The book consists of Elementary and Pre-intermediate courses with parallel Japanese-English texts. The author maintains learners' motivation with funny stories about real life situations such as meeting people, studying, job searches, working etc. The ALARM method (Approved Learning Automatic Remembering Method) utilize natural human ability to remember words used in texts repeatedly and systematically. The author composed each sentence using only words explained in previous chapters. The second and the following chapters of the Elementary course have about 30 new words each. The book is equipped with the audio tracks. The address of the home page of the book on the Internet, where audio files are available for listening and downloading, is listed at the beginning of the book on the copyright page.
Japanese From Zero! is an innovative and integrated approach to learning Japanese that was developed by professional Japanese interpreter George Trombley, Yukari Takenaka and was continuously refined over eight years in the classroom by native Japanese professors. Using up-to-date and easy-to-grasp grammar, Japanese From Zero! is the perfect course for current students of Japanese as well as absolute beginners.
A great story can lead a reader on a journey of discovery—especially if it's presented in two languages! Beautifully illustrated in a traditional style, Japanese Stories for Language Learners offers five compelling stories with English and Japanese language versions appearing on facing pages. Taking learners on an exciting cultural and linguistic journey, each story is followed by detailed translator's notes, Japanese vocabulary lists, and grammar points along with a set of discussion questions and exercises. The first two stories are very famous traditional Japanese folktales: Urashima Taro (Tale of a Fisherman) and Yuki Onna (The Snow Woman). These are followed by three short stories by notable 20th century authors: Kumo no Ito (The Spider's Thread) by Akutagawa Ryunosuke (1892-1927) Oborekaketa Kyodai (The Siblings Who Almost Drowned) by Arishima Takeo (1878-1923) Serohiki no Goshu (Gauche the Cellist) by Miyazawa Kenji (1896-1933) Reading these stories in the original Japanese script--and hearing native-speakers read them aloud in the accompanying free audio recording--helps students at every level deepen their comprehension of the beauty and subtlety of the Japanese language. Learn Japanese the fun way—through the country's rich literary history.
For English-speaking students of Japanese, particles are perhaps the most difficult aspect of the language to learn. It would be no exaggeration to say that, for most people, they can never be completely mastered. Thus, the study of particles is a lifetime undertaking, and students need a lifelong companion to help them along the way. That companion is A Dictionary of Japanese Particles. Covering over 100 particles in alphabetical order, the dictionary explains the meanings of each (most have more than one) and gives sample sentences for each meaning. Illustrations are provided where necessary for clarification. There are also exercises at the back of the book for those who wish to test their knowledge of particle usage. Appendices and end paper charts are provided for easy access. A Dictionary of Japanese Particles is an essential reference work, meant to be used over the years as students continue to confront puzzling particles.
Each chapter of First Japanese Reader for Students is filled with words that are organized by topic, then used in a story in Japanese. Questions and answers rephrase information and text is repeated in English to aid comprehension. The quick and easy-to-use format organizes many of everyday situations from knowing your way around the house, studying at university, or getting a job. First Japanese Reader for Students makes use of the ALARM Method to efficiently teach its reader Japanese words, sentences and dialogues. Through this method, a person will be able to enhance his or her ability to remember the words that has been incorporated into consequent sentences from time to time. The book is equipped with the audio tracks. The address of the home page of the book on the Internet, where audio files are available for listening and downloading, is listed at the beginning of the book on the copyright page.
Since each kanji character in the Japanese language is associated with its own unique vocabulary, the study of kanji unavoidably requires that students learn many new Japanese words. To help you organize and keep track of the new words that are introduced in our three Learn to Read in Japanese books, we have assembled this companion glossary. The glossary lists more than 7,400 Japanese terms that are used in the three books, and it provides definitions and memory aides for nearly every term. The memory aides are of two types: explanations which describe how the listed terms are derived from other known Japanese words, or when such explanations aren't possible, mnemonics to help you to remember the terms' definitions and pronunciations. The glossary also identifies more than 8,000 synonyms (or at least "related terms") which make it possible for you to compare similar words side by side. Of course, this glossary cannot replace a good Japanese dictionary, nor is it intended to do so. However, it includes thousands of explanations, mnemonics and synonyms that you won't find in a standard dictionary, and it focuses precisely on the terms that you will encounter in the three Learn to Read in Japanese books. We think that it will help to make your Japanese study easier and more interesting.
This new text has been designed to met the special needs of the foreigner who wants to begin learning to read Japanese before having completed a first-year course in speaking the language. It presupposes no previous knowledge of the Japanese writing system. In twenty-five lessons it introduces katakana, hiragana, and 425 kanji, providing an excellent foundation for the use of available intermediate and advanced texts. Reading Japanese is designed to be used either as a classroom text or in self-study programs. It is coordinated with Beginning Japanese, by the same authors.
Modern Japanese Aesthetics is the first work in English on the history of the Japanese philosophy of art, from its inception in the 1870s to the present. In addition to the historical information and discussion of aesthetic issues that appear in the introductions to each of the chapters, the book presents English translations of otherwise inaccessible major works on Japanese aesthetics, beginning with a complete and annotated translation of the first work in the field, Nishi Amane's Bimyogaku Setsu (The Theory of Aesthetics). In its four sections (The Subject of Aesthetics, Aesthetic Categories, Poetic Expression, Postmodernism and Aesthetics), Modern Japanese Aesthetics discusses the momentous efforts made by Japanese thinkers to master, assimilate, and transform Western philosophical systems to discuss their own literary and artistic heritage. Readers are introduced to debates between the unconditional supporters of Western ideas (Onishi Hajime) and more cautious approaches to the literary and artistic past (Okakura Kakuzo, Tsubouchi Shoyo). The institutionalization of aesthetics as an academic subject is discussed and the work of some of Japan's most distinguished professional aestheticians (Onishi Yoshimori, Imamichi Tomonobu), philosophers (Kusanagi Masao, Nishitani Keiji, Sakabe Megumi), and literary critics (Karatani Kojin) is included. Modern Japanese Aesthetics is a sophisticated and energetic volume on the process that led to the construction of aesthetic categories used by Japanese and, later, Western scholars in discussing Japanese literature and arts. This important work will be essential reading for anyone concerned with the formation of a critical vocabulary in Japan. Modern Japanese Aesthetics: A Reader is a companion volume to A History of Modern Japanese Aesthetics (UH Press, 2001).
The most enjoyable and effective way to learn new vocabulary is through reading, since the words are not only learned in context, but also while your interest is high. However, it is often difficult to find texts that are easy enough to read and are still intellectually rewarding. The stories in this book were written using as many words from the JLPT N3 level as possible, with exciting plots that will make you want to keep reading and hardly notice you are studying, and they are full of enough mystery so you will want to read them again and thereby further review the vocabulary. More than three quarters of the kanji and vocabulary needed for the JLPT N3 test are included and there are no words from the N2 and N1 levels except in a few instances where there is no substitute, in which case they are marked with a star and their definition follows soon after. Following each story is an English translation and a sequential list of all the N3 words used in the story along with their English translation so that new words can be learned quickly without the need of a dictionary. The stories will also introduce many sentence structures required for the N3 test in a fluid way so that you can pick up the new grammar naturally. Reading stories makes learning new vocabulary and grammar fun and easy. But to make your learning most effective, try to implement "intelligent guessing": before turning to the Vocabulary Word List, try to guess the meaning of new words from context. This builds stronger associations with the words you are learning.
Audio and free lessons can be found on the Learn Japanese Youtube Channel: https: //www.youtube.com/channel/UCtCvCVxgHKWSO086z78EObw/videosIn order to make language learning logical and simple, the reading material in textbooks is usually quite dull. And most textbooks don't teach much about the writing style of novels and short stories. This means that even an intermediate student of Japanese might encounter many difficulties when attempting to explore Japanese literature. This book is aimed at students who wish to bridge this gap between real Japanese literature and the reading material of textbooks.This book will also help students learn or solidify a lot of the grammar required to pass level N4 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test as well as expand their vocabulary, because while the stories in this collection are based on stories from Japanese folklore, they have been written in a more accessible manner and with common words.
