Japanese Language Books

Japanese Language Books
Minna no Nihongo I & II
ISBN 4-88319-102-8 (Book 1)
ISBN 4-88319-107-9 (Translation & Grammatical Notes book 1)
ISBN 4-88319-103-6 (Book 2)
ISBN 4-88319-108-7 (Translation & Grammatical Notes book 2)
1998
The textbook itself is totally in Japanese so you should also get a book called “Translation & Grammatical Notes” which is available in English as well as several other languages. Each book has a set of 4 CDs. There’s also a kanji practice but I haven’t used that. This book is a little hard for self-study but I’ve found it really useful as the main book in the private classes I’m taking.


Japanese for College Students I, II & III
International Christian University, Kodansha International, 1996
ISBN-4-7700-1997-1 (Book 1)
ISBN-4-7700-1998-X (Book 2)
ISBN-4-7700-1999-8 (Book 3)
As this book is in English it’s easier to understand on its own, though you’d need the teacher’s book for the answers. (I haven’t seen it and don’t know what language it’s in.) Each book has 3 cassettes. What’s great about this book is that it incorporates reading and writing into each unit, and includes kanji practice, which Minna no Nihongo doesn’t.


250 Essential Kanji for Everyday Use Vols. I & II
Kanji Text Research Group, University of Tokyo, Tuttle Language Library, 1993
ISBN – 0-8048-3558-6 (Book 1)
ISBN – 0-8048-3638-8 (Book 2)
These books are great additional kanji practice, especially as they take a very practical look at kanjis. They focus on the ones that you will encounter in everyday life and introduce them in realistic situations.


Basic Kanji Book Vols. 1 and 2
By Chieko Kano, Yuri Shimizu, Hiroko Takenaka, Eriko Ishii, Bonjinsha Co., Ltd., 1989 ISBN- 4-89358-091-4 (Vol. 1)
This is a more traditional kanji book. I like it as it explains the origin of the kanjis which helps you to understand them a little more.


Total Japanese (Conversation) Vols 1 and 2.
Okano Kimiko et al., Waseda University, International Division, 1994
ISBN – 4-89358-278-X (Vol. 1)
ISBN – 4-89358-279-8 (Vol. 2)
As the name suggests, these books focus on language (grammar and vocabulary) that are essential for everyday conversation.


Oxford Japanese Grammar & Verbs
Oxford University Press, 2003
ISBN – 0-19-860382-7


Japanese Verbs at a Glance
Naoko Chino, Kodansha International, 2001
ISBN 4-7700-2765-6


Survival Japanese
Boye De Mente with Junji Kawai, Tuttle Publishing, 1991
ISBN 0-8048-3368-0


Japanese Phrasebook
Yoshi Abe, Lonely Planet, 1998
ISBN 0-86442-616-X