This is a useful and user-friendly Japanese adjective guide and workbook. To effectively learn Japanese, a strong knowledge of Japanese vocabulary is needed. The complete Japanese Adjective Guide is a simple approach to understanding Japanese grammar and syntax, methodically leading students through the intricacies of adjective use. Exercises build mastery and confidence as grammar topics are introduced. Regular and "na" adjectives are discussed in separate sections to allow beginning students to clarify differences. Vocabulary is kept to a minimum, with a concentration on the fundamental patterns of adjective use--what works with one adjective will work with another like it--and beginning Japanese language students with limited vocabulary will be able to do the exercises without the distraction of constantly looking up new words. An invaluable workbook for any student of introductory Japanese, The Complete Japanese Adjective Guide is written so the reader can master adjectives, which in turn will help distinguishing desu forms and verbs. Lessons are incremental, with easy-to-follow explanations for independent study--gradually working up to the more difficult patterns, and include many memory drills to afford the opportunity to thoroughly master the topic at hand. This volume also includes a convenient glossary of nouns. Highlights of this book are: Clear explanations of every adjective formation. Comprehensive exercises and drills. Completely romanized for ease of use.

For any beginner of Japanese, adjectives and adverbs are bound to present a challenge. Unlike English adjectives, Japanese ones conjugate, meaning that you must memorize their various forms before being able to build sentences of any complexity. Adverbs do not conjugate, but make use of particles to show their grammatical relationship to other words, and some have very subtle shades of meaning that are difficult to grasp. Moreover, many do not translate into adverbs in English. The role these parts of speech play in adding flavor to the Japanese language is invaluable. This handy reference manual introduces the basic (and basics of) adjectives and adverbs in a clear and sensible way, enabling students not only to speak Japanese but to do it with pizzazz. The book is divided roughly in half, the first half dealing with adjectives, the second with adverbs. Each is prefaced by a short introduction that serves as an overview of the material introduced. The section on adjectives is divided into two parts: Part 1 covers the conjugations of i- and na-adjectives and some basic auxiliary adjectives, and Part 2 presents common sentence patterns in which adjectives appear. The adverb section is arranged by topic. Among the types of adverbs explained here are those used to express time, quantity, degree, circumstance, and natural sounds or actions (the ubiquitous onomatopoeic adverbs). Each entry in this book is given a simple, concise English explanation and two or more example sentences to illustrate its usage. Exercises every few pages enable students to measure their understanding. Finally, a number of quick-reference lists in the appendixes provide a convenient means of recalling and building vocabulary. Together with its sister publication, The Handbook of Japanese Verbs, this unique manual is certain to provide years of friendly guidance.

A complete reference guide to modern Japanese grammar, it fills many gaps left by previous textbooks. Grammar points are put in context by examples from a range of Japanese media. Arranged alphabetically, it includes a detailed index of terms.

The Complete Japanese Expression Guide enables students to speak and understand idiomatic Japanese with the ease and fluency of a native speaker. For the first time ever, over 600 of the most commonly used idiomatic expressions in the Japanese language have been brought together and alphabetized in a single, convenient volume. No longer will the student have to rely on stuffy academic-sounding phrases and expressions. Mizue Sasaki has successfully taken stilted formality out of Japanese, and made natural, idiomatic communication readily possible. This handy volume not only introduces essential idioms, but also provides easy-to-understand translations and numerous example sentences to show how the expressions should be used. Studying colloquial Japanese doesn't have to be hitori-zumo, a futile effort. With The Complete Japanese Expression Guide, conversational fluency is guaranteed.

Starting at the very basics and working its way up to important language constructions, "An introduction to Japanese" offers beginning students, as well as those doing self-study, a comprehensive grammar for the Japanese language. Oriented towards the serious learner, there are no shortcuts in this book: no romanised Japanese for ease of reading beyond the introduction, no pretending that Japanese grammar maps perfectly to English grammar, and no simplified terminology. In return, this book explains Japanese the way one may find it taught at universities, covering everything from basic to intermediary Japanese, and even touching on some of the more advanced constructions.

"Japanese Sentence Patterns for Effective Communication presents 142 essential sentence Patterns for everyday conversation - all that is needed to get by in most uncomplicated social situations. These patterns represent the basic building blocks of sophisticated speech, and are mastered by all intermediate students. Each is given first in the form of a full-length English sentence, so that one can quickly understand its meaning and intent, then is followed by a Japanese translation, a short, precise explanation, several example sentences, and a practice section that allows one to test one's comprehension. By familiarizing oneself with these patterns and practicing them out loud, and inventing new sentences with them, one will quickly gain the skills necessary to effectively communicate one's thoughts in Japanese." "With page after page of sentence-pattern practice and straightforward explanations of grammar, this book is ideal for ambitious beginning-level students who wish to up their oral proficiency quickly. But it will also usefully serve intermediate and advanced students in need of solid review material, or anyone with an interest in the workings of the Japanese language."--BOOK JACKET.

This is a book about the structure, history and evolution of the Japanese language. The Japanese Language is a classic study of one of the world's most widely used but least understood languages. Emphasizing the richness and complexity of Japanese as well as its limitations, this fine book provides a lively discussion about the uniqueness of the Japanese language. The relationship of Japanese to other languages is not well understood even by native speakers, and Professor Kindaichi sets out to define it. He concludes that Japanese is indeed only remotely related to other world languages although it shares many features in common with the languages of mainland Asia. Japanese shares with those languages a rich and detailed vocabulary for natural phenomena and an unusually complex and accurate way of expressing social relationships. Moreover, its capability to absorb innovations from abroad easily matches or exceeds that of English or German. The author, after briefly discussing the unique isolation of the Japanese language, moves on to consider the varieties of ordinary speech--dialects, jargon, sex--and role-based distinctions, and the difference between informal, formal, and literary language. He then examines the structure of Japanese pronunciations, its rhythm, and accent. The longest section of the book is devoted to the variety of the vocabulary, what can and cannot be said in Japanese. Readers who are just beginning their own study of Japanese will find this section especially fascinating, for each point is backed by examples from literature and everyday speech. Kindaichi also investigates the so-called vagueness of Japanese and traces it to its source-the unusual sentence order. This book includes: The highly debated origins of the Japanese language. Dialects, jargon, sex and role-based distinctions. Differences between informal, formal, and literary language. Structure, rhythm, and accent of pronunciation. What can and cannot be said in Japanese.

Classical Japanese: A Grammar is a comprehensive, and practical guide to classical Japanese. Extensive notes and historical explanations make this volume useful as both a reference for advanced students and a textbook for beginning students. The volume, which explains how classical Japanese is related to modern Japanese, includes detailed explanations of basic grammar, including helpful, easy-to-use tables of grammatical forms; annotated excerpts from classical premodern texts. Classical Japanese: A Grammar - Exercise Answers and Tables (ISBN: 978-0-231-13530-6) is now available for purchase as a separate volume.

600 Basic Japanese Verbs is a handy, easy-to-use guide to one of the building blocks of Japanese grammar—verbs. This book will be an essential resource for students wishing to learn Japanese as it shows how to conjugate the 600 most common Japanese verbs quickly, and with very little effort. This is the only guide to list all verb forms in both Japanese script and romanized form, while giving an accurate English translation for each conjugated form, making this book far more comprehensive than any other book on the subject. Compiled by Japanese language experts at The Hiro Japanese Center, more than 30 different verbal forms are given for each verb including all forms used in contemporary spoken, written, formal and conversational Japanese—making this the ideal reference when reading any sort of Japanese printed materials including manga, newspapers, magazines and books. 600 Basic Japanese Verbs places an expert resource at your fingertips, giving you the information you need to speak, read, and write Japanese sentences correctly. Key features of this book are: Includes all the most useful verbs and Kanji (logographic Chinese characters) in Japanese, including less common ones. A wealth of example sentences are given to demonstrate correct verb usage. Over 30 forms are given for each verb including polite or formal, plain, negative, potential, conditional, passive, causative, and many more. Both Kana, Japanese script, and romanized forms are given for each entry. An ideal study guide for the standard Advanced Placement college test and the Japanese Language Proficiency Exam. Special sections are devoted to compound verbs and suru verbs such as Kaimono suru (to shop), benkyo suru (to study), and much more.

Do you want to learn Japanese the fast, fun and easy way? And do you want to master daily conversations and speak like a native? Then this is the book for you. Learn Japanese: Must-Know Japanese Slang Words & Phrases by JapanesePod101 is designed for Beginner-level learners. You learn the top 100 must-know slang words and phrases that are used in everyday speech. All were hand-picked by our team of Japanese teachers and experts. Here’s how the lessons work: • Every Lesson is Based on a Theme • You Learn Slang Words or Phrases Related to That Theme • Check the Translation & Explanation on How to Use Each One And by the end, you will have mastered 100+ Japanese Slang Words & phrases!