Japanese for Dummies AUDIO+CD

Japanese is a wonderful language, very different from European languages. It is also the gateway to the rich culture of the exciting and complex island nation of Japan. Some people get intimidated by the prospect of speaking Japanese—worried that it’s just too complex and different—but these fears are unfounded. While you can devote a lifetime to the study of this or any language, picking up the basics of Japanese doesn’t require any more than an interest and a willingness to try something new.

Japanese For Dummies has everything you need to get off the ground with speaking the language. Author and Professor of Japanese Eriko Sato starts you off with the essentials of grammar and pronunciation, giving you a working sense of the language, before showing you Japanese in action. You’ll then explore vocabulary and expressions through dialogues taking place in situations such as:

Introductions and greetings
Eating and drink ing
Shopping
Exploring the town
Talking on the telephone
Asking directions
Getting around
Staying at a hotel

You’ll also discover social customs, formalities, and manners, from how and when to bow to how to unwrap a present. Whether you simply want to introduce yourself to the Japanese language, say a few words to a neighbor or coworker, or you’re planning a major trip or study abroad in Japan, Japanese For Dummies will enable you to get the basics fast and work towards your own goal at your own pace. You’ll also find out about:

How to use karaoke to help you learn Japanese
Movies that will introduce you to Japanese culture and language
Learning Japanese the “gourmet” way
When ignoring “no, thank you” shows good manners
Proper table manners
Proper body language
How to sound fluent
And much more!

With helpful vocabulary summaries, a mini-dictionary at the end, and an audio CD full of conversations and pronunciations, Japanese For Dummies assumes no prior knowledge of Japanese on your part—providing the perfect guide for a quick-but-thorough, lighthearted-but-not-lightweight introduction to the language.

Customer Reviews:

Everything but writing

By Andrea Lee "Ayumi" - June 4, 2002

I just recieved my copy of this book yesterday and I think that it's wonderful! It's difficult for me to learn on my own using a book, but like all the other Dummies books, everything was simple and I was able to understand it well.I ordered this book mainly to get a laugh from it, not expecting to REALLY learn everything there is to know about Japanese. Well, within the first 100 pages, I got my laugh. In the section talking about eating, the author says "If you are eating at home, get it [missing condiments, table settings] yourself, or if you have children, ask them to get it for you." I got the laugh I expected from a Dummies book. Also, in the introduction, the author makes some assumptions on the reader. The author says flat out that this book is not made for the people who want to become professional translators or expect to become fluent from the book alone. It's simply to learn the basics of spoken Japanese language and use the knowledge as a stepping stone to... read more

Best Japanese Language book I've bought yet...

By A Customer - September 23, 2002

I am currently teaching English in Japan so I have lots of Japanese language books sitting on the shelf in my apartment. Japanese for Dummies is the only one of those books that I've actually looked at a second time. The book gets down to the nitty gritty of Japanese and explains the language in an easy and understandable way. Sato-san even gives important cultural information that explains when and why you use certain phrases in Japanese. I've been living in Japan for over a year and it wasn't until I started reading this book that I finally felt like I was understanding the usage of the language and have been a bit more confident talking to my co-workers at enkais and the drinking parties that follow. My book is competely full of highlighter and notes (something I rarely do so it truly must be a helpful book!)
Sadly I can't attest to how good the cd is because I've never taken it out of the book jacket since I constantly hear Japanese around me but if its anything like the... read more

Know the purpose

By Dylan Greene "DG" - January 26, 2006

On the cover of this book it says "Speak Japanese - the fun and easy way!" So why am I not complaining that it didn't include the writing? Because I knew that it was for speaking the language. This isn't exactly the advanced type of book, but it teaches a lot more than most Japanese books I have read. Most other Japanese books I have read only make you memorize specific phrases and sentences. But this one tells you how to put a sentence together. It would be beyond the scope of this book to list the writing, because this is aimed at beginners. When you get well-versed in the speaking, yes another book should do for the writing. But, for its true purpose, Japanese for Dummies does an outstanding job.