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Honestly best book suggestions

Damicci

先輩
4 Nov 2003
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I know many people have their own idea of what is the best book.
So i Would like to hear what you guys offer up. since I don't have ability to take classes past high beginner low intermediate levels unless i attend university. I must find some structured form of studying.
Any suggestions is appreciated.
 
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The book that got me my start, and that I recommend to everyone, is Ultimate Japanese: Beginner-Intermediate. It's very thorough, good layout, and very down-to-earth grammar explanations. There's also a version with CDs (summaries of the lessons in audio form, and audio for all the dialogues and vocabulary), if you go for that sorta thing.

I'm planning on getting Ultimate French sometime soon from the same series. Very reliable books.
 
A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar and A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar were the two books that really helped my understanding of the language. They may not be for everyone, as they're reference books, written like dictionaries for each grammatical pattern, but if you can handle some dry reading then I think they'll be good for you. I find them to be the same as @JimmySeal finds his book; it has very detailed explanations. There's no CD version, though.
 
Would you suggest I purchase both @Glenn ? My main problem is grammar structures. I have a hard time reading longer sentences. Possibly due to grammatical design. I would like a learning tool to assist me in breaking complicated Japanese sentences to make better understanding of how to read them in the future.
 
I have the second one Glenn recommended. It is very nice. If you want to learn and practice beginner to intermediate-level grammar forms, I recommend An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese. I think the author is Miura. It's kind of like genki 3 (in fact, that's what I call it, less of a mouthful).

Also, if you have Genki 1 and 2 handy, I would recommend going back through them. You have definitely improved over the past few months, and have started using more complicated grammar, but I notice some basic mistakes that could be easily fixed with a little brushing-up. A strong foundation will ensure that all the new structures you learn will stick.
 
JimmySeal said:
The book that got me my start, and that I recommend to everyone, is Ultimate Japanese: Beginner-Intermediate. It's very thorough, good layout, and very down-to-earth grammar explanations. There's also a version with CDs (summaries of the lessons in audio form, and audio for all the dialogues and vocabulary), if you go for that sorta thing.
I'm planning on getting Ultimate French sometime soon from the same series. Very reliable books.
I find this series is fairly good for the beginner. I haven't read the Japanese one but I did read the Ultimate Arabic one, and it gave me some insights about arabic life as well as how the language functions. However, for an intermediate student, this book might not be the best.

The Basic Connections book and other books in the same series are fairly useful, but I would recommend that you try to borrow it from a library first instead of purchasing them. Usually they tend to either give the really simple information, or the really obscure phrases and words that you probably wouldn't encounter unless you are reading classic novels. You really have to dig deep into these books to find the useful information that you are looking for.

Someone mentioned "integrated approach to japanese" by Japan Times. This book is used in the 2nd year intermediate japanese course in my university, and I would say it bridges the gap from beginner to intermediate. Perfecting this book you mean that you have gained proficiency to survive in Japan. But I think your level is already past that book, reading from your previous posts.

If it's grammar that you are looking for, go for "kanzen masuta-" books in amazon.co.jp. These are the books that are easy to read with very good exercises. I can't stress how much these books helped me in passing my exams. The downside is that everything is in Japanese so it's not perfect for the beginner.

If you are looking to know all the small details about all that you will ever need to know about the language, you can try "nihongo journal". It's a magazine with CD published monthly. It is fairly good for the more intermediate and advanced students. It polishes your listening, and teaches your about finer details of the language.

Overall, Japan Times and 3A (スリーエー) publish quality language learning books. Try to avoid books by aruku アルク at all costs (except for Nihongo Journal).
 
nhk9 said:
If you are looking to know all the small details about all that you will ever need to know about the language, you can try "nihongo journal". It's a magazine with CD published monthly.
Wooo. Pricey. My wallet hurts just thinking about that magazine.
 
JimmySeal said:
Wooo. Pricey. My wallet hurts just thinking about that magazine.

yea that's about 1300yen... fortunately for us, our school's library has a collection of this, so price was never an issue. overall however, the learner should benefit from picking up this from time to time (or share with a friend etc.)
 
I've had "Essential Kanji" (ISBN 0-8348-0222-8) for years now, and still really love it for kanji reference. I also still go back and read through "Ultimate Japanese" (ISBN 0-609-80682-3) as JimmySeal suggested; really great book. Also, to build a nice foundation for grammar I'd suggest "A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Sentence Patterns" (ISBN 4-7700-2608-0).
 
Be aware that the Nihongo Journal is no longer published unfortunately. It is a good resource (from what little of it I can read) though.
 
My friend bought me Elementary Japanese Volume 2 and I have to say this is a GOOD book. Tuttle Publications.
 
A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar and A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar were the two books that really helped my understanding of the language. They may not be for everyone, as they're reference books, written like dictionaries for each grammatical pattern, but if you can handle some dry reading then I think they'll be good for you. I find them to be the same as @JimmySeal finds his book; it has very detailed explanations. There's no CD version, though.
Just got the Intermediate book today and I am already wow'd! I love this thing. It basically answers all my questions about grammar. Too bad there is no way to refer to English grammar translated. for example.

If I wanted to know how to say "nothing more than" I can't look it up in English. Even still this books make it easy to understand why a grammatical term was used. And how to create your sentence with the same term.

Definitely a recommended book.:emoji_thumbsup:
 
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