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Product Description
Product 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, more than a decade after its first revision, the series is being redesigned, updated and consolidated to meet the needs of todays students and businesspeople who want to learn natural, spoken Japanese as effectively as possible in a limited amount of time.
The Kana Workbook teaches the reading and writing of the two most basic Japanese scripts, hiragana and katakana. These scripts are used all the time in written Japanese, and a mastery of them is essential for those who wish to study the language at any level above survival. As such, the book serves as a prerequisite to both Japanese for Busy People I: Kana Version and Japanese for Busy People II, and it is also recommended as review for those who have learned kana before but have forgotten some of the basics.
This completely revised workbook features:
Lots of practice in recognition, reading, and writing;
Fun, picture-dictionary-like illustrations that help students build their vocabularies;
A free CD that gives learners a taste of the actual sounds of Japanese;
A bonus section introducing basic kanji.
The Kana Workbook teaches the reading and writing of the two most basic Japanese scripts, hiragana and katakana. These scripts are used all the time in written Japanese, and a mastery of them is essential for those who wish to study the language at any level above survival. As such, the book serves as a prerequisite to both Japanese for Busy People I: Kana Version and Japanese for Busy People II, and it is also recommended as review for those who have learned kana before but have forgotten some of the basics.
This completely revised workbook features:
Lots of practice in recognition, reading, and writing;
Fun, picture-dictionary-like illustrations that help students build their vocabularies;
A free CD that gives learners a taste of the actual sounds of Japanese;
A bonus section introducing basic kanji.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I started to learn Japanese on a part-time evening course, which used the Kana version of "Japanese for Busy People" as a set text. The tutor therefore had us begin by learning the Hiragana and Katakana.
Because of that prior learning I was sceptical about this book, imagining it would be a pile of blank practice grids with a cover around it, which frankly I could have made myself. But I was wrong.
The Kana Workbook is actually very well planned out. It starts with a comprehensive explanation of the sound system behind the kana, and includes a lot of information which I did not learn even with the benefit of a tutor who was herself Japanese. It goes on to build up information on different kinds of syllables, vowels, consonants, sound combinations, and so on. Well thought out exercises and CD recordings back up the text and reinforce learning throughout.
I recommend this book for anyone who is just starting out with Japanese, because it is widely considered to be faster and more effective to cut out the romaji middle man and learn to read kana right from the start.
I would also recommend this book for anyone who has had an elementary introduction to the language, and wishes to ensure that they have a firm grip on the basics before moving on to Kanji and more complex grammar.
Because of that prior learning I was sceptical about this book, imagining it would be a pile of blank practice grids with a cover around it, which frankly I could have made myself. But I was wrong.
The Kana Workbook is actually very well planned out. It starts with a comprehensive explanation of the sound system behind the kana, and includes a lot of information which I did not learn even with the benefit of a tutor who was herself Japanese. It goes on to build up information on different kinds of syllables, vowels, consonants, sound combinations, and so on. Well thought out exercises and CD recordings back up the text and reinforce learning throughout.
I recommend this book for anyone who is just starting out with Japanese, because it is widely considered to be faster and more effective to cut out the romaji middle man and learn to read kana right from the start.
I would also recommend this book for anyone who has had an elementary introduction to the language, and wishes to ensure that they have a firm grip on the basics before moving on to Kanji and more complex grammar.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I initially ordered this book to learn the Kana, however promptly gave up after 3 or 4 characters. The method the book uses is a brute-force approach. It presents the usage information all together up front (slightly overwhelming before you know any of the characters), then contains pages where you learn to write the characters, leaving you to remember them through repetition.
Instead, I used Remembering the Kana by James Heisig to learn them, which I'd highly recommend (although you need to be able to think in an American accent for that book to be effective), then used this book as a one-night exercise for practice and refinement.
Two nice things about the book:
1. It contains a CD that tells you the correct pronunciation by a Japanese person, something that you will not get from Heisig's book, which uses only approximation to American-English pronunciation.
2. It contains a review section for both Hiragana and Katakana with a few labelled illustrations for you to practice reading, along with accompanying pronunciations on the CD.
Another feature that would be useful: In Japanese for Busy People: Kana Version Bk. 1 there is a handy chart of the Hiragana and Kanatana at the back, annotated by stroke order. This book has the chart at the front, but with no stroke order.
In summary, I wouldn't recommend this book for learning the kana from scratch, but it is excellent for practice and reference.
Instead, I used Remembering the Kana by James Heisig to learn them, which I'd highly recommend (although you need to be able to think in an American accent for that book to be effective), then used this book as a one-night exercise for practice and refinement.
Two nice things about the book:
1. It contains a CD that tells you the correct pronunciation by a Japanese person, something that you will not get from Heisig's book, which uses only approximation to American-English pronunciation.
2. It contains a review section for both Hiragana and Katakana with a few labelled illustrations for you to practice reading, along with accompanying pronunciations on the CD.
Another feature that would be useful: In Japanese for Busy People: Kana Version Bk. 1 there is a handy chart of the Hiragana and Kanatana at the back, annotated by stroke order. This book has the chart at the front, but with no stroke order.
In summary, I wouldn't recommend this book for learning the kana from scratch, but it is excellent for practice and reference.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At first I didn't want to buy this book, because I could learn without, right?
But in the end I did buy it and I'm so glad i did. It's really useful. It has exercises which helps you distinguish different types of hiragana/katakana look-a-likes. It also shows the correct stroke order and includes reading challenges, to test if you truly know the characters.
It's not boring and it has a nice layout, because of that you don't feel like giving up and you learn hiragana and katakana in no time.
I strongly recommend it for every learning japanese person out there!
But in the end I did buy it and I'm so glad i did. It's really useful. It has exercises which helps you distinguish different types of hiragana/katakana look-a-likes. It also shows the correct stroke order and includes reading challenges, to test if you truly know the characters.
It's not boring and it has a nice layout, because of that you don't feel like giving up and you learn hiragana and katakana in no time.
I strongly recommend it for every learning japanese person out there!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Inspire please
This series of books are badly organized, repetitive and l am shocked at how people manage to learn something from them. Read more
Published 10 months ago by A. Costello
Good way to learn Japanese
Good book and will help you with the basics if you want to learn Japanese. Shipped to Holland without any problems, much cheaper then buying it here in Holland. Read more
Published 20 months ago by D. Water
great book for practice kana
Vastly improved edition with cultural notes and free CD. Also more fun to use and more Katakana practice which the previous edition lacked. Great value for money.
Published on 29 Oct 2008 by S. Alvarado Collantes
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