Book recommendation for beginner?

[mechnist]

Hi i always wanted to learn japanese
and few years ago i was learning from my japanese friend's mom for few weeks then stopped because of lack of money and i felt like i wasn't learning fast enough...

anyway i was planning to take a japanese course at community college
but i don't think i'll be able to this semester.. or next.. hmm..

so i was wondering are there any good books out there that i could use to learn on my own? main reason i want to learn japanese is to read japanese text...
im confused about how to learn japanese and kanji too..

thanks in advance

 

[sakaeyellow]

Could you tell us your actual level? What did you learn during those few weeks?

 

[mechnist]

nothing much i memorized katakana hiragana
numbers...months... greetings... very few vocabs it was once a week lesson

 

[sakaeyellow]

Then my web site may help.
Please click my signature.

 

[eeky]

I have been using "Japanese for Everyone" for self-study. I've now nearly finished it, and I would give it a qualified thumbs-up. On the plus side you get a lot for your money: 383 dense pages crammed with information, examples and exercises. I like the fact that it dispenses with romaji very early on, so you're forced to learn hiragana and katakana. Kanji are introduced gradually, so you start to get a feel for them without being overwhelmed. And, by the end of the book, you do begin to feel that you really do understand a little bit of Japanese.

On the negative side, the book is quite hard work, seems to advance quite rapidly, and can be frustrating at times when you don't understand something and can't find an explanation - especially when many of the exercises do not have English translations. Sometimes I think the authors get a bit ahead of themselves and use language patterns and idioms that haven't actually been explained. If you're studying alone, it's definitely not for the faint-hearted.

 

[mechnist]

thanks for the suggestion eeky!
never heard about this book before and sounds intense!

 

[Ryuk]

I used Genki 1 & 2 and found it really good.

 

[mechnist]

I used Genki 1 & 2 and found it really good.

o yeah i heard about this book before... but it's out of stock in amazon...
don't wanna buy from people.. had bad experiences with that

 

[Ravenmoonstone]

I use Genki its really good and has usefull applications in the real world. i did find it hard to get though. i managed to find one from a online second hand book store in Hawii. I like it because it starts off mainy in romanji then it begings to use more hirigana and katakana as you progress so your not just learning one script at a time.

Also the pictures that they use to help undrstanding are quite cute too ^_^

 

[Lledargo]

I am thinking about getting genki 1. My question is, can a complete beginner (who speaks only english) start off with this book. or would i need to know a bit more than basic words like Hai, or Konnichiwa.

 

[Ravenmoonstone]

I think as long as you take your time it should be no problem. It doesnt throw you in the deep end and the book is easy to follow. I think it explains thing is a fairly easy way and is set out clearly. It starts off simple and then gets more advance however as long as you understand the chapters before you move on , it is fairly easy to grasp.

it is split in to 2 sections Convosation and grammar and reading and writing.
the typical format of a Convosation and grammar chapter goes something like this:
Dialogue- a convostation in romanji, japanese characters and english
Vocabulary- a table of words that the chapter uses in romanji, hirigana and english.
Grammar- which explains the rules and uses very simple examples.
Practise- it gives you work to do to practise.

the Reading writing chapters at the back gives you loads of practise of the writting systems.

I use a kanji dictionary and a english to japanese dictionary to help me expand my vocab but the vocab used in the books are very practical and has real life apllications.

There is also a work book that accompanies it but i dont have that they are a little bit elusive. However, i brought a plain note book and used that to practise.

i hope this helps ^_^

 

[Lledargo]

Ravenmoonstone, thanks that sounds exactly like what i need to start off with.
ごありがとうございます

Edit: i am currently looking For it on amazon, and i have found the text book, the work book and an answer key.

I assume that the only necessary book is the text book, and the workbook and answer key are just for additional practice correct?

 

[Ravenmoonstone]

I had no problems just using the text book. i have not seen what is in the work book but i presume that it will follow the chapters in the text book with room to do the excercises. The text book has no answers to the practices but i am sure if you get stuck the lovely people on here will be able to check your work. Self checking the work is fairly easy because of the vocab section each chapter has.

 

[Lledargo]

That answers my question
Arigatou Gozaimasu

 

[Angel Valis]

Ravenmoonstone is absolutely correct. I've used the Genki I and II textbooks and workbooks in my college courses. The workbooks follow along with the textbooks quite well, though there are listening exercise pages in the workbooks (one page per chapter) that require you to buy supplementary CDs to complete them (the only big downside to Genki in my opinion; though my college courses suppled access to the CDs for free). From what my instructor told me last semester, the answer key actually covers both the Genki I and II workbooks. However, as far as I know, there is no answer key for the textbook exercises themselves.

 

[Ravenmoonstone]

On the plus side if you do want the answer booklet but cant afford it there are web pages

Genki Answer Key

I also did some digging and found the genki webpage with lots of resources for beginngers. which can complement your learning.

Genki – Home

A way to get around the listening sections that requires a CD is to get someone to read the listening bits to you.