Japanese for Everyone: A Functional Approach to Daily Communication [Paperback]

SUMMARY: Japanese for Everyone isn't for everyone. It is a great textbook for someone who learns from examples, appreciates brief explanations, wants a traditional textbook, and doesn't need lots of handholding. If you are a serious and self-motivated student who isn't afraid to do your own research when something is unclear, definitely check out this book. As long as you memorize the kana first and learn the vocab/grammar before moving on to the next chapter, you'll be fine. Go as slow as you want. If you think you'll need some extra help when you get stuck, or you want to go at a slower pace, try a different textbook (I list popular ones at the end of the review). The two most frustrating things about this textbook for me are that: (1) a few words in the chapter exercises are actually introduced/defined in later chapters. I just have to work a bit harder to understand the audio exercises, which is a minor annoyance. (2) Explanations on how to conjugate verbs (especially u verbs) are lacking--they often refer to a conjugation table at the front of the book in lieu of detailed instructions.

JFE covers ~450 kanji and ~2500 vocab words (note that most of the vocab words are written in kana since this is a beginner's textbook). It will take you through roughly the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N4 level, which is upper-beginner/lower-intermediate (for reference, JLPT N1, the most advanced level, requires ~2000 kanji and ~10,000 vocab). It uses kana in the very first chapter. JFE covers more grammar, vocab, and kanji than most other textbooks for beginners, but don't expect to read a novel or newspaper easily after finishing this book.

(Note: If you are an absolute beginner who has no idea what kana or kanji are or you aren't sure if you want to study Japanese seriously, I suggest either doing some studying online (Tae Kim's Japanese guide is free and helpful) or buying a beginner's book, not an official textbook like this. A couple suggestions for beginner's materials: I highly recommend Human Japanese (software), which is all-encompassing and teaches you kana, basic grammar, and has vocab with audio. The Japanese from Zero book series teaches the kana gradually, and is slow-paced for a complete beginner. If you want an audio course, try the Michel Thomas Method: Japanese for Beginners program, which only takes 9 hours but will give you an excellent foundation.)

**Someone on the Kanji Koohii website has compiled a list of sentences from the exercises in the book that can be put into a flashcard program to practice grammar. He even did audio of every sentence! I put the link for that in the comments.**

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LONG VERSION:

Textbooks tend to suit some people better than others. JFE is almost perfect for my learning style, but others will find it too demanding. There's no question that it's the best bang for your buck out of all the Japanese textbooks, and is worth a look for the price alone. I'm a self-learner, and I think this book would work well for other serious self-learners as well as classrooms. But make sure this book is going to fit YOUR learning style before purchasing. I list alternative textbooks at the end of this review.

After completing JFE, I will use Tobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese. Additionally, I will grab some lower-level JLPT books (maybe the Somatome series) to learn more grammar and start reading simple manga and light novels.

It appears the audio tapes were not remade for this second edition. The original tapes seem to be out of print, but if you do a Google search for "Japanese for Everyone audio" I'm sure you'll find it somewhere *cough* :-).

This book is not afraid to throw realistic Japanese at you. The authors assume you will not understand 100% of the reading passages and audio exercises. They want to prepare you to travel to Japan and be able to get around. Straight from the book: "As with the dialogues, you are encouraged to grasp the general meaning of the passage, even though you may not be sure of the meaning of some of the words. Various types of writing...are presented so as to prepare you for what you are likely to encounter on a trip to Japan."

There are 27 chapters, and the book is 383 pages long (including appendices). Those pages are filled with information -- there's very little wasted space. I highly suggest reading the beginning pages before starting Chapter 1; they are full of useful tidbits about the language and how the book is organized (e.g. pitch-accent, "i" and "u" being whispered when between consonants/voiceless sounds, rhythm, pronunciation, including that pesky "r", hiragana, katakana, outline of grammar). If you are a beginner, the introduction is required reading. I have a feeling there would be fewer negative reviews of this book if the beginners had only absorbed (or even glanced at) the information presented here before moving on to the real lessons. This book is not meant to be read casually; you need to know the majority of the vocab and grammar before progressing to the next section. In my experience, merely reading a textbook is not enough practice to learn or retain the information.

Structure of Each Chapter:

1) Dialogue (listen to it before you start, and when you finish, each chapter)
2) Vocab List (80 - 100 words per chapter)
3) Grammar Functions (grammar points), roughly 5 each chapter
4) Exercises, 2-4 per grammar function
5) Reading Comprehension Exercise (there's also an audio version)
6) Listening Comprehension Exercise

Before I started JFE, I already had a good grasp on hiragana and a little experience with katakana. Romaji disappears after a few chapters so you should really learn the kana as quickly as possible, otherwise you will be overwhelmed. I have found it very helpful to memorize most of the vocab for a chapter first, then go through and do the exercises. I listen to the beginning dialogue before I start a chapter (with only some comprehension), and then also at the end. I have had almost 100% comprehension for the dialogues after doing the exercises and learning the vocab, which is encouraging. I have to listen to the dialogue multiple times before I understand it. I review vocab and grammar points with Anki, a free flashcard software (I highly recommend it!). For Kanji, I'm using Remembering the Kanji along with the Kanji Koohii website and Anki. I plan on learning kanji words in context after finishing Volume 1 of RtK. I'm not worried about extra kanji exposure in JFE; so far I haven't had any problems using both methods.

PROS:
-You can't beat the price. For roughly $20, this book is a bargain. Other popular textbook series have 2-3 books that cover that same amount of material, and each one costs at least $20. Then you normally have to buy the teacher's edition and extra workbooks....this is not the case with JFE!
-Answer key is at the back of the book (great for self-learners!). Most other textbooks force you to buy the teacher's edition for the answers.
-Kana is used in Chapter 1. Romaji starts disappearing and is gone after just a few chapters. This forces you to learn how to write and read Japanese from the very start.
-Covers ~2500 vocab words and ~450 kanji. Will definitely build up your vocab. For reference, Genki 1+2 (arguably the most popular textbook series) teach roughly 300 kanji and 1700 vocab total
-JFE is fast-paced and dense. This one book covers everything that Genki 1 and 2 and Japanese for Busy People I, II, and III cover, plus some more. For my learning style, this works great. I don't enjoy getting bogged down with tons of explanation.
-Kanji is introduced gradually starting in Chapter 1. The first few times you see a kanji character, there is helpful furigana above it. JFE does not teach you how to write the kanji (stroke order), you'll need a supplemental book for that. I recommend either Remembering the Kanji, Vol. 1: A Complete Course on How Not to Forget the Meaning and Writing of Japanese Characters, A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters (Tuttle language library), Essential Kanji, or Basic Kanji Book, Vol. 1.
-They cover word/pitch accent, rhythm, and syllables in the introduction, and vocab words have markers to designate where the accent falls.
-Grammar is brief and to the point. Each grammar topic is explained by a "function" with a simple description and multiple examples. I have found the grammar to be clear so far. If you enjoy learning by example and don't need detailed explanations, this is the book for you.
-Vocab is presented in a big list at the beginning of the chapter, as well as mini-lists on subsequent pages. This is handy because often the vocab definitions will be on the same page as the exercise that refers to it.
-There are generally multiple exercises per grammar point. I have found the exercises to be interesting and relevant. Thankfully, there are minimal "fill-in-the-blank" and "translate this sentence" kind of exercises; JFE forces you to think critically. Some chapters have a couple exercises that require a partner, but I just have a dialogue with myself -- extra practice! Much of the vocabulary is also reinforced in the exercises.
-I found the number of exercises plenty for me (normally 2-4 per grammar point), but others have complained of needing more. Depends on your learning style. I sometimes make up my own sentences to practice (if you use Lang8 you can even get edits from people fluent in Japanese!)
-Covers both formal and informal (polite/casual) speech from the beginning.
-Dialogues are natural-sounding, at the appropriate difficulty level for each chapter (though they speak quickly!), and cover the grammar points and some of the vocabulary. They are good for reviewing material. There are also English translations. The sound quality is good and the acting is good (though a bit cheesy at times). Since they speak quickly, I don't normally understand everything my first try. I think it is great that they don't dumb down the speed of the dialogue because you will be better prepared for real Japanese.
-The book follows a young couple who go to Japan for a new job. This story is relevant for many adults. Other textbooks often have too much student/school vocabulary.

CONS (minor to me, personally):
-You are expected to memorize the kana before starting the book. JFE does not teach you how to write the kana, there is just a chart that shows the kana and matching sounds. This is a minor qualm. Very few textbooks actually teach how to write the kana. You just need to practice and memorize them, which can be accomplished in a few days. Check out Tae Kim's guide to Japanese, a free online resource that has a section on how to write the kana and pronounce the sounds. If you want a kana book, grab Remembering the Kana by Heisig.
-Audio appears to be out of print/hard to find, but you can do a quick Google search and *cough* download it if you are OK with that sort of thing. Or you could try special ordering from Kinokuniya or White Rabbit Press. That seems a bit excessive for some audio tapes though (I don't even think they are CDs!). Ebay may also have some used.
-Like most Japanese textbooks this is a softcover book, which means it does not wear as well as a hardback (I have had to use some packaging tape on mine to reinforce it).
-If you want to learn Japanese at a leisurely pace and expect tons of detailed explanations about "the way things work" grammatically, this is not the book for you. I've found the book A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar to be very helpful when I want more detail (I recommend that grammar series as a supplement to whatever textbook you end up choosing).
-If you don't make sure you know the vocab and grammar points before moving to the next section, you'll get overwhelmed quickly.
-There are 50-100 new words per chapter, which is a lot. This is good for people who want to build their vocab with their textbook. Some learners would rather focus on grammar and getting lots of practice with a few hundred core words.
-Verb conjugation could be explained better. There are charts in the front and back of the book, but they don't have an in-depth explanation on conjugation.
-Text size is small since they pack so much info into each page. If my eyes are tired I have to move the book closer to make out furigana or other small pieces.
-Some people might want more exercises (there are 2-4 per grammar point, which is enough for me, but take a look at the sample pages).
-While most of the vocab is in a list at the beginning of the chapter or at the bottom of a page for easy reference, throughout the exercises there will be a few words that are not defined. You can easily look them up in the back of the book, but this is annoying when doing the audio exercises, because even if you've memorized all the vocab listed for the chapter, there may still be a word or two introduced in a later chapter.
-Since this is a beginner textbook, 450 kanji are taught gradually, so you will be swimming in kana for most of the book (which makes parsing words in a sentence more difficult).
-In the first chapter they don't list the plain/dictionary form of the verbs (there is a list of verbs in the te-form). The later chapters fix this problem.
-Most of the vocab is relevant and frequently used by Japanese people. However, there are a few that are a bit odd. There are also some outdated words like "tape recorder."
-Has some passages about Japanese culture, but there could be more.
-There are occasional mistakes, but I've only noticed a few (e.g. the word for "postcard" was translated as "letter")
-Rarely, the answers to exercises contain less frequently used grammar or vocab that are not explained well in the main text. Since there are no explanations in the answer key, it is sometimes difficult to discern why one grammar construction/vocab word was used over another. This hasn't happened often, and no book is perfect in this regard. I don't mind consulting other resources. I think doing your own research like this is an important skill to learn. You can't stop learning just because you encounter something new that doesn't make sense at first.
-I find the cartoons/drawings in the book cute, fun, and relevant to the exercises, but some may find them childish.

There's also a kanji book and a grammar workbook with additional exercises (both are hard to find, you could probably special order from White Rabbit Press or Kinokuniya). Since I have Remembering the Kanji, and there are enough exercises in the book for me, I don't think they are necessary.

If you are not an independent learner and tend to stop studying if something doesn't make sense, this is not the book for you. Though, in all honesty, if you aren't persistent and you give up easily, you won't get very far in Japanese. You need to get used to seeing something alien-looking and slowly chip away at it until it makes sense. i.e., you'll need to practice your problem solving and basic research skills :-).

OVERALL, 9/10 if you are a self-motivated learner who wants something fast-paced. Otherwise, you'd probably give it a 6/10 or 7/10. Google Books has a good sample of JFE if you want to see what a chapter looks like.

If JFE isn't for you, take a look at the following Japanese Textbooks.

OTHER TEXTBOOKS:

Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese I [Second Edition] (Japanese Edition) (often just called Genki)
Probably the most popular textbook. Covers 317 kanji and ~1700 words over 2 volumes. There are 2 books in the series, plus an optional workbook for each level. Audio CD included in 2nd edition (1st edition audio separate). Answer key sold separately. Follows a student in Japan, so there are more school-related terms than other texts. Slower paced and pretty detailed. Uses mostly polite Japanese. Expensive if you buy everything. Japan Times website has sample.

Elementary Japanese Vol 1
2-book series that has detailed grammar explanations. Combines aspects of Genki (slower pace) and Japanese for Everyone (kanji introduced gradually). Geared more towards classrooms/students, but also good for self-learner. Emphasizes polite speech. Assumes you know kana. Audio CD included. Answer key in teacher's ed. There are workbooks too (but it looks like the book has plenty of exercises, so they probably aren't necessary). Medium-expensive if you buy everything.

Japanese in Mangaland: Learning The Basics
I've heard good things about this 3-book series. More informal/inviting than other texts, detailed explanations. Has casual/polite speech actually used in manga. You should buy the workbooks; the main texts have few exercises. Designed for self-study (answers in back). Manga was edited for the book because of copyright issues, so it's not "real" manga. Relatively inexpensive, but there are many workbooks. No audio. Some people wouldn't consider this series an "official" textbook, but if it works for you that's all that matters.

Japanese for Busy People I: Kana Version includes CD
Popular textbook. This 3-book series focuses on business vocab. Some people think it could use more detailed explanations; relies more on memorizing over understanding. Exercises are mostly fill-in-the-blank. Get the "kana" version to learn Japanese writing. There are workbooks too. Audio CD included, answers in back. Inexpensive.

Minna no Nihongo, Book 1 (Bk. 1 Japanese Edition)
4-book series (2 beginner, 2 intermediate) with optional workbooks. Some people really like it and others don't. If you want something comprehensive and serious, might work for you. Textbook is all in Japanese, separate English guide explains instructions/grammar. Relatively good explanations, practical dialogues and exercises. Audio & teacher's guide with answers sold separately. Expensive.

An Introduction to Modern Japanese (often called Bowring and Laurie)
Highly recommended by serious Japanese learners who want to learn lots of kanji from the start. It has great explanations, but is expensive. Book 2 is a workbook and has numerous exercises to reinforce kanji, vocab, and grammar (this workbook is required). Exhaustive, dense, and much longer than other textbooks. No audio; focuses on writing. Uses kana and kanji immediately. Unfortunately, doesn't seem to have an answer key. The authors of An Introduction to Modern Japanese claim that once you finish the book and workbook you will be able to read a newspaper (with the help of a dictionary). Covers ~3000 words and ~1000 kanji.

Japanese with Ease, Volume 1 (Assimil with Ease)
Assimil is very audio focused. This might work for you if you don't want a traditional textbook and you want lots of practice with listening and speaking in Japanese. First you listen to a dialogue in Japanese while reading it in Japanese, then you compare it to English translations to learn the meaning and grammar. Then you read it aloud in Japanese to practice speaking. Later on, you'll review what you learned by translating from English to Japanese. Volumes 1 and 2 teach ~1800 words and use kana. A third volume teaches kanji (which isn't necessary if you already have a method for kanji). Medium-expensive.

If you want more ideas for well-reviewed books/resources, check out my Listmania List: The "Best" Books/Resources for Learning Japanese (look at the comments for the link -- Amazon doesn't allow URLs in reviews).

Good luck with your Japanese studies!

While this book alone will not be enough for you to learn the Japanese Language (Nihongo), it can serve as a strong pillar and foundation. This book covers about the same material as Genki 1&2. You will learn grammer, vocabulary, writing, Kanji, and how Japanese sounds from this book. Although many people say this book is too difficult, I disagree completely. Learning a foreign language is not easy, and you would have to work no matter which book you would use. If you spend 45-75 minutes per day with this book, you can expect to complete a lesson in 3-5 days. There are 27 lessons total, and by the end you can expect to read Japanese Manga and young adult literature.

This book does require that you know Hiragana and Katakana scripts. It is best if you learn and memorize these before beginning this book. Learning both scripts will take about 2-4 weeks. I suggest [...] learning Japanese section on how to write hiragana and katakana. Just type "learn hiragana" and "learn katakana" into google to find these.

Once you know these "alphabets" you can begin Japanese for Everyone.

To supplement your Japanese learning, I would recommend Remembering the Kanji (RTK) by Heisig and a website that follows RTK [...]. You should also make attempts to listen to Japanese music or watch their films/anime to become more familiar w/ how the language sounds.

*Also of note. Many people complain about not having the audio CD for this book. Let me just say you can find them if you look hard enough. ->

You just have to be like THE captain in a PIRATE ship in the BAY and take charge!

I have the 1st edition. I bought this "revised" edition expecting actual revisions and improvements. For example, lesson 5 has a rather outdated skit/situation in which a character places a phone call by talking to an international call operator. I thought a situation like this would certainly be updated for the 2nd edition. In fact, I am yet to discover any update except the different book cover. NO dialog contents in any of the lessons have been updated or changed. I would NOT call this as "revised". You might as well get the used 1st edition with a discount price. It's a little shame because I would give the 1st edition 5 stars and I used it for all my students.

Its probably one of the best for those who have at least a basic background of Japanese skills or have learned it elsewhere. Because the book is mainly in kana and starts you right off into it. The revised edition is well organized and does define most of the words, occasionally theres some new words introduced that weren't defined. I found that the lessons move quickly so that you don't feel like that its taking to long to go through the book. This book is recommended by me, and I feel that it can help everyone learn Japanese if they try it out. Also, the tapes aren't included, i had to download them from somewhere else... thats the only real main issue i have.

I had stumbled across this book a few times in the past, but always passed it up. Largely due to the apparent denseness of it's contents. Now that I'm wiser in the ways of Japanese and have finally taken the time to *really* look at it. It is awesome!

Many folks equate it to being equivalent in content to the combination of the Genki 1&2 volumes... but I disagree. I think that this book actually manages to cover both more content and more meaningful content (take it for what it's worth from someone who lived, worked and drank with locals in Japan for over 2 years).

This book is not for the faint of heart however. It will take work on your part. But it will actually give you access to how to start saying what you actually want to say. Genki only covers some of these structures, and generally not until vol. 2. This book starts introducing useful structures within just a couple of lessons - and covers a lot of useful stuff that I had previous learned by having to track it down from various sources.

In my opinion, Genki 1&2 will make you a decent (maybe strong) beginner. But J4E will actually take you to intermediate level. I'm kicking myself for not picking this book up earlier in my learning endeavor.

This is my new textbook recommendation for anyone who wants to tackle Japanese.