Japanese First Course

I once watched a documentary about the Japanese culture and immediately become fascinated with the portrayal. A visit to Tokyo was a must during my vacation time. So I thought why not master a few words and phrases before I got there. Most Japanese books I came across in the recent past were very complex with voluminous material. By the time you are halfway through, you tend to get bogged down in the literature and text.

This book’s layout is quite friendly and gives the user a fresh approach to learning. Japanese is essentially a script based language.  The author focuses on the three basic scripts in the Japanese language: KATAKANA, HIRIGANA and KANJI.

The author simplifies the symbolic alphabets with explanations on phonetic scripts that could have been borrowed from other languages. As a learner I could identify and distinguish special characters in a syllable chart. There are some exercises that will help you gauge your progress in the course as you progress.   The accompanying CDs aid in pronunciation, vowel and consonant combination and meanings. Dialogue samples are also included as well as simulations of real life situations. The book is definitely a good guide for beginners.