Book Description
In the 22 years since its publication, Japanese for Busy People has won acclaim worldwide as an effective, easy-to-understand textbook, either for classroom use or for independent study. Now, in its first revision in more than a decade, the series is being redesigned, updated, and consolidated to meet the needs of today's students and businesspeople who want to learn natural, spoken Japanese as effectively as possible in a limited amount of time.
Customer Reviews:
Japanese for Busy People 1.......2007-06-27
I am using the book in conjunction with a class at a local college. The book is proving to be very useful. I received the book in good condition and I am very pleased with it.
Reconsider before buying.......2007-06-21
Not for the casual tourist who will vacation in Japan. Using this book, you will not learn the necessary phrases for a short trip to Japan. If you want to learn common phrases, do not buy this book. It was designed for serious students of the language.
On that note, it is unbelievable that a text book of this caliber would be Romanized. If you are a serious student, then take this review seriously: learn hiragana immediately. Do not buy this book; buy the kana version of this book, and begin studying hiragana while you are waiting for it to arrive in the mail. If your college forces you to buy the Romanized version (like mine did), do future students a favor by requesting that they switch over to the kana version.
Although my review of this book sounds harsh, do not be mislead. I like the Japanese for Busy People text book series, and, like all serious students of the Japanese language, despise Romanized books. Buy the kana version.
Best Japanese Book Ever!!.......2007-04-11
This is the best book to learn Japanese. It is very helpful...If you want to learn Japanese, you should buy this book.. Thanks amazon for offer it.
Book Description
The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary answers the urgent need for an easy-to-use kanji dictionary compact enough to be easily carried around, yet detailed enough to satisfy the practical needs of the beginning and intermediate learner.
Its basic goal is to give the learner a thorough understanding of kanji by providing instant access to a wealth of useful information on the meanings, readings, and compounds. Normally, the learner must memorize numerous compounds as unrelated units. A unique feature of this dictionary that
overcomes this difficulty is the core meaning, a concise keyword that defines the dominant sense of each character, followed by detailed character meanings and numerous compounds that clearly show how thousands of building blocks are combined to form countless compound words.
Another unique feature is the System of Kanji Indexing by Patterns (SKIP), an indexing system that enables the user to locate characters as quickly and as accurately as in alphabetical dictionaries.
Modern linguistic theory has been effectively integrated with sophisticated information technology to produce the most useful kanji learner's dictionary ever compiled. For the first time, learners have at their fingertips a wealth of information that is linguistically accurate, easy to use, and
carefully adapted to their practical needs.
FEATURES
o 2,230 entry characters, including all the kanji in the Joyo and Jinmei Kanji lists
o 41,000 senses for 31,300 words and word elements show how each character contributes to the meanings of compounds
o 1,200 homophones with core meanings explain differences between closely related characters
o 386 variant forms used in prewar literature and in names
o 1,945 stroke order diagrams show you how to write each kanji stroke by stroke
o 7,200 character readings, including name readings
o Over 2,000 cross-references and five appendixes give instant access to a mass of useful reference data
Customer Reviews:
LOVE IT!!.......2007-06-24
I have several kanji dictionaries and so far this book is the best. Highly recommended!!
kanji lovers paradise.......2007-05-13
the book arrived quickly and safely. and my boyfriend, who i ordered it for, has all but devoured it already. :) thank you so so very much. :)
The best kanji dictionary for beginners!.......2007-03-14
Amazingly easy and quick to use. This dictionary uses a unique SKIP system which works by dividing an unknown character in parts and then counting the strokes for each. It takes some practice at first but once you start to get a hang of how kanji are written it newer fails. Besides single kanji characters the dictionary also contains a nice collection of some of the most common kanji combinations. Just brilliant!
The SKIP Method.......2007-01-20
You can locate Kanji characters by one of the following routes: 1)by frequency, 2) by pronunciation, 3) by radical, and 4) by pattern. The frequency table gives you a list of frequently used characters. If you know the pronunciation of the character, you can find it in the pronunciation table. The entries in this table are in Romaji (pronunciation in English letters). If you know the radical of the character, you can find it by referring to the radical table. However, the radical index is not very convenient. So, if you prefer the radical method, you should look elsewhere. The pattern method is the essence of this dictionary, which is known as SKIP. According to the SKIP method, each character can be divided into either left-right portion, a top-bottom portion, center, or miscellaneous. For example, if you know the number of strokes of the left side of the character, and the number of strokes of the right side, you go to the right-left section, then to the number of strokes of the left side, and then to the number of strokes of the right side. A downside of this dictionary is that it lists the pronunciation of each character in Romaji (English letters), and not in the genuine Hiragana or Katakana. Other than that it gives you a lot of options to locate Kanji characters, which saves a lot of time.
A wonderful character dictionary for Japanese students........2007-01-20
This book has made looking up Japanese kanji something that I no longer dread. While some of the more traditional methods of stroke-counting and radical lookup *should* be learned, using the SKIP method in this book is a breeze. Kanji can sometimes be difficult to get the exact number of strokes perfect, which can leave you lost many pages away from where you need to be in other dictionaries. The same goes for looking up by radical. Sometimes the radicals are so deformed/stretched/squashed, that they are hard to determine which is which accurately. The SKIP method in this book attempts to get around all these difficulties.
It groups the kanji into 4 main "types", based on how they are drawn. These types are Left-Right, Top-Bottom, Enclosed, and other. Then you count the strokes in the first part, count the strokes in the second part, and end up with a number. A simple example is the kanji for the numeral 2. It looks pretty much like an equals sign in math ( or = if you can't see the Japanese character). This is clearly seperated into 2 parts, a "top" and a "bottom" part. That is the second "type" in the SKIP system. It has one stroke in the top section, and one in the bottom section. The SKIP number would thusly be 2-1-1 (2 for the type, 1 for the strokes in the top, 1 for the strokes in the bottom). If you open the book to second section, and go to 1-1 page, and you'll find the kanji almost immediately.
While this book does not have a very exhaustive list of compounds, it *does* list a vast majority of the compounds you'll actually see on a day to day basis. The SKIP system is fast and easy to use, and if you want a kanji-lookup dictionary that you can actually carry with you without destroying your shoulders and lower back, this is a great choice. Bear in mind though, it is *just* a kanji-lookup dictionary. If you need to translate English words into Japanese this book will be of very little help. I'd suggest one of Kodansha's Furigana Japanese Dictionary options.
Book Description
Whether full-time students, business people, or casual readers, all have felt the need for a compact, up-to-date, practical kanji dictionary. Something that would fit into a shoulder bag or briefcase, could be taken to class, or would sit unobtrusively on a desktop.
Kodansha's Essential Kanji Dictionary is precisely that dictionary, designed specifically to meet the needs of the modern man and woman. It includes all of the 1,945 Joyo Kanji, the core kanji recommended by the Japanese Ministry of Education for use in Japanese newspapers and magazines. Knowing
these kanji, the student can recognize virtually every Chinese character appearing in the daily press.
And that is not all. This dictionary also features some 18,000 kanji compounds, both those with Chinese readings (on-yomi) and those with Japanese readings (kun-yomi). These compounds have been carefully selected for practicality, usefulness, and timeliness. The living language has received
exclusive priority, including such words as "favoritism," and "statute of limitations."
For those interested in securities, stocks and bonds, and the diverse terminology of the business world, related terms and jargon are clearly marked for easy reference. Simply open the book and look for the Yen sign. There you will find "current price," "aggregate market value," "issue at market
price," and a great deal more.
For those who want to write kanji, the stroke order of each and every character has been duly noted. But more important, the Essential Kanji Dictionary does its utmost to help the reader locate the needed character. Aside from the traditional radical chart on the back endpaper, there are three
invaluable indices as well. The first is by the reading of the kanji, either Japanese (kun) or Chinese (on). The second is by radical, but not by traditional radical alone. Also included are variants and near-misses, directing the reader precisely to the right page. The third is by stroke number-if
all else fails, count the strokes and track the character down.
With a copy of Kodansha's Essential Kanji Dictionary close at hand-with its definitions, stroke order, Chinese compounds, Japanese compounds, business terminology, and three helpful indices - the life of the typical student of Japanese should take a decided turn for the better.
FEATURES
o 1,945 Essential (Joyo) Kanji
o 18,000 Common Compounds
o 2,000 Practical Business Terms
o Three Indices for Finding Kanji
o Compact for Handy Reference
o Functional, Up-to-Date, Timely
Customer Reviews:
No Complaints.......2007-10-05
Perfect book. Everything I look up is in here and then some. I have absolutely no complaints. This book has helped me tremendously in my studying.
All the nearly 2000 kanji are arranged by radical and then by number of strokes in the radical. There is a stroke index and on and kun reading index in the back. As well as a stroke index for the radicals. However, you will need to learn kana, because there is no romaji, but kana are very easy to learn and you can find a chart anywhere and learn them in 2-3 weeks easily.
Beginning through advanced readers will find this astronomically helpful, especially those with a focus on becoming literate.
Missing Several Kanji.......2007-09-01
This is a very well designed layout and dictionary. It has a lot of kanji too, but the only problem is it is missing a few.
Quick Way to Locate Kanji Characters.......2007-01-20
This dictionary focuses on the Radical method, which is the traditional method in Japan. You can locate a Kanji character by referring to 1) a table which classifies the characters according to the number of strokes of the radical, 2) the ON (Chinese reading), or KUN (Japanese reading) of the character, 3) according to the number of strokes of the Kanji character, or 4) by referring to a radical chart in the back cover of the book. I personally prefer to use the radical chart, which is the traditional method and it will help me to use Japanese-Japanese dictionaries in the future. Other than that it is more fun and rewarding than the other methods, like the SKIP. However, you can still go to the other tables if you are in a hurry. The content for the characters is right to the point and not cluttered with unnecessary information, like different classifications, and character numbers. The stroke is also presented more clearly than other dictionaries, and the explanation is given in an orderly manner.
Horrible.......2006-09-26
Difficult to read, minimum of information, and no sample usage. Only an english definition and a kana pronounciation to go with each word. This is my least favorite Kanji dictionary.
Instead, check out the Kodansha's Kanji Learner's Dictionary (ISBN 4-7700-2855-5) which is easy to read, with great explanations, wonderful lookup systems, and demonstrates the kanji as used in REAL words. Each kanji has meaning, but are rarely used by themselves in Japanese. Instead, this dictionary gives you a handful of words in which each kanji appears, a definition, and an example sentence or phrase.
Great!.......2006-06-08
This dictionary is great. It doesn't have every single kanji, so if you are a kanji master, this isn't the dictionary for you. But if you are a student who knows 15 - 1500 kanji, and you can read hiragana and katakana, this is the best choice for a dictionary.
Just to correct one thing that Nihongoohanaseru said:
The dictionary does list the readings. After they list the kanji, first they list the onyomi, then the compounds, and then the kunyomi (each set is seperated by a marker on the left hand side). For those who don't know kanji too well, the onyomi is the reading used when the kanji is used in a compound. The kunyomi is used when the kanji is by itself, or with certain okurigana (certain hiragana or katakana that goes along with the kunyomi).
Book Description
How can the Japanese for Busy People series help you learn Japanese?
Japanese for Busy People is, as the title suggests, a concise course for 'busy' students who want to learn natural, spoken Japanese as effectively as possible in a limited amount of time. Three main texts-Japanese for Busy People I, Japanese for Busy People II, and Japanese for Busy People Ill-with
related workbooks, cassette tapes, ODs, teacher's manuals, and videos make up this fully integrated three-level series. At each level, enough vocabulary and grammar has been provided to enable the learner to communicate in uncomplicated adult language without having to memorize excessive amounts of
vocabulary and language patterns that are not immediately useful. All components of the Japanese for Busy People series have been prepared under the guidance of a working group of experienced Japanese language instructors who reviewed and tested the material in an authentic classroom environment.
Japanese for Busy People II: The Workbook is the ideal resource for any student who wishes to improve speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in Japanese. This collection of exercises and activities has been developed to provide practice for sentence patterns presented in both the Revised
Edition and Kana Version of Japanese for Busy People Il. The workbook can be used both in the classroom as a supplement for introducing or reviewing lessons, and outside the classroom for homework and review. When coordinated with the exercises and quizzes in the main textbook, this workbook should
enable learners to improve their command of basic Japanese in a relatively short time.'
This fully illustrated Workbook includes:
'Structure Practice' -To understand the meaning and structure of sentence patterns.
'Receptive Practice' -To understand how a structure is used in context.
'Productive Practice' -To form spoken and written sentences based on the sentence patterns.
Japanese for Busy People II: Workbook Tapes (available separately) has been specially designed to support this workbook.
Customer Reviews:
Useful but more effort required compared to JfBP I.......2007-01-04
I personally enoyed learning from this book. It demands a lot more hard work compared to the level I textbook since not only new vocabulary, new grammars but also lots of kanjis come up at the same time. I find it doable because Chinese is my first language but my classmates found it rather difficult. Of course, working harder is always the best way to cope with it. ;P
Lot better than Japanese for Busy People Vol. I.......2006-02-18
As seen in the title, I really liked this book a lot better than the first. Though I'm still not really fond of it. Grammar sections improved a lot, but the vocabulary learned is not always usefull.
Also the way they teach the Kanji isn't great. They start to hard, there is no information about the Kanji supplied and there is no room for practice or reinforcement.
Best Way to learn to speak and read Japanese........2003-07-01
I started with this book in the series and now I'm on the third book about half way finished. I've noticed my speaking, reading, and comprehension has improved immeasurably. It's the most effective grammar book I've found to date. In response to the complaint about not enough Kanji and the other of no information about Japanese History, one if you want to learn kanji I recommend Tuttle Kanji Cards politely speaking and for the second person It's not a HISTORY BOOK!!!
Used at UMUC Maryland in Japan.......2003-01-08
Okay, so this book is used at on of the colleges that the military has in Japan. I know a lot of people complain that it is incomplete, but if they read the intro, they would notice that it is intended for use with instruction. Also, I hate to say it, but a lot of people learning Japanese have no reason to be. Sorry, but I live in Japan, and honestly, for the people out there who are learning this language just so they can understand their cartoons, this isn't the book for you. You need something that teaches less formal Japanese. Not to mention the fact that the cartoons aren't as heavily edited as you think they are. Trust me, I know. Additionally, for the people that want to complain about the lack of Kanji in this book, I must remind you that this is Japanese for Busy People is supposed to be used in conjugation with a Kana book. Now, I'm not saying that you'll find the Kanji you want in there, but as a jumping off point for learning Japanese, well, you're only supposed to have a small grasp on the language. You can't expect on book to teach it all. You didn't expect that in high school, and just because you're older isn't a good reason to expect that now. If you do want to learn Kanji, may I suggest A Guide to Reading and Writing Japanese (ISBN 0-8048-0226-2). The thing is this: no one in Japan is born knowing all the Kanji signs or all of the words. They had to go through and learn how to say them and how to write them in Hiragana and Katakana before they could learn Kanji, and that wasn't until school. Before that, people learned what they learned, and hopefully it was enough. Expecting to be as literate in Japanese as a Japanese person the same age you are is is ludicous. That's like thinking you can go to Mexico for five minutes and know all the Spanish you need to. Before anyone goes off complaining, though, it should be noted that you only need half of the book to just barely get by in Japan. No, this is not because a lot of people speak English. As a matter of fact, you're really lucky to find someone who can outside of Tokyo. This book teaches so much in the first 14 or so chapters that you could actually go out and buy a cell phone and a calling plan if you wanted to. So, before anyone complains about this book, ask yourself how much you actually remember from it. I'm telling you now, honestly, this is a good book. Most people's complaints I feel to be unfounded simply due to the fact that they haven't had any exposure to instruction or to Japan itself. Therein lies your difference. Japanese for Busy People does in fact teach enough for someone who lives in Japan (but prior to moving here had no exposure to Japanese) to be able to do the things they need to do. There's no reason for an elementary Japanese book to cover Kanji or slang. That should not, and does not, come until later, when you've actually picked up enough to get by.
Can you get a perfect Japanese textbook? Probably not..........2002-05-20
This book has been reviewed constantly, so I'll be brief. I'm a self-study-er. I enjoy this book because it does a good job of defining sentence structure, verb conjugation, and sentence particles. It doesn't get much into the history of Japan, but tries to describe the general culture through its conversations. The learning focuses on reading dialogues and other basic sentence structures and repetition of them.
The weak point of the book is the kanji study. There are two general schools of thought on learning kanji: learn the kanji that go with the vocabulary, or learn the kanji individually with all of their readings. JfBP does the former, but only by listing the kanji at the end of the chapter and saying "learn these." I also own the Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters (Tuttle, you know, the thick grey book). This book gives a historical background and the main readings for each kanji. As I read JfBP, I refer to the kanji that are taught in each chapter by their listings in the big grey book to get a better understanding. Time consuming, but thorough.
Methinks it's hard to get one book that covers the whole Japanese language experience. I think JfBP covers the parts that it wants to very well. Just expect to learn kanji elsewhere.
Book Description
These discs have been recorded in stereo under studio conditions by native speakers, male and female, with assigned roles. The Japanese is the normal speed or very slightly slower than that heard in daily conversation. Great care has been taken to present the most representative pronunciation
of each individual word and to preserve the natural flow of spoken Japanese. In imitating the model speakers, the student should pay close attention to pronunciation, pitch and intonation.
The dialogues, which are most frequently in question-and-answer form, have been recorded so that one person's voice comes from the left speaker and the other person's from the right speaker. If stereo playback equipment is used, the volume on one channel can be lowered, allowing the student to take
the part of the muted voice. The student can alternately practice either questions or answers and test himself or herself on mastery of both roles.
For each lesson, the following parts have been recorded: Opening Dialogue (or Text) with Summary Sentence(s) and Vocabulary, Key Sentences and Vocabulary, Vocabulary for the Exercises, and Short Dialogue(s) and Vocabulary. However, Lessons 11, 26 and 30 (Review Reading) and Lesson 21 have only
dialogue or text and vocabulary, so the whole lesson is on disc.
To the Student
While listening to the Opening Dialogue, the student should try to imagine the scene being enacted and follow the flow of the conversation. Then after practicing the new words in the vocabulary out loud, he or she should imitate in a clear voice the model speakers on the disc.
The Key Sentences are important grammar points in the lesson, and should be mastered thoroughly before proceeding.
For the Exercises, only the vocabulary is recorded. After learning the new words in this section, the student should use them in his or her oral practice.
The supplementary Short Dialogues are similar to the Opening Dialogues. Once these have been mastered, words and patterns already learned can be put to use in expansion drills.
Having completed the lesson, the student should return to the Opening Dialogue and listen to it again. It is at this time that taking the role of one of the model speakers can be most effective, and the student should practice until he or she can do this fluently.
To the Teacher
Since classroom time is limited, it is important to devote as much of it as possible to drilling students in the dialogues and exercises. The discs can best be employed to augment classroom work, either as preparation before class or as review. As a minimum, students should be expected to practice
new vocabulary by listening to the disc while memorizing the meanings of the words. Optimally, they should master the Opening Dialogue, Key Sentences and related vocabulary as soon as possible during review of the lesson.
Customer Reviews:
Japanese for Busy People I.......2006-08-25
This is a two cd set and the text book is not included. The workbook is not the textbook even though it is supposed to be in the same set. I think it is cheaper to buy the text book + cd set, through a regular book store. If it all came as one package it would be quite a motivating little set.
Language CD.......2006-07-22
This is an excellent product that complements the Japanese For Busy People textbook. It helps with pronunciation and the speed at which words and sentences are spoken. A 'must buy' for anyone interested in learning Japanese fluently or even just for basic stuff.
Requested by sensei.......2006-03-03
I bought the CD set to accompany the book so I could practice in my car outside of class. Overall, it's not a stand alone product, I've used better CDs to learn from, but as practice outside of class for proficiency it's not bad. It uses native voices with real accents and speech patterns so you'll use the seek button often. It doesn't have the speak and repeat pattern which is useful for self-study but it helps to reinforce what the sensei covered in class.
Audio CD for the text.......2005-10-03
I hope this is the review for the audio CDs for JfBP. If so, it's a must. Definitely make sure you order these with the text. And make sure you get the Kana version (of the text).
Need help? Read this........2004-09-09
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ALREADY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS:
If you're buying the book I and are thinking wheter or not to buy this CDs, buy it! They might look expensive, but you're not going to learn how to pronounce correctly unless you hear them. Even if you can read all the hiragana sounds, that doesn't mean you can render the printed kana in the textbook correctly. I have had a lot of surprises comparing the kana writing with actual japanese speech. For example, "gakusei" is actually pronounced more like "gaksee". A lot of times, when you expect a final "u", that "u" is almost erased from real spoken language. And the biggest surprise to me, was to discover that all "g" sounds (ga, gi, gu, ge, go) become more nasal, very close to "n", when they are in the middle of a word. Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time trying to imagine the correct pronunciation and accent without the CDs! Some people complain that the speech is too fast, but I don't think so... perhaps when giving telephone numbers. Just concentrate and let the Force flow...
By the way, although the printed textbook says that only the opening dialogues, key sentences and short dialogues are recorded in the CDs, actually all the vocabulary words are there, too, and spoken slower than the same words in the dialogues, so you can better grasp all the sounds. About the presentation, I thought the CDs would be placed in a flimsy plastic thing inside the box, but in fact they were inside a sturdy 4-CD jewel case (like that of Pink Floyd's The Wall), occuping, of course, only 2 of the 4 maximum spaces. You can carry this case with you along with your discman or put it with you other CDs.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NOT SURE ABOUT WHAT THIS IS:
Yes, these CDs are only a complement to the textbook and not an independent course on their own. For a good audio-only Japanese course, try Pimsleur's.
These CDs are part of the famous JFBP series, which is almost the official instrument for studying for the Japanese Language Proficiency Tests (administered by the Monbusho every year).
If you don't have the corresponding textbook and are considering these CDs, buy the textbook. Book I has two versions: The romanized version (this is, representing japanese sounds with English letters) and the kana version (representing japanese sounds with a small set of simple syllabic symbols, very different from chinese characters, which represent ideas and thus are far more complex.) I have the kana version of the Book I, and using these CDs along with the book gives you a double input of information. Very effective. The romanized version must be far easier, but it can mislead you to pronounce words as if they were English. To be able to read the kana version, first learn the kana anywhere else. Perhaps the kana workbook from the JFBP series (along with the tapes), or perhaps a downloadable PC program like Declan's will do the job.
When you've finished all three books (and CDs), you could be able to pass JLPT Level 3! (4 is the lowest, 1 is the highest) If you want to make it to Level 1, go to Japan and read and talk a lot.
FOR ALL OF YOU:
Japanese people talk very fast, and this fact is reflected in these recordings. However, the reading parts and the vocabulary parts are slowed down a lot so you can get your feet on the ground. Just concentrate and you'll identify all the sounds! It's not much faster than Spanish, you know?
Book Description
THE REVISED 3RD EDITION OF JAPANESE FOR BUSY PEOPLE In the 22 years since its publication, Japanese for Busy People has won acclaim worldwide as an effective, easy-to-understand textbook, either for classroom use or for independent study. Now, in its first revision in more than a decade, the series is being redesigned, updated, and consolidated to meet the needs of today's students and businesspeople who want to learn natural, spoken Japanese as effectively as possible in a limited amount of time.
Customer Reviews:
Good book to start off your Nihongo studies!.......2007-09-26
How to learn Japanese: First, get a book and master the Hiragana and Katakana syllabary. This is a must and it shouldn't take you more than a month to do that. Japanese for Busy People has a Kana workbook and that works very well with this first volume since it includes vocabulary from chapters 1 through 10. That way, by the time you immerse yourself with this book, you can start focusing more on sentence patterns. Once you've familiarized yourself with the Kana syllabary, work through the activities in this book. It will give you a solid foundation on two things - mastery of the kana (since everything is written in kana), and basic sentence patterns. If you still have the time, get a kanji book and start working on the first few hundred kanji. I highly recommend Basic Kanji Book. This way, you can correlate the kana spellings of the new vocabulary words with the actual kanji. However, your focus should be more on the correct kana spelling. I always get confused with the long vowel sounds.
About this book: real excellent introduction to Japanese vocabulary, culture, and grammar. The exercises can be repetitive and are mostly substitution exercises. However, this is a great way to master the sentence patterns. My suggestion is to do the exercises and then to create one or two other sentences of your own based on what you just did. This way, you can further apply what you have just learned.
Negative comment: I don't like how the book mixes hindu-arabic numerals with kana. I think this is very confusing especially for a beginner. Again, while the kanji can come later, mastering the kana spelling should take precedence over convenience. The book does tell you the correct spelling first but for the exercises, it asks you to use hindu-arabic numerals. For instance, instead of writing out (in kana) sanji (3 o'clock), it has 3ji.
Once you're done with this book, skip volumes II & III. Move on to either the Genki series or Minna no Nihongo series, although I'm somewhat partial to the Minna no Nihongo series because it's more comprehensive albeit more expensive. It covers reading, writing, listening, and composition. At the same time, keep chipping away at the 1945 Joyo Kanji. In time, you will have mastered enough Nihongo to either pass the JLPT or order your favorite sushi.
Best of the Best for Beginners!.......2007-05-17
If you're looking for a good book to learn Japanese language, you probably have too many choices flooding your mind and have no idea which one is for you, because every one of them seems good. So, why this one?
This book is very well organized. It contains 11 units to cover the most practical topics surviving in Japan, such as meeting people, shopping, gettig around, dinning out, visiting a japanese home, responding inquiries at office, and socializing, etc. Each unit is consist of a culture note, a specific grammar syntax and usage, and a couple of lessons. Each lesson starts with a short dialogue to illustrate the common conversation of the unit's topic. It also provides a detail explanation on the sentence usage and the new vocabulary introduced in the dialogue. Few exercises are followed to help readers to get familiarized and practice what they have just learned. An audio CD is also accompanied with this book to demonstrate the conversation addressed in each dialogues. At the end of the book, it comes with the Appendixes, which provides a summary of all the particles, sentence patterns, adjectives, etc. in a list with examples and reference to the book's units & lessons. In addition, it has a mini-dictionary with english to japanese and japanese to english. This book also makes use of a lot of pictures to illustrate dialogues and exercises. It really helps the reader to have a more relax and interesting learning journey. After finishing this book, you should be able to have the following skills: (i) basic usage of nouns, verbs, adjectives, (b) basic conversation for essential everyday siturations, and (c) reading and writing hiragana & katakana.
Well, although there's a romanji version of this "Japanese for Busy People I (Revised 3rd Edition)", I would still recommend the readers to get this "Kana" version to learn the real Japanese in a Japanese character forms. If you do not know about the Japanese sound system, hiragana and katakana. You can pick up the "Japanese for Busy People I: Kana Workbook", which is an excellent book for starters. After that, go for this "Japanese for Busy People I: Kana Version". Indeed, this is the best!
(Reviewed by Otto Yuen, 17-May-2007)
A bit repetitive, but a great book!.......2007-05-06
I've heard so many good reviews about this book, that I finally bought it. I've learned more with this book about making sentences, than I have with all my other books. My other books start off with "This is a pen. That over there is a pen." Yeah ok, how useful is that really?
This book tells about Mr. Smith, the lawyer from ABC Foods, and his adventures in Japan. A couple of useful items are Mr. Smith's schedule, and giving directions to a driver. Both of which are great lessons I wish I had known when talking to Japanese friends months ago!! Other relevant subjects are shopping, going out to dinner or a movie. Ordering food, tickets or getting your size clothing is not mentioned. Hopefully that will be covered in future books.
This book is well thought out, and gives the definitions of words when they first occur. English translations are only at the beginning of the next lesson. After that, they expect you to remember the words and be able to read Japanese. My only complaints about the book, is I wish they would start introducing kanji in each chapter, and give you more room to write.
AJALT confusion!!.......2007-04-10
These books are actually very handy learning tools. What frustrates me is how many version there are!! I got the romaji verison of volume I a few years back, but I grew frustrated with all the English characters in it. After all, the only way to practice kana is by reading it. So I recently decided to order volume I in the Kana version, but it's not even remotely the same book. How often to they change this book, like every year? It's completely different material!! It's confusing to know which workbook goes with which volume and so on and so forth. I wish this company would be more clear about all the different verison available and what goes with each volume, b/c the exercises in them are really helpful.
Kana version is the way to go.......2007-04-06
This series has been around for 10 years, and I'm glad to see a new version. I've been through the first kana edition, and own the Level II book as well (but stay away from that one). I've already leafed through this new edition at Borders but didn't want to pay the full comver price. It's a totally new format, and the CD is a nice bonus. Same for the workbook. I'm going to purchse this even though I already went through the old version Level I just for the additional practice. Genki is the other book you should have if interested in learning on your own or with a tutor.
Book 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.
Customer Reviews:
Huh?.......2007-10-01
I thought this was the Kana version, but a lot of the answers and exercises were in Romaji. I'm confused. Not as good as the text, and not nearly as useful or informative. I guess it's OK for supplemental material.
Phrasebook on steroids.......2007-09-27
Pros:
1. Reinforces the dialogues from the textbook
Cons:
1. Romaji - I have the kana version of the textbook and I wish there was a kana version of this workbook
2. Not a grammar workbook - This is a workbook for practicing the conversations presented in the textbook. I was expecting more grammar drills.
Overall, it is a decent book with great printing and illustrations. But content-wise, I'm not so sure. I refer to it every now and then if I want to remember certain phrases. However, I can also do the same thing by opening the textbook.
My recommendation: work through the textbook and skip this workbook.
Want extra exercises? This is the one........2007-05-12
Do you own or plan to buy the "Japanese for Busy People I: Revised 3rd Edition" either in romanized or kana version? If you do, this is a pretty good choice if you want to do more exercises along with the lessons learned from the "Japanese for Busy People I". This workbook only provides more dialogue and listening exercises. Do not expect to see any grammar tips, culture notes, or even kana. If you do not have the "Japanese for Busy People I", you will not find this book helpful at all. All the dialogues in this workbook are written in romanized form, no kana. But that's ok, because this workbook only targets the dialogues and listening exercises. So, looking for extra homeworks? This is not a bad choice.
(Reviewed by Otto Yuen, 12-May-2007)
not what i expected- had to return it.......2007-03-30
I desired a book that would be concise and teach a language the right way (how to say letters, conjegate verbs, etc.). This book has you jump right in to phrases. Also, a better title would be Japanese for busy business people, because these are the type of phrases that it taught you. This may be a good book if that is what you were using it for, but just not for me.
Book Description
How can the Japanese for Busy People series help you learn Japanese?
Japanese for Busy People is, as the title suggests, a concise course for 'busy' students who want to learn natural, spoken Japanese as effectively as possible in a limited amount of time. Three main texts-Japanese for Busy People I, Japanese for Busy People II, and Japanese for Busy People Ill-with
related workbooks, cassette tapes, CDs, teacher's manuals, and videos make up this fully integrated three-level series. At each level, enough vocabulary and grammar has been provided to enable the learner to communicate in uncomplicated adult language without having to memorize excessive amounts of
vocabulary and language patterns that are not immediately useful. All components of the Japanese for Busy People series have been prepared under the guidance of a working group of experienced Japanese language instructors who reviewed and tested the material in an authentic classroom environment.
Japanese for Busy People Ill: The Workbook is the ideal resource for any student who wishes to improve speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in Japanese. This collection of exercises and activities has been developed to provide practice for sentence patterns presented in both the Revised
Edition and Kana Version of Japanese for Busy People Ill. The workbook can be used both in the classroom as a supplement for introducing or reviewing lessons, and outside the classroom for homework and review. When coordinated with the exercises and quizzes in the main textbook, this workbook should
enable learners to improve their command of basic Japanese in a relatively short time.
The fully illustrated Workbook includes:
'Accuracy Practice' - Drills, exercises, and discourse training.
'Fluency Practice' - Listening, role-playing, and discussion training.
'Reading Practice' - 20 interesting articles each with a full English translation.
Japanese for Busy People Ill: Workbook Tapes (available separately) has been specially designed to support this workbook.
Customer Reviews:
Effective way to learn Japanese.......2007-07-23
We used this in my high school as our Japanese textbook, and I loved its style and effectiveness. Great language book.
Japanese study guides.......2007-01-05
These books, Japanese for busy people, are the best self-study books i have used. i have been studying Japanese for a long time and have used a lot of books and these are by far the best series!
Schoolbook.......2007-01-03
This is not a very difficult book, which is both a good and a bad thing. Most people probably use this as a part of their class, and it is not too difficult to be used in self-study. Some grammar is introduced in a weird order - some very common (and not difficult) structures are introduced quite late. I liked "Shin Bunka Shokyuu Nihongo" a lot more, but wouldn't recommend it for self-study.
The kanji-reference in the end does not (if i remember correctly) include kanji learned in japanese for busy people 1 & 2, which IMO is a problem.
Even if it has its problems it's not too bad. Would recommend it for self-study, if it fits your level (past JLPT4, maybe studying for JLPT3).
No book..........2006-11-10
I thought the JFBP III book came with this package, however it was only two audio CD's. I am not completely through it, but most of it seems like listening practice, two Japanese speakers in a conversation.
Excellent lessons and audio CD's.......2002-07-20
Excellent lessons and audio CD's - Very Highly Recommended.
Book Description
Japanese for Busy People is, as the title suggests, a concise course for busy students who want to learn natural, spoken Japanese as effectively as possible in a limited amount of time. This new Kana Version has been adapted and redesigned to reflect current thinking on
Japanese-as-a-second-language education. Romanized Japanese, often criticized as being the main obstacle to accurate and fluent pronunciation of the spoken language, has been omitted in favor of native hiragana and katakana scripts. Learning kana from the very beginning will also facilitate a smooth
and fast transition to kanji study. Enough vocabulary and grammar have been provided to enable the learner to communicate in uncomplicated adult Japanese, without having to memorize excessive amounts of vocabulary and language patterns that are not immediately useful. Exercises and Quiz sections
also appear in kana to reinforce written and oral comprehension as well as production skills. Japanese for Busy People has been prepared under the guidance of a working group of experienced Japanese language instructors who reviewed and tested the material in an authentic classroom environment.
The Kana Version of Japanese for Busy People 1 is the ideal textbook for anyone who wishes to learn real, natural, conversational Japanese and actually communicate with native Japanese speakers. It also provides a solid foundation and a valuable resource for those who would like to go further with
their study of the Japanese language.
This new Kana Version includes:
* new introduction explaining how to use the text at home or school
* new, larger, and easier-to-read typography
* new, classroom-friendly, eye-catching page design
* clear, concise explanations of how the language works
* full English-Japanese/Japanese-English glossaries.
Customer Reviews:
Avoid this text if possible.......2006-12-05
A lot of reviewers basically say to avoid this text, and I agree. However, if you are taking this course at a college or university, you probably can't change the text prescribed by the school or professor.
This text's first printing went with romaji (English letters for Japanese words), presumably under the assumption that kana and kanji are too complex for the average student studying Japanese. After many complaints, this version was released. However, instead of starting off with romaji (like the book "Yookoso") and gradually moving to hiragana,katakana, and kanji, there is no romaji whatsoever. Where will people learn their kana? I guess the authors assume you are either a prior student of Japanese, or that you will learn before you use this book?
I took Japanese for two semesters about six years ago, and stopped studying due to graduation and work. I started taking it again last September, and this is the book (well, they use the non-kana version) that the local graduate school uses. I can't use another text, so I have no choice but to use this book.
Going through the chapters, it seems that the lessons are not well structured. Instead of rules or tricks to learn conjugations, you are simply told to memorize lists. My previous experience in undergraduate was with a text called Yookoso, which offered a simple and systematic method to learn adjective and verb conjugations. For example, you would learn the "ta" form of verbs,which made learning the "te" form very easy. This book does not do that,and when you get to "te" form, you are simply told to memorize a list.
So, if you are self-studying, I would not recommend this text. Otherwise, if you are a student in school, you should obtain other texts to supplement your learning.
Why does this book even exist?.......2006-04-07
The standard version of "Japanese for Busy People 1" has kana and romanization. This book just has the romanization removed. By adding "kana version" to the title they make sound as if the other version doesn't have kana. I say if you don't like the romanization then just don't use it. How is a beginner supposed to use this book? Especially a busy beginner.
Not effective.......2006-02-25
Grammatical structure in this book is not addressed properly. Asking students to memorize numerous verb conjugations is difficult and tedious. It would be far more effective to have students learn the rule for verb conjugation. That way they can apply it to any verb. This book takes this approach to most other grammatical technicalities, making it difficult for a student to learn Japanese effectively.
Not good at all!!.......2006-02-18
Just like the review below I didn't liked this book. Though the first lessons weren't too bad as they are easy to understand and helpfull to get you started in Japanese. But while getting further in the book it really gets bad ( actually it moves from a 3 star rating to a below 1 star , which explains the 2 stars that I gave).
Yeah, the memorizing by head is such a wrong way to learn a language. In my humble opinion I think that to learn a language you must know what you're doing (i.e. grammar). For example, I had to learn about five chapters simultanious, just to get a vague idea what the -te form was used for. But no, not a word about how to form it. At that time I started to use Genki next to it. Then I actually realized how bad the book was.
Another thing is that this book is a Kana version. It's a lot better than Romaji, but the way they present it, it is merely usefull to get fluent in Hiragana and Katakana (Oké, I know that's why it's called kana version!) It would be a lot better if some kanji were inserted in the text, together with furigana, just like the second and third books and other textbooks by the way.
My advice: if you really want to spend your money on this book, I suggest you to study the first part of it. It's not that bad, and it is a good introduction to Japanese. When you really start to like learning Japanese, stow this book somewhere where you can not see it and begin to use Genki or better 90 days of Japanese (see my list)(even better, use both) The first lessons of Japanese for Busy People are a certainly a good introduction to Genki as this book might be a little hard and therefore demotivating for complete beginners.
Useful, but not for a total beginner........2006-02-12
I have spent almost a year studying Japanese, primarily with the Pimsleur tapes, but also with grammar books and a few private lessons with a native speaker. With that background I find this book very useful. It helps me review what I already know; it supplements my vocabulary; and it makes clear some grammatical issues that Pimsleur leaves murky. Pimsleur gets you speaking, but makes no comprehensive effort to teach grammar.
Having said that, I do not think I would find this book useful if I were a total beginner. I cannot agree with the reviewer who called it "garbage." It is more accurate to say that beginners should look elsewhere, but that the book is useful for students who have already struggled with Japanese for a while, as I have.
I recommend the kana version of the book. Anyone who has enought knowledge of Japanese to profit from this book will also profit from the opportunity to read Japanese in kana characters.
Book Description
THE REVISED EDITION OF JAPANESE FOR BUSY PEOPLE In the ten years since its publication, Japanese for Busy People has won acceptance worldwide as an effective, easy-to-understand textbook, either for classroom use or for independent study. In this new edition, numerous revisions and additions
have been made, taking into account the comments and responses of both students and teachers who have been using the course.
In Book I, the revisions are directed at making the grammatical explanations easier to understand, while adding further explanations of points that students have difficulty with. Changes have also been made in favor of more natural practice sentences and dialogues. In addition, new appendices list
the particles, interrogatives, and sentence patterns in the book, as well as the kanji introduced.
More fundamental revisions have been made to Book II, which has been expanded and divided into two volumes, Book II and Book Ill. The changes result in a smoother transition from Book I, make new grammatical elements clearer, and present more natural practice dialogues and exercise sentences.
THE JAPANESE FOR BUSY PEOPLE COURSE This concise course in natural Japanese is ideal for such students as businessmen whose aim is a working knowledge of the spoken language in everyday life. Survival Japanese for Adults,' as it might be called, gets to the heart of the language without recourse to
childish or classroom-only Japanese.
Book II consists of twenty lessons in the same format as Book I, with dialogues, notes on grammar, and vocabulary, exercises and quizzes. The dialogues introduce the daily language and life of adult Japanese and, compared with Book I, conversations are more natural and include abbreviated
expressions and suitable responses. In this revised Book II, kanji are introduced systematically, and alternate readings, stroke order and associated kanji are given for the characters appearing in each chapter.
Customer Reviews:
Not for Self Study.......2007-09-18
I have been learning Japanese for about 5 years. I have done self study, I have taken classes in the States, and now finally I get to take classes here in Japan. My sensei here in Japan uses Japanese for Busy People. This book has obviously been designed for use in a classroom setting with an instructor. My teacher spends most of our class time talking to us and asking us for responses as well as practicing dialogs. I owned JBP before taking this class and was trying to use it as a self study aid, with little success. The difference between using this book for self study, and using it in a classroom setting has become obvious to me.
For those who are interested in Self Study japanese, I would say, "Be prepared for an investment"! I have yet to find any one book that I think is a good all around self study aid for learning japanese. I now own 5 dictionaries (1 Kanji, 1 English-Japanese, 1 E-J/J-E, 1 Romajii-English, and 1 Furigana), a half dozen differnt textbooks (Yookosoo, Contemporary Japanese, Japanese for Everybody, Japanese in Mangaland, and JBP as well as Japanese for Young People), books on adverbs and verbs, as well as books dedicated to grammer and books teaching how to write hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
Don't expect it to be as good as JFBP I.......2003-12-06
If you used Japanese for Busy People I to start learning Japanese, you might be disappointed with this second book in the series. JFBP II has been, for me, less user-friendly. In comparison with JFBP I, this book inundates the student with vocabulary and grammar notes in each lesson. Yes, having lots of information is good. But in my opinion, this book has packaged that information in larger chunks that are more difficult for the student to digest. Lessons are oriented around events, places and situations -- Lost and Found, the Health Club, a Business trip; a festival, etc. The book might have been more helpful had it been oriented around grammar concepts. Or better yet, give me a lesson focused on just new vocabulary and then give me a lesson focused on a grammar concept -- where I can use my recently acquired vocabulary. (I am learning in a classroom environment, and it's extremely challenging to soak up all the new vocabulary AND all the new grammar in each lesson.)
This book also is big on kana and kanji and sparse on romaji (although the book, in the appendix, does awkwardly provide romaji for the lesson texts). I agree that learning to think in kana is important. But I think more prominent romaji is still needed at this level -- when beginning students are still visualizing in terms of romaji. Kana is easy enough but requires my brain to kick in some extra processing power -- which slows down my comprehension of the material. In other words, I think students still could benefit from the "training wheels" of romaji at this level. It could speed up learning of vocabulary and grammar. It just makes sense: We learn to speak English fairly well. Then we learn to read and write it. Why not learn to speak Japanese fairly well (using easy romaji) and then learn how to read and write our newly acquired Japanese using kana?
And speaking of training wheels, more illustrations of vocabulary and concepts would have been helpful -- to help students better soak up new words and grammar. Another gripe: Not all words used in this book are in the glossary. (If it's not in the glossary, it's probably in the glossary for JFBP I.)
If you are studying on your own and on no timetable, this book will do you just fine. This book covers a lot of territory. If you can soak it all up, you'll be Japanese wiz. But if you're truly a busy person (like me -- or maybe I'm just slow! ;) ) and if this is the book you have to use, be prepared to make extra time in your schedule. And do your best to master each lesson before you move on to the next one -- since each lesson requires knowledge of previous concepts. Otherwise, your house of cards will come tumbling down.
If you are only going to get one Japanese text, get this one.......1999-06-30
I discovered this book when it was used in a beginning Japanese language course at the local county college. I travel back and forth to Japan a lot and missed classes sometimes. I had the book with me most of the time, and almost everyone I talk to in Japan recognizes the book as a popular text for teaching Japanese to foreigners. What I like most about the book is that I didn't have any trouble keeping up with the occasional missed class, because the book is so self-explanatory. You can work through the lessons on your own and get almost as much out of it as you do from the class.
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English (All)
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Japanese for Busy People I: Workbook; includes CD (Japanese for Busy People)
Japanese for Busy People I: Kana Version includes CD (Japanese for Busy People Series)
Japanese for Busy People: Kana Workbook Incl. 1 CD
Japanese for Busy People: Kana Workbook (Japanese for Busy People)
Japanese for Busy People I: Text (Japanese for Busy People)
