Complete Idiot's Guide to Conversational Japanese

by Naoya Fujita

Book Overview

Japan is one of the most exciting and exotic destinations in travel, but can also be the most frustrating for those unfamiliar with the language, culture or symbols. This guide provides a primer for learning the Japanese you need to know.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0028641795
• ISBN13: 9780028641799
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Alpha Books
• Length: 409 Pages
• Weight: 1.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.4" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Beautiful

This is a quick and easy guide to learn romaji and the bare basics of kanji. Every step is well-explained, and memorization is made easy!

great book!

this book is great, i really appreciate that this book teaches japanese sentence structure so that once you know the vocabulary you can form your own sentences rather than having to rely on a series of phrases learned by rote. it really has been a useful and informative book.

An Excellent choice for beginning Japanese learners

As a student of japanese, I have many Japanese books, but as pleased as I was with each when I bought it, the real value of the book becomes clear in a few months--is it sitting on the shelf gathering dust, or is it being used? This one is very, very clear, user friendly, and will be an great compliment to a tape program, such as the superb Pimsleur series. The weakness is the CD, but don't buy it for that; get your audio practice elsewhere. Five stars for this excellent text...

Very useful!! Very insightful!

This is one of the few Japanese language books I've seen that includes insightful language learning tips AND cultural tips throughout the book. Learning a language is more than learning vocabulary and sentence patterns, cultural understanding is vital as well! The Green Tea breaks and the "Huh?" sidebars are wonderful!! Great job Fujita-sensei!! I also enjoyed the "shortcuts to success" that are included throughout the book. The book is formatted in a very logical and progressive way making it fun and easy to follow along as you learn the language. The CD is also useful in imitating a native speaker. Thank you for not "dumbing down" the CD for us Gaijin!! This is a great book for learning Japanese whether you plan to use your Japanese at your favorite local sushi restaurant or you are able to actually make a trip, whether for business or for pleasure, to the land of the rising sun.

Conversational Japanese

This book is efficient, inclusive, and practical. It is easy to read and understand, including scenarios you can expect to encounter and/or prepare for while traveling in Japan. It also includes easy-to-follow examples of the basics of conversational Japanese. The book, as well as the cd, is designed for busy people on the go. Proper pronunciation is clarified by studying the book with the cd. Both include simple and useful dialog examples for easy application.Doctor Fujita has written this book with a tone of creativity and humor, which puts the reader at ease, and makes it fun to read. He also encourages and supports the reader's interest and efforts to learn Japanese. The question/answer and question/response sections of the book allow for pratice of the lessons in each chapter. The end of each chapter offers a review of the materials covered, just in case you forget something. The diagrams and pictures are also helpful in visualizing the concepts and materials covered in the book. There are formal and informal expressions taught, which is a useful tool when addressing various audiences.I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning Japanese. Whether studying Japanese in preparation for travel, business, school, or leisure, this book is for you!