Japanese the Manga Way: An Illustrated Guide to Grammar and Structure Illustrated Edition

by Wayne P. Lammers (Author)

328 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-1880656907

ISBN-10: 1880656906

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Japanese difficult? Study boring? No way! Not with this “real manga, real Japanese” approach to learning. Presenting all spoken Japanese as a variation of three basic sentence types, Japanese the Manga Way shows how to build complex constructions step by step. Every grammar point is illustrated by an actual manga published in Japan to show how the language is used in real life, an approach that is entertaining and memorable. As an introduction, as a jump-start for struggling students, or (with its index) as a reference and review for veterans, Japanese the Manga Way is perfect for all learners at all levels.

Wayne P. Lammers has taught Japanese at the college level and is an award-winning literary and commercial translator. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–In concise, meticulous prose, Lammers intends to teach absolute beginners how to use manga to learn to speak and read conversational Japanese. This seems like a daunting task, and it is, but for someone who has the patience, drive, and desire to learn the language, the book will be an immense help. The author's primary method for teaching it is to present a panel or scene from a manga (a list of the manga used is included in an appendix), then offer a four-tier translation of what the character is saying. Beneath the written Japanese is the romaji ("Roman letters") text, then comes a word-for-word translation so nonnative speakers can understand the structure of the Japanese, and finally a polished translation that expresses what the sentence means in natural English. Between these panels and translations (which take up the bulk of each page) are detailed explanations of the grammar, pronunciation, and sentence structure of each example. Although Lammers suggests that this book will be useful for beginners, he presents information in such a fast-paced way that readers will best be served by using the book as a supplement to a language class. No exercises are included, but the author does recommend specific titles for the purpose of self-testing. This volume will be useful for libraries in schools in which Japanese is taught as well as public libraries serving college-bound patrons.–Steev Baker, Kewaskum Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Get a jump on preparing for that eventual pilgrimage to Japan by learning the language now -- and what easier way than with manga? "Japanese: The Manga Way teaches the differences and structures of the language using actual manga panels. Sneaky!" -- "Wizard Anime Insider

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stone Bridge Press; Illustrated edition (November 1, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 312 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1880656906
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1880656907
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.3 x 0.6 x 10.7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #117,468 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #24 in Japanese Language Instruction (Books)
- #400 in Foreign Dictionaries & Thesauruses

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328 ratings

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Do Not Dismiss This Book As A Gimmick

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2017

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I've been self-studying Japanese for two years at this point and have presently completed the JLPT5 and JLPT4. Grammar has been a weakness in my proficiency for some time now, so I resolved to get some supplementary materials to focus on it. Prior to this book, my primary grammar books were Genki and Genki 2.

I had heard this book mentioned now and then on forum threads and such, but only in passing, and I had never seriously considered buying it. The focus on manga reminded me of the kind odd thing you see from gimmick books like "learn japanese in two weeks with only an hour a day". Any serious language learner knows this kind of thing is absurd and that most such books are a waste of money. Recently, however, I read an article wherein the author praised this book as her primary tool when it came to improving her grammar. Because she's much more skilled than I am in Japanese, I decided to take a closer look at it.

To say it plainly, I could not have been more wrong about this book. In looking for a grammar book, I researched about a half dozen options, and this one was by far the best. It is a thorough, well thought out guide to Japanese grammar. Some of its greatest strengths:

- Approaches the grammar in an extremely logical way. The book begins with the simplest possible Japanese sentences, explores each grammar point thoroughly, and as you advance through the book slowly builds on what has already been learned. I found the order of topics far more logical than Genki.

-Doesn't attempt to simplify the reality of the grammar to "protect" you. This was a big surprise to me since Genki is a college-level textbook, but as it turns out, it's inaccurate in a fair number of places when discussing the grammar. It often tries to explain parts of Japanese grammar by citing English equivalents, but often the equivalencies are false, and I can attest that this can lead to problems as you advance. For example, Genki does not accurately explain the Japanese system of present and past tense. It equates the Japanese past tense to the English past tense, when in fact that comparison is not totally accurate. It led to my encountering situations where I thought the tense should be present, but Japanese material would use past tense. It was very confusing. (Example: When someone explains something to you, in English you say "I understand." In Japanese, you use the past tense of the verb, "I understood." This book correctly shows why that is.) Similarly, I noticed that so-called -na adjectives did not always behave as I would expect based on how English adjectives work. This book correctly explains up front that that's because they're not truly adjectives per se, but more like a special type of noun. Providing the correct understanding up front may be initially confusing, but will prevent misunderstanding later.

-When a certain construction has a notable masculine/feminine connotation, this book will note that up front and explore the implications immediately. A lot of what Genki has you learn up front may sound a bit strange if you say it as a guy. This book explores these and other similarly important details the moment a construction is introduced.

-Introduces informal, formal, and humble language right alongside the standard polite language used in most textbooks. One thing I encountered as I studied Japanese is that by the time I was introduced to informal and humble/exalting language, standard polite language was so ingrained that it was difficult to adapt. With this book, you are aware of these variations right from the beginning, and even if you don't remember them precisely at first, they will not trip you up when you encounter them later.

-The writing is simple and clear, without being needlessly complex when it's not necessary. I've done some tech writing for a living, and one of the hardest skills to master is the ability to write only as complexly as necessary to convey a concept fully, and no more. This book is excellent at that.

A lot of this boils down to: the writer keeps things simple and clear, and the book respects your intelligence as a reader by not trying to hide things from you to make the grammar easier to understand.

If I could, I would apologize to the author of this book, because I badly misjudged it by jumping to a conclusion based on appearances. Don't make the same mistake I did. Whether you want to strengthen your existing grasp of grammar or are just starting to study the language for the first time, you can purchase this book without reservation. I guarantee you won't regret it.

80 people found this helpful

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Peter NYC

One of my favorite books, on any subject, of all time.

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2014

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This is one of my favorite books of all time, on any subject.

It's not appropriate if you're just starting Japanese. There's a price of entry for this book:
1. You need the kana under your belt. Hiragana -and- Katakana.
2. You need some basic vocabulary, otherwise, the information here will be overwhelming.
3. You should already know some grammar, like dictionary and polite form, past/present. Basically, you should be able to form basic Japanese sentences.

In other words, this book is not for the bare bones basic student. But I will tell you the magic of this book, for this book is truly magical. Maybe you spent a few months in Japan like I did. Maybe you took a year of Japanese. This book is essentially a grammar book, but it comes at grammar from two directions: formal grammar and colloquial grammar. You'll read this book, and it will change and shape the knowledge that's already in your head. Things that seemed inconsistent (like -- why are na and i adjectives so different?) will become clear as day for you. It will give you insight into Japanese the way Japanese people speak, not the way a textbook writer presents a foreign language. You'll learn to speak with Japanese people.... not ask the student next to you some contrived question that the whole class has to ask their neighbor. This book will really open up Japanese for you. Living, breathing Japanese.

And make no mistake -- even though this book focuses a lot of colloquialism, it is NOT dumbed down, and it does NOT make concessions in accuracy for the sake of ease. It is a grammar book, plain and simple. You'll learn formal grammar. You'll learn colloquial grammar.

I recently spent 9 months in Japan for work, and I was learning Japanese from みんなのにほんご, which is a great book, but I will tell you why this book is better:

You can open this book to any page at all. Any page. Read a small section. You will be able to walk out your door into the streets of Tokyo and use what you just read. Immediately. It is the most practical semi-introductory book to Japanese I've ever seen.

I absolutely love the different levels of interpretation. The author gives the Japanese "おーさむい、さむい", then the romaji (you shouldn't be using this), then then the literal translation "Ohhh... is cold... is cold...", then the figurative translation, "Hoo... it's cold. It's cold", and then, the translation within the context (since language must always have context): "Hooo... it's cold out there!". This is important, because Japanese, more than any other language I've ever learned, is based upon context.

Shortcomings?

Yeah, there's a few. The book should have a reader. No matter how good a book is, you still need to practice. He does give a list of manga titles that were used in the book at the end, but I wish he had mentioned their difficulty level or which ones would be appropriate for readers up to chapter X. I don't know which of his manga list are easier manga and which are harder. I wish he had spent a lot more time discussing what we should be reading first.

Exercises. Every language learner needs exercises. There doesn't appear to be a plethora of Japanese workbooks like there is for, say, Spanish.

But those are minor. In summary:

If you intend on learning Japanese as its spoken in Japan, not just as an academic exercise, keep doing what you're doing. Stick with Genki or Minna. But. Get this book. You will be SO happy you did.

50 people found this helpful

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Bob

I'd give this six stars if I could

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2020

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From my perspective as a beginner with Japanese, this is a great book. It's a very large book, the amount of information in here is a bargain compared to the typical high price of language learning materials.

The book is definitely suitable for a complete beginner, with the caveat this is a book ABOUT the Japanese language (specifically the grammar and structure, as it says on the cover of the book). It definitely won't teach to to understand spoken Japanese or converse in Japanese. Nor will it even teach you how to read Japanese, because it doesn't teach much kanji and you can't read Japanese without knowing a lot of kanji, and in fact it contains very little Japanese at all. Typically, each point is illustrated with one to a few short Japanese sentences, followed by a long discussion in English about grammar and/or vocabulary used in the sentence.

The book is best used as a supplement to other language learning material you might be using such as a formal class, textbook (such as Genki) or language learning app. There a lot of information in this book that you won't find in those other source. Especially good for telling you how real Japanese people speak, compared to the formal "polite" language used in beginner language-learning materials.

If you are just curious about the Japanese language but don't really want to learn how to speak it or even read it, then maybe this is the only book you need.

Is the fact that the book uses "real Manga" as the source for the Japanese sentences just a gimmick? Yeah , probably, but it's still a really good book, and maybe the Manga makes the lessons more approachable.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Lee

It's all about the detail.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2015

Verified Purchase

This is a good book. I love the detail in the explanations of the grammar; it's the kind of depth that most standard textbooks fear to include because it can seem like too much information, but for me it was very refreshing, and all in plain english too. The choice of manga panels is good and keeps things interesting- some of these manga I wouldn't mind reading actually, but most of them seem to be difficult to get hold of outside of Japan. It's a very accessible book, I think that both a beginner and someone who had been learning for a while would get some use out of it. My main criticism is that the book seems difficult to use for the purpose of reference. I've had trouble looking things up sometimes. However if you love Japanese it'll be a great read and has plenty of interesting examples and clarifications.

2 people found this helpful

Beverley

Straightforward, informative, and fun!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2015

Verified Purchase

I'm currently learning Japanese through Rosetta Stone, a great program but I find it lacks any explanation as to the finer points of grammar. Pondering as to why a particle was in a certain place, what it meant, how it changed the meaning ... all unanswered questions. So I went looking for something to help me understand grammar without - ideally something simple but informative. Having looked at the reviews of this book I felt it was worth a try. Well, it's been lightbulb moment after lightbulb moment! Suddenly, the reasons for why a sentence is structured in a certain way or how a particle changes the meaning ... just suddenly made perfect sense. The use of manga really helps to explain the grammar and is often quite amusing! More importantly the book addresses informal speech - RS covers very formal and polite phrases, but I have a number of manga in the original Japanese and the way the text is written is not stiff and formal but natural conversation, which can be very different. This book probably isn't suitable for a complete newcomer to the language, but perhaps once you're comfortable with reading and pronouncing kana and have some vocabulary behind you, this book will go a long way to helping you get your head around Japanese grammar. Highly recommended.

AgentMulderUK

An original book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2009

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This book takes a very original approach to learning.

It's presentation is excellent but aims to cover a lot and hence covers each area very briefly. To this end, there are no excercises, word lists or anything here to reinforce learning. That onus falls on the reader. This is not a text book in the classic sense. It's a book that takes on the language and tries to explain it with real examples.

Each mini-lesson (of which there are hundreds) is presented with a frame from an actual published cartoon. The text from the frame is translated into Romaji and also a directly translated English from and a final translated English form (truer to what was implied by the original Japanese text). This has been done excellently.

However, it is not particularly suitable for beginners. I think it's best used as a primer for intermmediate level or as a reinforcer to be used alongside other texts. Vocabulary is presented haphazardly, as its dicated by the cartoon in question, not by the normal order a learner would expect. But this is no ordinary book.

The author explains things well in general (in a few places he gets tongue-twisted) but beware that he isn't afraid of grammar. So if you are unsure about indirect objects, active verbs and all the rest of it, this might scare you a bit and you might need a very quick swot up on such concepts in English first.

Another unsual approach was that he introduces "normal speaking form" alongside "polite speaking form" from the off. This is something that I haven't seen before and works really well. Most text books focus on the rather starchy sounding polite form, which is great to avoid bloopers but not so good when you suddenly realise "normal speaking form" is significantly different. This book would soften that blow.

Another plus point is that , since the author grew up in Japan, he gives useful insights in how things sound or why such-and-such is often used. You won't find that elswhere.

Overall excellent, but a little random in it's approach and you would need other books to learn the language. But this would be a great help to any learner. Especially good for visual learners.

5 people found this helpful

feliz

Good choice for beginners, intermediate though... hmm not too sure...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

This book currently lives on my self. Its not because the product is not good, but simply because I personally found it to be too easy. It's probably not a suitable choice for most serious intermediate learners. However, it seems like a great choice for beginners.
The images are engaging and the explanations seem clear. I just personally find it completely useless, as it doesn't offer anything challenging. But the book arrived in good condition, on time, and perhaps I would've benefitted from this book earlier on.

I just wish I didn't waste my money.

D. Wood

Brilliant book to compliment other studies

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

Brilliant book to compliment other studies. It's a shame it doesn't give you exercises to reinforce the points made, but everything is superbly clear throughout the book and the examples are great - funny, dramatic and beautiful drawings help to illustrate the language points. Makes me want to read more!

2 people found this helpful

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Japanese the Manga Way: An Illustrated Guide to Grammar and Structure Illustrated Edition

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