced in a first-year course. In addition, the book features notes on Japanese culture intended to expand the learner's understanding of Japan, its customs and people.
Japanese for Busy People I is available in two formats: romanized and kana.
The Romanized Version uses romanized Japanese throughout, with kana in the Opening Dialogues of each lesson.
The Kana Version-exposing students to hiragana and katakana from the very beginning-uses only kana.The content of the two books is otherwise exactly the same.
The companion volume, Japanese for Busy People 1: The Workbook for the Revised 3rd Edition contains a variety of illustrated exercises for mastering the basic sentence patterns presented in the main text.

About the Author

THE ASSOCIATION FOR JAPANESE-LANGUATE TEACHING (AJALT) has been recognized as a nonprofit organization by the Ministry of Education since 1997. It was established to meet the practical needs of people who are not necessarily specialists on Japan but who wish to communicate effectively in Japanese. In 1992 the Association was awarded the Japan Foundation Special Prize.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha International; Revised, 3rd edition (December 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770030088
• ISBN-13: 978-4770030085
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #52,832 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This item is part of The Japanese For Busy People Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Useful for a TOTAL beginner., September 11, 2008

By	DynomiteWins "DynomiteWins" (Costa Mesa) - See all my reviews

I think this book does a great job working with the business oriented very basic beginner. For my intents & purposes this book is fantastic - at this point, I'm not looking to have an in depth understanding of the language, I'm looking to be able to communicate just enough with Japanese speaking individuals. The book jumps right in with sentences and useful business phrases written in romaji (romanized writing of Japanese sounds/words) so that learning, understanding and speaking these phrases can begin immediately without having to learn the new alphabet. At this time, I am "illiterate" when it comes to Japanese (Kanji/Hiragana) but I can say enough phrases to get my point across. Should I desire to be able to read, write or better communicate, I would probably suggest a book that deals more thoroughly with the Japanese characters.

5.0 out of 5 stars Busy People Japanese, July 13, 2009

By	Dr Adam Weiss "author, The AbSmart Fitness Pl... (Buffalo Grove,IL.) - See all my reviews

I picked up this book in college as required text book for class. Listening to the CD will help the reader through un familiar sounding phrases and greetings. Used separately the book will help a beginner practice sounding out words in the most typical everyday lifestyle from asking directions to buying stamps at the post office, to counting items in an department store.

4.0 out of 5 stars Japanese for Busy people, June 26, 2009

By	Japanese Culture learner "Japanese student" (Salt Lake City, Utah USA) - See all my reviews

I was a little hesitant at the begining, because I did not see kanji or a lot of japanese characters, but decided to buy the book with the CD anyway. I have been following the book in partnership with a friend from Japan over the internet who has the same book, and is working very well for me. We have only about 30 minutes sessions 4 or 5 times a week and I can easily read and do the excercises on my own after the online sessions. I recommend the book for somebody who wants to get the basics. This is not an advanced training but it will give you the essentials to start communicating in japanese.