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.
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Reviews with images
Chock full of new concepts and SO many images!
Wow! I am so impressed! I've been studying Japanese for a while now, and so I wasn't expecting *much* but man was I underestimating this book. This book teaches you many conversational points that are missed in classes and other books. It taught me more in my first sitting than any other resource has before!Generally, each page has two grammar/structure points, and each point has an associated comic. Also, this book is big. It's like the size of an 8.5" x 11" piece of letter paper, which is indicative of the amount of content within. It's really such a wealth of info.10/10. I am very happy with this book, and I highly recommended it for anyone who is beginner or intermediate or needs a refresher. I ESPECIALLY recommend it for people who have only had class instruction where they only use the polite form, because this is a great transition to how people really speak.
Top reviews from other countries
Lui
Liest sich gut!
Reviewed in Germany on April 29, 2023
Lui
Reviewed in Germany on April 29, 2023
Ich hatte eine andere Vorstellung von den Manga, die in diesem Buch zum Lernen genutzt werden. Ich hatte eher klassische Manga vor Augen, wie wir sie hier in Deutschland kennen, also mit Action, Magie und einer Geschichte. Tatsächlich werden hier aber Manga benutzt, wie sie auch in Japan anzutreffen sind: Kleine Comics für Alltägliches, ehrlich gesagt eher etwas langweilig. Aber dafür sind sie halt sehr gut, um die Sprache zu lernen. Das Ganze ist also etwas Ernsthafter als ich es erwartet hatte.
Und es ist recht umfassend, mit sehr vielen Seiten (siehe Video).
Ich kann das Buch empfehlen, denn man lernt so viel!
Images in this review
Nicolas Castaneda
Definitivamente uno de los mejores
Reviewed in Spain on April 22, 2018