252 Japanese Language Books
alphabetical by title

(Texts are from introductions, prefaces, covers, etc.)
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192 101 Japanese Idioms - Understanding Japanese Language and Culture Through Popular Phrases. Michael L. Maynard, Senko K. Maynard, illustrations by Taki. 1993. Passport Books, Lincolnwood, Ill.. 218 pp, pbk, 22.9 cm, [24] (idiom) ISBN: 0-8422-8496-3) $7.95 The picturesque, idiomatic phrase captures the true essence of a society better than its equivalent prosaic description. Saying, for example, in Japanese, "it was packed like sushi,' to describe the morning commuter train rush, is a more colorful, and, we think, preferable way of saying, "it was very crowded." Besides, "packed like sushi" (sushizume) comes directly from the culture; virtually every Japanese knows that sushi is packed tightly in boxes typically sold in take-out sushi shops and at train stations. Thus the idiom resonates; it quickly establishes rapport. A mastery of Japanese idioms will help you understand the culture and speak a more authentic style of Japanese. When you use idioms such as sushizume among your Japanese friends, colleagues, and business associates, you create emotional bonds that bring you closer to their culture. Since the Japanese are conditioned to believe that no people outside of the Japanese islands really know or care deeply about their culture, your use of a Japanese idiom in the appropriate context will both astound and delight them. More important, your command of Japanese idioms can lead to a deeper understanding of the Japanese people. In this book, we introduce 101 popular Japanese idioms and expressions that we believe are both interesting and useful to students of Japanese language and culture. Each idiom is first introduced in Romanization, followed by Japanese orthography, and then a literal translation. Literal translations are deliberate, since combined with the visual, they lead you to the source of the phrase, which comes directly out of Japanese mythology, nature imagery, animal associations, or the human body as metaphor...   [Sample Page]

135 13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese - Effective and enjoyable new techniques to speak, memorize and think in Japanese. 日本語をぺらぺら話すための１３の秘訣. Giles Murray. 1999. Kodansha International, Tokyo, New York, London. (3rd printing, 2000) 173 pp, pbk, 18.8 cm, [24] (comm) ISBN: 4-7700-2302-2) ¥1900 13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese has been especially designed for students who want a book with more variety and more character than bland orthodox textbooks can provide. It offers the opportunity to learn Japanese highly effectively, while also enjoying the learning process. With 13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese you can have your cake and eat it! Since the book teaches fluency-maximizing techniques rather than specific grammar points, it can be read with advantage by both beginner and advanced students. 13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese has been designed to help students make the transition from the tame world of the language textbook to the ruthless jungle of real-life Japanese. It teaches new strategies for thinking, speaking and memorizing Japanese quickly, efficiently and independently. Although many different areas of the language are covered, the strategies (or "secrets") have all been selected for one and the same reason. They work. Every single secret guarantees a sudden and dramatic improvement in students' powers of expression. 13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese information that it would take several years' residence in Japan to encounter at random has been selected and sorted to enable students to learn the maximum quantity with the minimum of effort. Quantity, however, is not everything. There is no merit in students knowing masses of vocabulary if they cannot use it. Ultimately the ability to manipulate knowledge is more important than the ability to accumulate it. This book therefore teaches students how to preset their "mind-filters" so they can remember more words and expressions, and then go on to combine them more freely to extract maximum mileage from whatever they know...   [Sample Page]

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25 2001 Japanese and English Idioms - Completely Bilingual - Commonly used Japanese and English idioms illustrated with sample sentences. 2001 日本語慣用句 ･ 英語イディオム. 日米二か国語併記　役に立つ慣用句とイディオムの選択例文による使い方の明示. Nobuo & Carol Akiyama. 1996. Barron's, New York. (1997) 700 pp, pbk, 19.8 cm, [21] (idiom) ISBN: 4-925080-00-8) ¥2248 This volume offers two separate alphabetical listings, one Japanese-to-English, the other English-to-Japanese. In both you'll find each idiom defined and followed by an illustrative sentence in both languages. The Japanese text is written in both Japanese characters and Romaji.   [Sample Page]

44 201 Japanese Verbs - fully conjugated in all the forms. Roland A. Lange. 1971. Barron's Educational Series, Inc., Woodbury, NY. 209 pp, pbk, 21.5 cm, [22] (verbs) ISBN: 0-8120-0391-8) $2.95 IN ORDER TO LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE efficiently the student must follow a series of organized, graded lessons which cover the essential points of grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. He must not only study such material to learn new words and grammatical constructions, but also practice what he has already learned in drill sessions with native speakers of the language. There are a number of textbooks designed to give that sort of well rounded introduction to Japanese. (One which has especially complete notes on grammar and usage is Eleanor Jorden's Beginning Japanese.) This handbook of Japanese verbs is not designed to provide the student with a complete course in Japanese. Rather it is a reference work which gives a concise, easy-to-understand description of Japanese verbal inflection and derivation together with tables showing all the necessary forms of 201 of the most important and widely used Japanese verbs. Since there is currently no other text which specializes in the Japanese verb, 201 Japanese Verbs should be of help to both beginning and advanced students. For the beginner it constitutes a valuable aid in learning basic inflection of the verb. Most textbooks only provide the student with a few examples to illustrate the principles of inflection. This means that the student is hampered in writing compositions or drilling with other students because he has no way in which to check a given form of an unfamiliar verb to see if he is correct. With 201 Japanese Verbs the student will be able to quickly verify the form he is interested in. By presenting the full array of verbal inflection and derivation in tables this book also enables the beginning student to see the language as a system rather than as a haphazard collection of stems and endings. The more advanced student will profit from this systematic view of the language too, because it will help him to organize the many inflected forms which he has learned into a systematic body of data. Such formalization of knowledge is especially necessary for anyone who plans to teach the language some day.   [Sample Page]

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92 501 Japanese Verbs - fully conjugated in all forms. Roland A. Lange. 1988. Barron's Educational Series, Inc., New York.... 523 pp, pbk, 23 cm, [s1] (verbs) ISBN: 0-8120-3991-2) $8.95 IN ORDER TO LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE efficiently students must follow a series of organized, graded lessons which cover the essential points of grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, and usage. They must not only study such material to learn new words and grammatical constructions, but also practice what they have already learned in drill sessions with native speakers of the language. There are a number of textbooks designed to give that sort of well-rounded introduction to Japanese. (One which explains grammar and usage particularly well is Eleanor H. Jorden's Beginning Japanese.) This handbook of Japanese verbs is not designed to provide students with a complete course in Japanese. Rather, it is a reference work which gives a concise, easy-to-understand description of Japanese verbal inflection and derivation, together with tables showing all the necessary forms of 501 important and widely used Japanese verbs. 501 Japanese Verbs should be of help to both beginning and advanced students. For beginners, it constitutes a valuable aid in learning basic verbal inflection. Most textbooks only provide students with a few examples to illustrate the principles of inflection. This means that students are hampered because there is no way to check a given form of an unfamiliar verb. With 501 Japanese Verbs students will be able to quickly verify the form in which they are interested. By presenting the full array of verbal inflection and derivation in tables, this book also enables beginning students to see the language as a system, rather than as a haphazard collection of stems and endings...   [Sample Page]

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1   2   5   9   A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   U   V   W   Y     Titles  Authors  Publishers  Types

58 91 Expressive Japanese Phrases. 辞書で引けない日本語文中表現. 監修 河原崎幹夫, 木下直子, 黒羽友子, 樽田ミエ子, 中村ふさ子, 増倉洋子. 1995. The Hokuseido Press, Tokyo. 265 pp, pbk, 21 cm, [22] (comm) ISBN: 4-590-00983-8) ¥2400 外国人学習者が日本語学習で理解しにくいところは, どこであろうか。 い ろいろな困難点が指摘できるが,　漢字系, 非漢字系を問わず, 学習者は初級 から中級に入ったところで学習する諸表現がむずかしいと言う。 特に同じ形式でありながら, 多数の意味範囲をもつ文中表現(後述)にと まどうようである。 文中表現は,　主に次のような理由から学習者にとって離しいと思われる。 1. 辞書から文中表現の意味･用法を探しだすのが, 学習者にとって難しいこと。 2.　多くの文中表現は辞書に載っていないこと。 3．「に」 「と」 「を」 等の格助詞一つ一つがもつ意味を理解していても, 文中表現の中では意味が全く変わってしまうこと。 ...   [Sample Page]

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118 Advanced Japanese - Social and Economic Issues in Japan and the U.S.. 上級日本語：異文化間にみるコミュニケーション. Yoshiko Higurashi. 1990. Harcourt Brace Japan Inc., Tokyo. (1994, 6th printing) 238 pp, pbk, 25.8 cm, [25] (text) ISBN: 4-8337-5000-7) This text follows my Current Japanese: Intercultural Communication (December 1987, Tokyo: Bonjinsha) for intermediate and advanced students of Japanese, and is for advanced students. Like Current Japanese, the motivation and purpose of this text can be summarized as follows: What are the major obstacles faced by college students of foreign languages? I have been teaching Japanese at the college level in North America for fourteen years. Judging from my experience at five universities, the issue is intercultural communication with practical language skills; namely, recognizing and dealing with intercultural differences while learning to use the language as an effective means of communication. Regardless of the distinction between state and private institutions, students at intermediate and advanced levels who have finished basic training in grammar, pronunciation, and basic kanji, can be categorized into the following groups: 1. Those who are familiar with modern Japanese society but cannot discuss it in Japanese. 2. Those who have misconceptions about Japan. These misconceptions could be good or bad in terms of images of Japan, but are certainly outdated. Some of these students can communicate in Japanese, others cannot...   [Sample Page]

17 Affective Expressions in Japanese - A Handbook of Value-Laden Words in Everyday Japanese. 日本語感情表現の手引. Ronald Suleski, Hiroko Masada. 1982. The Hokuseido Press, Tokyo. 87 pp, pbk, 21 cm, [21] (gram) ISBN: 0-89346-208-x) ¥1200 Affective expressions are short words or phrases which impart a particular nuance to the sentences in which they are used. All languages have affective expressions which help to enrich communication by implying subtle differences, such as varying degrees of annoyance or resignation, skepticism or humor. Native speakers of a language use these expressions all the time to flavor their speech. They are usually quick to realize the implication of the affective expression, and they often act on it rather than on the direct meaning of the sentence. A large number of affective expressions are not slang terms, but are standard words used by every native speaker. Native speakers of English use words such as "I really can't help you now," or "that was a stupid thing to do," as value-laden terms which fall into the category of affective expressions because of the strong nuances they imply. index to the expressions   [Sample Page]

227 All About Katakana - Memorize Katakana Fast and Painlessly. Anne Matsumoto Stewart. 1993. Kodansha International (Power Japanese), Tokyo, New York, London. 141 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [25] (kanji) ISBN: 4-7700-1696-4) ¥1000 As useful as it is to casual learners of the Japanese language, and as necessary to serious students, katakana frequently does not receive the close attention that it deserves. The serious student, studying in school where hiragana and kanji maintain pride of place, is often left with a less than perfect introduction to the katakana syllabary. The casual learner (the tourist, business person, etc.), ignorant of katakana's function as a means of transcribing loanwords from English and other languages, remains unaware of its usefulness in acquiring a knowledge of much practical, everyday written Japanese as encountered, for example, in restaurants and hotels. It is for these two divergent types of reader that the present book was written. One of the primary functions of katakana is for marking native Japanese words for emphasis, much as italics is used in English. Another related function, as mentioned above, is the transcription of loanwords, such as "cake" (keeki, ケーキ), "pie" (pai, パイ), and "hamburger" (hanbaagaa, ハンバーガー). It is such words as this, of which there are a considerable number, that the casual learner will eventually be able to pick up after going through this book. Once the means of transcription has been learned - that is, katakana - the meanings of the words themselves can often...   [Sample Page]

229 All About Particles - Learn particles through sample sentences. Naoko Chino. 1991. Kodansha International (Power Japanese), Tokyo, New York, London. 127 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [25] (gram) ISBN: 4-7700-1501-1) ¥1000 Some things are easier to learn than others. Take, for instance, Japanese nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Once you have a little grammar under your belt, you can pick them up and squirrel them away with relative ease. For some reason, though, this doesn't work with particles. They can't be looked up, pinned down, or pigeonholed in the same way that their fellows can. Yet their correct usage is essential to speaking Japanese with any degree of fluency. Why are particles so elusive? Because particles are next to meaningless as isolated entities. A particle, in fact, might be defined as a non-conjugating part of speech, bearing an absolute minimum of independent meaning, which attaches itself to other parts of speech and thereby places them in context. Thus, a statement consisting of a single particle wouldn't convey much meaning. But the addition of another word would make a world of difference. A phrase like Tōkyō ni (to Tokyo), for instance, would communicate something, but not ni by itself. The rule of thumb might be: Japanese particles have virtually no meaning bereft of context. In this book, I propose to clarify the functions of a considerable number of particles, to describe their various usages, and, most important, to exemplify each and every usage with sample sentences. Only in this way - through context - can the student truly come to grips with the Japanese particle. Don't be surprised by certain of the particles taken up here. For example, there is -ba, as in nomeba (if [you] drink). You may think that -ba is not a particle at all, but an inflection of the verb nomu...   [Sample Page]

230 Animal Idioms. 動物の慣用句集. 日本語と英悟はこんなに違う. Jeff Garrison, Masahiko Goshi   郷詞正彦. 1996. Kodansha International (Power Japanese), Tokyo, New York, London. 154 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [25] (idiom) ISBN: 4-7700-1668-9) ¥1200 Stop for a moment to think of the last time you heard someone say that he "stirred up a hornet's nest" by asking why the boss's son got the nod before he did, or the last time you heard a friend gripe about "the tail wagging the dog" when she heard politicians pontificate about what was best for the nation. You may even have egged on a rowdy drinking buddy by telling him that the fast-approaching 220pound bouncer everyone called "Hulk" was really just a big of "pussycat." Most English speakers have heard these and hundreds of other "beastly" expressions in daily conversation, and with this book, students of Japanese, many of whom are already convinced that Japan is a zoo, now have linguistic proof that the wild kingdom is alive and well in the language if not the land of their study. Japanese has accumulated a linguistic menagerie over the ages that is as wide-ranging as the sea, land, and sky that nurtures the national consciousness and has given generations of Japanese wags food for thought as well as the palate. Surprisingly, some idioms are precisely the same as their English equivalent: karasu no ashiato for those pesky "crows feet" around the corners of your aging eyes, mizu o hanareta sakana to describe someone who is out of his element or "like a fish out of water." Other linguistic "animalisms" seem to have arisen from observation of similar traits in different beasts: kamo (duck) for every gambler's dream, the "pigeon"; or yabuhebi, shortened from yabu o tsutsuite hebi o dasu, or literally, "poke around in the brush and drive out a snake," or "stir up a hornet's nest." Still other expressions arise from unique, fanciful observations of animality. Ushi no yodare (cow saliva), for example, is used of something that drags on interminably, while kingyo no fun (goldfish poop) is a graphic depiction of someone you want badly to shake but who just keeps hanging on...   [Sample Page]

243 [Answering Foreign Students' Questions - Nihongo Notes 1 - Words and Daily Life]. 外国人の疑問に答える日本語ノート１. ことばと生活. Osamu & Nobuko Mizutani   水谷修／信子. 1988. The Japan Times, Tokyo. 219 pp, pbk, 18.3 cm, [25] (comm) ISBN: 4-7890-0411-2) ¥1300 本書は, 英字新聞The Japan Timesの日曜日のコラム記事として 連載された“Nihongo Notes”の翻訳である。“Nihongo Notes”は, 1976年8月1日に連載を開始して以来,　日本語に関心を持つ外国人読者の間に「r,日本語に対する疑問に,　外国人の気持ちを汲んで答 えるもの」として好評を博し, 1988年の現在まで,　11年間にわたって連載が続いている。終始,　単なる言語表現の説明でなく,　日本人 の言語行動の底に流れるものまでとらえた画期的な作として,　国内 ・海外の高い評価を集め, 1986年6月には,　国際出版文化賞を授与 されている。 “Nihongo Notes”の記事は各70編ごとに単行本としてまとめられ, 　現在までに8巻の書が出版されているが,　第1巻については,　すでにスペイン語訳・フランス語訳・タイ語訳が出版され,　韓国語訳の企画も進んでいるO このたび,日本語版もほしいという要望にこたえて,　最初の88編 を訳し,　第l巻として刊行する運びになった。最初の70編は英文 Nihongo Notes 1 — Speaking and Living in Japanから, あとの18編はNihgo Notes 2 — Expressing Oneself in Japaneseからとったものである。...   [Sample Page]

251 [As for elephants, they have long noses]. 像は鼻が長い. Akira Mikami   三上章. 1960. Kuroshio Shuppan, Tokyo. (1991) 270 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [25] (ling) ¥2136 日本語の文法的手段のうち、最も重要なのはテニヲハです。中でもハです。本書は問題をそのハ一つに絞って、日本文法の土台を明らかにしようとしをのです。代行というのが中心概念の一つになっています。ハはガノニヲを代行する、というのです。   [Sample Page]

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220 Basic Connections - Making Your Japanese Flow. Kakuko Shoji. 1997. Kodansha International (Power Japanese), Tokyo, New York, London. 152 pp, pbk, 18.3 cm, [25] (gram) ISBN: 4-7700-1968-8) ¥1400 The purpose of this book is to provide helpful information about Japanese expressions and usages that facilitate the flow of ideas and thought in written and spoken Japanese. During my thirty-year teaching career, I have seen a great variety of mistakes, many of which were the result of cultural differences or differences in the way that second-language learners and native speakers of Japanese conceptualize language. The book attempts to help students become aware of these differences in conceptualization and to provide them with the linguistic tools to overcome these differences, thereby allowing their ideas to flow more naturally. The book focuses on those grammatical items, idiomatic expressions, and set phrases that have proven to be the most problematic to my students. The patterns are presented with examples, and tips are provided throughout the text to highlight particularly important points. A few exercises are also included to allow students an opportunity to experiment with what they have learned. Note that (F) refers to patterns that are predominantly feminine and (M) to those predominantly masculine.   [Sample Page]

127 Basic Japanese Conversation Dictionary - revised and enlarged. Samuel E. Martin. 1957. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland & Tokyo. (2nd printing, 1959) 266 pp, pbk, 13.8 cm, [s2] (dic ejje) $2.00 This dictionary has a purely practical aim. That is to put you into immediate communication with Japanese who speak little or no English. You will find 3000 useful English words with their most common Japanese equivalents. Only the most frequent meanings of the English words have been included; naturally, each English word has many other meanings. But the chances are, the meaning you want is the one given here. When the Japanese equivalent is a verb, it is given in the polite present form: -mas' "does" or "will do." From this form the polite past and the polite suggestion forms are easily made: -mash'ta "did" or "has done"; -mashō "let's do" or "I think I'll do." In parentheses are given the PLAIN present form (-u or -ru), and the gerund (-te or -de "doing" or "does and"). From the gerund, you can make the plain past tense by changing -te or -de to -ta or -da. Some English adjectives correspond to Japanese nouns, and these fall into two categories: ordinary nouns, which link to a following noun with the word no; and copular nouns, which link to a following noun with the word na...   [Sample Page]

24 Basic Japanese Vocabulary for Beginners - Japanese-English-Chinese. 日本語基本単語. 日英中三ヶ国語対照. Michiko Kasahara, Zhang Li Lin. 1993. Goken, Tokyo. 264 pp, pbk, 17.5 cm, [21] (voc) ISBN: 4-87615-662-x) ¥1500 • Over 3500 entries in Japanese, English, and Mandarin Chinese • Words and phrases classified by subject and part of speech to facilitate learning • Easy-to-read layout with furigana, romaji and Pinyin pronunciation guides for Japanese and Chinese characters   [Sample Page]

98 Basic Kanji. 英文　基礎漢字. Matsuo Soga   曾我松男, Michiko Yusa   遊佐道子. 1989. Taishukan Publishing Company, Tokyo. 281 pp, pbk, 21 cm, [23] (kanji) ISBN: 4-469-22064-7) ¥2800 Although the present work is a supplement to Soga and Matsumoto, Foundations of Japanese Language (hereafter FJL), it ought to be helpful for those who are learning kanji in general. Following the Introduction, in Part I, "Kanji for Writing," 210 kanji (stroke orders of which are explained in FJL, pp. 440-453) are treated in the same order as FJL (See the chart on page xi.) Various on and kun reading(s), English meaning(s), a kanji component called the radical, stroke order and number, compound words, and in most cases, short example sentences are provided for each kanji. A "story" or etymology is added to each kanji and should unfold the deeper meaning of each character. In Part II, 213 kanji, which are listed as "Kanji not Practiced for Writing in the Text" (see FJL, pp. 454-456) are fully treated in the same way as "Kanji for Writing." These supplementary kanji are given new identification numbers, preceded by "S," meaning "supplementary." Since this section is an addition to Part I, many compound words go beyond the writing or reading requirement of FJL. Users of this volume may, however, enjoy seeing new compounds, while expanding their vocabulary and gaining a deeper appreciation of kanji in general...   [Sample Page]

47 Beginners' Dictionary of Chinese-Japanese Characters - with common abbreviations, variants and numerous compounds. Arthur Rose-Innes. 1950. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.. (American edition) 507,25 pp, 18 cm, [22] (kanji) World War II necessitated the publication in the United States of a new edition of Rose-Innes's invaluable dictionary, because this country was cut off from the former sources of supply of the dictionary and because the demand and need for all Japanese dictionaries was greatly increased. To meet this need, the Department of Far Eastern Languages of Harvard University undertook the project of publishing in the United States this dictionary as well as other essential Chinese and Japanese dictionaries, and the Rockefeller Foundation supplied the necessary funds for the enterprise. This American edition of the dictionary has been reproduced by a photolithographic process from the second enlarged edition of 1927. In order to facilitate cross-reference between it and Daijiten (a much larger Japanese dictionary of Chinese characters, published under the supervision of the late Professor M. Ueda), the numbers under which the characters are listed in Daijiten have been added to the characters in this edition.   [Sample Page]

201 Beginning Japanese - Part 1 - The Essential Language Book for Serious Students. Eleanor Harz Jorden, with the assistance of Hamako Ito Chaplin. 1963. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland & Tokyo. (First Tuttle edition, 1974; 14th printing 1990 [2 vols ¥3495]) 409 pp, pbk, 21.3 cm, [25] (text) ISBN: 0-8048-1574-7) ¥3495 Since the publication of Beginning Japanese, a quarter of a century ago, no other introductory text has served such a broad segment of students embarking on the study of Japanese. It has well proven its ability to guide the new student, from the uncertainties of one's first exposure to this fascinating language, through to the ease of everyday conversational fluency. Beginning Japanese makes no attempt at promising that learning Japanese is easy, nor does it claim to offer shortcuts. Rather, in these two volumes, the "Jorden philosophy" is one that emphasizes the careful study of the fundamentals of the Japanese language-it is the author's firm conviction that thorough training at the beginning level will prove far more valuable than other less systematic methods. The original prospectus and objectives of Beginning Japanese have endured during a period of intense change in the techniques of teaching second languages, and this is eloquent testimony to the skill with which Dr. Eleanor Harz Jorden has structured her work: Beginning Japanese is just as valid and valuable a learning tool today as it was when first published. The Charles E. Tuttle Company is pleased to be able to continue to keep this basic text in print, and believes that it will continue to serve well the needs of the many, serious beginning students of the Japanese language.   [Sample Page]

202 Beginning Japanese - Part 2 - The Essential Language Boiok for Serious Students. Eleanor Harz Jorden, with the assistance of Hamako Ito Chaplin. 1963. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland & Tokyo. (First Tuttle edition, 1974; 14th printing 1990 [2 vols ¥3495]) 410 pp, pbk, 21.3 cm, [25] (text) ISBN: 0-8048-1575-5) [Part 2 begins at Chapter 21. Introduction from Part 1:) Beginning Japanese (Parts I and II) contains thirty-five lessons, all of which have the same basic pattern and involve the same procedures. Each lesson requires many hours of class work supplemented by outside study and, if possible, laboratory work. The method underlying this text is guided imitation; the aim is automaticity. Ideally, there are two teachers: under the supervision of a scientific linguist, who talks ABOUT Japanese, the student learns to speak the language in direct imitation of a tutor who is a native speaker of Japanese. The tutor drills on the Japanese in the text, providing an authentic model for the student to imitate. Statements on how the language is manipulated are included in the explanatory notes in the text, which may be supplemented, if necessary, by further discussions on the part of the linguist. Language learning is overlearning. Through memorization of whole utterances, and substitution within and manipulation of these utterances, a student achieves the fluency and automaticity that are necessary for control of a language. Language learning involves acquiring a new set of habits, and habits must be automatic. Just as the experienced driver performs the mechanics of driving - turning on the engine, shifting gears, applying the brakes, etc. - unconsciously, and concentrates on where he is going, so the fluent speaker of a language is concerned with what he is saying rather than the mechanics of how he is saying it. This textbook is concerned only with spoken Japanese. Reading and writing involve a different set of habits and are best begun after acquiring some basic control of the spoken language. It is suggested that students interested in studying written Japanese begin using an introductory reading text only after completing at least ten or fifteen lessons of this volume. The student should note the following general suggestions and warnings: ALWAYS USE NORMAL SPEED. Do not permit yourself to speak more slowly than your tutor, and do not ask him to speak more slowly than is natural for him. The ability to understand slow, deliberate speech never heard outside of a classroom is of little practical value. The aim of the student should be to learn Japanese as it is spoken by the Japanese-not an artificial classroom dialect. DRILL HOURS WITH A NATIVE TUTOR SHOULD BE CONDUCTED ENTIRELY IN JAPANESE FROM THE FIRST DAY. A class which fluctuates between Japanese and English, where valuable repetition and drill aimed at developing fluency are constantly interrupted by English questions and comments, never achieves the desired results. It is recommended that a specific time be designated as discussion period...   [Sample Page]

61 Bernard Bloch on Japanese - edited with an introduction and analytic index by Roy Andrew Miller. Bernard Bloch. 1969. Yale University Press, New Haven, London. 190 pp, 24 cm, [22] (ling) $15.00 "I hope to have a small book ready in about a year, to be published by the Yale Press, containing an outline of the structure of colloquial Japanese: phonology, morphophonemics, inflection, derivation, and syntax. Until the book is out, I don't expect to publish anything on the subject, unless people think it would be a good idea to send up some trial balloons by the way of articles in Language or JAOS [Journal of the American Oriental Society]. I may do that." (1) In this letter, written early in 1944 to a long-term friend and colleague, Bernard Bloch (1907-65) makes one of several references in his letters to a projected comprehensive publication on the structure of spoken Japanese, which would present the results of his study and analysis of the language carried on in the period between 1942 and 1950. The book was never published; five articles were. The present volume, which brings together those five articles for the first time in one place, may therefore in a certain sense lay claim to being that "small book" on colloquial Japanese to which Bloch often referred, but which never appeared...   [Sample Page]

186 Beyond Polite Japanese - A Dictionary of Japanese Slang and Colloquialisms. Akihiko Yonekawa, translated by Jeff Garrison. 1992. Kodansha International (Power Japanese), Tokyo, New York, London. 173 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [24] (slang) ISBN: 4-7700-1539-9) ¥1200 It is not necessarily true that textbookish Japanese is the same as the Japanese spoken daily throughout Japan. Or, to put it differently, the language of the people is necessarily not the language of the textbooks. There are, of course, many cogent reasons for this, as well as some reasons that are perhaps not so cogent. In any case, the present book proposes to help you, the student, go beyond the language of the textbooks by offering a number of useful, meaningful, and interesting words and phrases that are generally unavailable in the school curriculum-at least not with the meanings given here. In short, this book aims to help the student to acquire (in a relatively easy manner) vocabulary that would otherwise require years upon years of Japanese residency. The entry words and phrases are all colloquial or slang. "Colloquial" means, of course, that they are more characteristic of the spoken language than the written. It also means, secondarily, that their meanings have occasionally taken on slightly different nuances from what is considered standard. Many of these words (rave already been adopted into large Japanese-language dictionaries; others have not. The criteria for inclusion in this book are several: frequency of use, usefulness, and sheer interest. The last aspect, "interest," I feel is important, for an interest in words is a strong stimulus to learning a language. The slang included here is, for the most part, traditional slang. It has been accepted as slang for a long time, and will likely retain that status for decades to come. This is the slang that one hears in movies or reads in novels, and thus is most likely to be reinforced through those media as well as "on the street." It is also the slang that will be most understood if the reader chooses to but it into practice. Other slang included here is more contemporary, popular among high school and university students, but even then I have tried to select items that will be long-lived. Longevity, in fact, has set the tone for the book, in many crucial ways. It seemed to me that students who want to get closer to the vernacular might first wish to start with What is fairly established rather than with what is ephemeral, transient, and fugitive. Naturally, the fleeting can be fascinating, just as the historical can....   [Sample Page]

18 A Bilingual Guide to the Japanese Economy. 対訳･英語で話す日本経済　Q＆A. NHK 国際局経済プロジェクト, 大和総経済調査部. 1995. Kodansha International, Tokyo. (1997) 357 pp, pbk, 18.9 cm, [21] (biling) ISBN: 4-7700-1942-4) ¥1750 "From burned ruins to economic superpower." Japan was a scorched plain at the end of World War II, and the startling economic growth that it achieved in such a short time is nothing less than a miracle. Whereas Japan's economy was once so weak that it was often said that "when America sneezes, Japan catches cold," the Japanese economy today ranks alongside that of America and the European Union in terms of its impact on the world economy. Japanese products are exported to every region of the world, and in recent years not only large enterprises but even small and medium-size enterprises have been making inroads overseas. Interest in Japan has grown, particularly as regards to its economy. In response to this interest, NHK's internationally broadcast "Radio Japan," in cooperation with the private think-tank Daiwa Institute of Research created a series of programs aimed at explaining the Japanese economy in simple terms. This year-long series was broadcast starting in April 1993. What were the secrets of Japan's rapid economic growth following the war? What issues did Japan encounter as a result of its economic growth? What effect did this have on the lives of Japan's workers? It was hoped that these explanations would help people to better understand the situation of Japan's economy as a whole. This volume is based on these broadcasts, which have been partially revised and supplemented with new data. In the field of economic activity, the themes of internationalization and mutual coexistence are growing ever stronger. We hope that this volume will be of help to non-Japanese readers who seek a better understanding of the Japanese economy.   [Sample Page]

204 "Body" Language - Learn common idioms about the body. Jeffrey G. Garrison. 1990. Kodansha International (Power Japanese), Tokyo, New York. (illustrations by Taro Higuchi) 127 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [25] (idiom) ISBN: 4-7700-1502-x) ¥1000 To those who wisely read the introduction to a book before thumbing through its contents, I will admit straightway that this is not a book about gestures. If that is what you wanted, and the title misled you into thinking this book was about, I apologize. If, on the other hand, you are a student of the Japanese language who has the basics down and would like to spend a few idle moments learning some of the more colorful colloquial expressions in the Japanese language, many of which can be used in all but the most formal situations, then you may have found the book you were looking for. "Body" Language is a collection of over two hundred and fifty common idiomatic phrases that contain some reference to a part of the human body. Each entry is followed by a literal English translation, an explanation, English equivalents, and one or more Japanese examples with possible English translations. The examples are all complete, original sentences, some short and others more lengthy, designed to show the range of usage for each expression. In Japanese as in English, idioms about the body abound. A native speaker of Japanese may want someone to "use his head" (atama o tsukau) and mean exactly the same thing as a speaker of English. Or he may decide to "wash his feet" (ashi o arau), which in idiomatic usage is the equivalent of "wash one's hands," as in "I'm going to wash my hands of the whole deal." On the other hand, our native speaker may use an expression that has an exact literal equivalent in English, but in fact shares no similar meaning, such as ashi o hipparu or me o muku. The former, word for word, means to "pull someone's leg," which of course, in English, is to "tease"...   [Sample Page]

26 Breaking into Japanese Literature - Seven Modern Classics in Parallel Text. Giles Murray. 2003. Kodansha International, Tokyo. 240 pp, pbk, 19 cm, [21] (biling) ISBN: 4-7700-2899-7) ¥2200 Reading great books in the original should be the culmination of language study, but reading Japanese literature unassisted is a daunting task that can defeat even the most able of students. Breaking into Japanese Literature is specially designed to help you bypass all the frustration and actually enjoy classics of Japanese literature. Breaking into Japanese Literature features seven graded stories covering a variety of genres: whether it's the spellbinding surrealism of Natsume Sōseki's Ten Nights of Dreams, the humor of Akutagawa Ryunosuke's fable of temple life ("The Nose"), or the excitement of his historic thrillers ("In a Grove" and "Rashômon"), you are sure to find a story that appeals to you in this collection. The unique layout-with the original Japanese story in large print, an easy-to-follow English translation and a custom dictionary - was created for maximum clarity and ease of use. There's no need to spend time consulting reference books when everything you need to know is right there in front of your nose. To make Japanese literature fun, Breaking into Japanese Literature also has some unique extra features: mini-biographies to tell you about the authors' lives and works, individual story prefaces to alert you to related works of literature or film, and original illustrations to fire your imagination. Best of all, MP3 sound files of all the stories have been made available for FREE on the Internet. Breaking into Japanese Literature provides all the backup you need to break through to a new and undiscovered world-the world of great Japanese fiction. All the hard work has been taken care of so you can enjoy the pleasures of the mind. Why not take advantage?   [Sample Page]

64 Business Japanese II - A second guide to improved communication. Nissan. 1985. Nissan Motor Co., International Division, Tokyo. (1st edition, 1985) 244 pp, pbk, 25.8 cm, [25] (text) ISBN: 4-905817-02-x) ¥3500 We take great pleasure in presenting BUSINESS JAPANESE II, the more advanced sequel to BUSINESS JAPANESE. Already one year has passed since the publication of of BUSINESS JAPANESE. Within the first two months of its release, BUSINESS JAPANESE had entered its second printing and had moreover been designated the official textbook at several language institutes in Japan and overseas. The book has also been warmly welcomed all over the world by schools, governmental and private organizations and, most important, by individual businessmen and women. This unexpectedly enthusiastic response also prompted us to introduce the BUSINESS JAPANESE cassette tape set earlier this year to provide the aural supplement requested by so many users of our textbook...   [Sample Page]

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1   2   5   9   A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   U   V   W   Y     Titles  Authors  Publishers  Types

111 "Chickens" by Mori Ōgai - Graded Readers Advanced - Japanese "Characters" - 9. 日英対訳読本. Mori Ōgai, translated by Edmund R. Skrzypczak. 1992. Japan Publications Trading Co., Ltd., Tokyo. 95 pp, pbk, 18.8 cm, [23] (biling) ISBN: 0-87040-916-6) The author of the story in this book, Mori Ōgai, is a famous figure in Japanese literature. He was born in 1862 in Tsuwano in present-day Shimane Prefecture, the son of a doctor of high standing in the Tsuwano clan. His serious education began early (at the age of 5), and after he had learned all there was to be learned in his part of the country, his father sent him to Tokyo for further studies. He was too young to enter Tokyo University, but his father doctored his birth certificate to make him two years older, and he thus successfully entered the Medical Faculty of that university. He graduated from there in July 1881 - at the age of 20! He entered the Japanese army as a doctor in December of that same year. Because he was intellectually gifted, the army sent him to Germany to study the science of hygiene, which he studied at several universities in Germany for four years. He returned to Japan in 1888, full of knowledge about hygiene, and about European ways as well...   [Sample Page]

171 Collins-Shubun English-Japanese Dictionary - Bilingual. コリンス／秀文　英和辞典. 新装版. R.C. Goris, Yukimi Okubo   大久保雪美. 1993. HarperCollins / Shubun International, Tokyo. (1995) 635 pp, 15.4 cm, [24] (dic ej) ISBN: 4-87963-493-x) ¥1950 Dictionary compilers have been labeled "harmless drudges", but we have found little drudgery in compiling the Collins-Shubun English-Japanese Dictionary. On the contrary, we have experienced great pleasure in rising to the challenge of producing a book that was not run-of-the-mill. To begin with, we had several advantages. We had the dictionary framework provided in electronic form by Collins Dictionary Division. Then we had computers running powerful Japanese word processing software. Together these factors saved us from the drudgery (and writer's cramp) caused by writing thousands and thousands of manuscript pages by hand. They also eliminated the drudgery of correcting in proof the innumerable mistakes introduced by typesetters misinterpreting our handwriting. The challenge of producing "a better mousetrap" also provided motivation that eliminated drudgery. In order to keep the dictionary truly pocket-sized, we aimed at providing one translation for each word, or for each meaning of a word. Where several possible translations existed, we chose the one with the highest frequency of usage in modern Japanese. We also tried to give translations that were the cultural equivalent of the English. Thus, if the English word conveyed a sense of dignity, we used a dignified Japanese expression; if the English was a slangy word, we provided a slangy Japanese word or phrase. Where this was not possible, we have provided glosses to clarify the difference. There were some exceptions. When the English word had several Japanese equivalents, each used with equal frequency, and generally interchangeable, we gave the two or three most frequent, separated by commas. In this category fell words that could be expressed either by a Chinese compound (2 or more Chinese characters used as a single word) or by a purely Japanese word. There were also words that could be expressed by a Japanese translation or a "Japanized" foreign loan word of equal frequency. In this case we gave the Japanese translation first, followed by a comma and the loan word. Where the Japanese translation existed, but was outlandish and seldom used, we gave only the loan word. In such cases the loan word is generally listed as a headword in standard Japanese dictionaries. Finally, we discussed every entry thoroughly before adopting it...   [Sample Page]

139 Common Japanese Phrases. 決まり文可の辞典. compiled by Sanseido   三省堂, translated and adapted by John Brennan. 1997. Kodansha International (Power Japanese), Tokyo, New York, London. 143 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [24] (comm) ISBN: 4-7700-2072-4) ¥1300 Early on in my own education in Japanese (a process that may conclude in time for the colonization of Uranus), I witnessed something that alerted me to the prominent role reserved for established phraseology. It was during my first few months in Tokyo, long before I could really speak the language, and the outfit I was working for was hosting a daytime gathering to celebrate the opening of a new branch. Other than me almost everyone in attendance was Japanese, except for a foursome of business school types from the United States who had apparently sneaked out of the office upstairs where they were interning for the summer. Before the drinks were served, we all had to stand around in a big circle and introduce ourselves-in Japanese, naturally. As it happened, the MBA boys from upstairs were up first, and I was more than curious to see what they would say. I myself did not yet know how to introduce myself in Japanese. The first American cruised through his brief introduction; he had the routine down pretty well, I thought. I probably smirked a bit, though, when the second one simply repeated the words used by the guy before him, changing only the name. When the other two Americans followed suit, rattling off the very same phrase their colleagues had, I glanced around to see if any of the native speakers found this as fishy as I did. None did. In fact, to a man they used exactly the same phrase to introduce themselves - so I did, too. By the time my turn came around, I had my introduction down cold - Burenan desu. Dōzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu. I even pulled off the bow that went with it...   [Sample Page]

217 Communicating with Ki - The "spirit" in Japanese idioms. Jeff Garrison, Kayoko Kimiya. 1994. Kodansha International (Power Japanese), Tokyo, New York, London. 144 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [25] (idiom) ISBN: 4-7700-1833-9) ¥1200 This book is born of the belief that one important measure of fluency in a foreign language is the free and natural use of its idiomatic expressions in conversation, and that as many examples and as much pertinent information as possible should be bundled together in the presentation of any given word or phrase-which particles, words, and phrases it most commonly appears with, what related expressions there are and how they differ in nuance or usage. All this, it is believed, will greatly assist the serious student of language in mastering any such new linguistic structure. But, now, don't let that stop you from reading the book! Why Ki? We could go through a lot of pseudo-intellectual rigmarole about the early Taoist cult of longevity and neo-Confucian cosmology to justify our little book on ki-in fact we will do just that a little later-but basically, we decided ki deserved a book of its own when one of the authors picked up Maxi Priest's 1992 release For Real on Charisma Records and noticed it was subtitled Honki (本気) in Japanese. We knew right then and there that we had tapped into something big. If a hot young Jamaican reggae-rock artist was brandishing it on his album cover, ki just had to be de rigueur. Be that as it may, our arm-twisting editors at Kodansha International, Michael Brase and Shigeyoshi Suzuki, forced us to come up with a real reason for writing the book, so we began casting about in the language to determine whether ki actually did warrant a book-length presentation. Our answer is in your hands. We found ki everywhere, in hundreds of common idioms and compounds. We found it on the front-page screamers of national newspapers and the trembling lips of tearful actresses on daytime TV...   [Sample Page]

128 Communication Cues 1. Osamu & Nobuko Mizutani. 1991. The Japan Times, Tokyo. 164 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [24] (comm) ISBN: 4-7890-0590-9) ¥1100 This volume is a compilation of the 51 columns of "Communication Cues" that appeared on the Bilingual Page of The Japan Times from May 25, 1990 to May 10, 1991. The column "Communication Cues" is designed to explain how the Japanese talk, listen, make requests, give advice, agree or disagree with others, etc.-namely how the Japanese communicate in social situations. We have tried to clarify what strategies the Japanese apply to convey wishes, persuade others or decline offers, all without jeopardizing good relations. We have discussed the most common expressions used for specific purposes and situations, reinforcing our explanations with example sentences and conversations. We tried to make these sentences and conversations as natural as possible. In explaining Japanese communications, we have placed an emphasis not only on appropriate wording but also on the development of a conversation, since the appropriate development of a conversation plays an essential part in communication. If you should skip important steps or take an inappropriate turn in development, you may fail in communicating effectively in spite of your good intentions. In brief, we wanted to be of help to those who want to be able to communicate effectively in Japanese.   [Sample Page]

140 Communication Cues 2. Osamu & Nobuko Mizutani. 1992. The Japan Times, Tokyo. 156 pp, pbk, 18.3 cm, [24] (comm) ISBN: 4-7890-0646) ¥1100 This volume is a compilation of the 51 columns of "Communication Cues" that appeared on the Bilingual page of The Japan Times from May 17, 1991 to May 1, 1992. These columns are designed to explain the usages of basic words that you may often find difficult to understand. Topics covered include such common nouns as mono, koto, wake, tokoro and hazu, which play an important function in daily speech as well as in written language. They reflect the speaker's psychological attitude, and to understand them fully will help you understand how the Japanese like to express themselves. Being able to use them yourself will make your Japanese sound more natural and acceptable to native speakers. We have also explained verb phrases that are used to serve various structural functions; understanding them fully should improve your comprehension skills for both spoken and written Japanese a great deal. In discussing such matters we have tried to choose the most common expressions, explain them as clearly as possible, and reinforce the explanations with appropriate example sentences and conversations. Depending on the situation where an expression is most commonly used, we have chosen either formal or informal speech, with an explanation each time...   [Sample Page]

159 Communication Cues 3. Osamu & Nobuko Mizutani. 1993. The Japan Times, Tokyo. 156 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [24] (giongo) ISBN: 4-7890-0701-4) ¥1100 This volume is a compilation of the 50 columns of "Communication Cues" appearing on the Bilingual Page of The Japan Times from May 8, 1992 to April 16, 1993, columns designed to explain many of the onomatopoeic expressions commonly used in Japanese. Onomatopoeic expressions are common in Japanese not only in daily conversation but also in literary writings; their effective use in novels and poems is highly regarded. You cannot afford to disregard them either in daily conversation or in the appreciation of literary works. However, they are often thought to be difficult for foreigners. This book is in fact intended to challenge this wide-spread pessimism. Of the 50 columns, the first six explain the basic rules and tendencies found in the use of onomatopoeic words; they will give clues in approaching and exploiting the vast forest of onomatopoeia. In the following columns we explain several expressions classified according to their usage and accompanied by example dialogues. There are so many onomatopoeic expressions in Japanese that it is impossible to learn all of them. But reading about the most common ones and learning what impression each sound has on the Japanese ear will greatly help you to feel at ease with onomatopoeic expressions. We hope you will enjoy reading the book, and we will be very happy if you feel like trying to use some of them yourself.   [Sample Page]

170 Communication Cues 4. Osamu & Nobuko Mizutani. 1994. The Japan Times, Tokyo. 167 pp, pbk, 18.3 cm, [24] (comm) ISBN: 4-7890-0747-2) ¥1100 This volume is a compilation of the 53 columns of "Communication Cues" appearing on the Bilingual Page of The Japan Times from April 23, 1993 to April 29, 1994, columns designed to explain how Japanese discourse is developed in daily conversation. Even those who have acquired a basic knowledge of constructing single sentences correctly in a foreign language still occasionally have difficulty in learning how to develop discourse in that language. Lack of proper discourse development often makes a foreigner's speech sound awkward, abrupt, or hard to understand. From our experience in teaching Japanese to capable and conscientious students, we have long wanted to explain the basic patterns of discourse development with specific examples; we are happy to have been able to largely accomplish that aim in this volume. The first dozen columns are devoted to discourse development in opening up a conversation following the "How are you?" exchange; the rest are designed to explain development depending on specific purposes such as discussing news, sharing and adding information, asking and giving advice, or defending or consoling your friends.   [Sample Page]

63 The Complete Guide to Everyday Kanji - A Systematic Approach to Mastering of 1,945 Joyo Kanji as well as 1,257 Common Compounds. 常用漢字完全ガイド. Yaeko S. Habein, Gerald B. Mathias. 1991. Kodansha International, Tokyo, New York, London. (First Edition 1991) 343 pp, pbk, 25.7 cm, [25] (kanji) ISBN: 0-87011-793-9) $24.95 This book is for the student of modern written Japanese. Its purpose is to provide information on the structure of both individual kanji (Chinese characters) and kanji compounds, to enable the student to study kanji systematically. We have limited ourselves to the 1,945 Jōyō Kanji (a list of "common use" characters selected by the Japanese Ministry of Education in 1981), feeling that a mastery of these would provide a strong background in the subject. The book has been designed, not as a textbook in the strict sense, but rather as a reference book for students just beginning to study kanji and for more advanced students who feel they need to review systematically what they have learned. The nature of the content precluded ordering the presentatioin of kanji from most to least common, or in any such way as to coincide with the student's acquisition of vocabulary. The book can, however, be used as a text if complemented by appropriate materials...   [Sample Page]

41 The Complete Japanese Expression Guide - All the idioms needed for greater fluency. Mizue Sasaki. 1993. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland & Tokyo. (First Edition) 334 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [21] (idiom) ISBN: 0-8048-1689-1) $14.95 The Complete Japanese Expression Guide will enable 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, easy-to-use volume. No longer will the student have to struggle with academic-sounding phrases and expressions. Mizue Sasaki has successfully taken stilted formality out of Japanese, and made idiomatic communication readily possible. This handy book not only introduces 600 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 (literally, "one-man sumo," as explained on page 94). With The Complete Japanese Expression Guide, fluency is guaranteed.   [Sample Page]

176 The Complete Japanese Verb Guide - Over 600 verbs. Hiroo Japanese Center. 1989. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland & Tokyo. 352 pp, pbk, 18.3 cm, [s2] (verbs) ISBN: 0-8048-1564-x) $12.95 Fluency in a language cannot be attained without a solid understanding of that language's verbs and their usages. Especially with Japanese, it is crucial for the student to master verbs in order to be able to communicate effectively. In Japanese, the importance of the subject-verb relationship is not stressed as it is in Indo-European languages such as English. In English, verb forms change depending on whether the subject is singular or plural, first person or second person, and so on. Thus, for the verb "to go," one says "I go" and "He goes." More complicated are some of the many languages whose verb forms change depending on whether the subject is feminine or masculine. In Japanese, however, verbs are not affected by their subjects in this manner; it does not make any difference whether the subject is singular or plural, or first person or second person. This, plus the fact that there are relatively few exceptions to the rules, makes Japanese verbs relatively less complicated to learn than those of many other languages. Once the students master certain rules for making such forms as the masu, imperative, te, and conditional forms, they will be able to apply these rules to almost any verb. Of course, the students should be aware that while any form can in theory be made from any verb, forms of some verbs are seldom used in ordinary situations. Along with the main entries and their example sentences, this introduction will help the student learn both the conjugation and the usage of Japanese verbs...   [Sample Page]

141 A Cultural Dictionary of Japan. Momoo Yamaguchi   山口百々男, Setsuko Kojima   小島節子. 1979. The Japan Times, Tokyo. 408 pp, 18.3 cm, [s1] (cul) 日本の国際交流は, 年を追って盛んになりつつあります．　現 在海外から日本を訪れる外国人観光客は, 100万人を超えています．　また日本から海外を訪れる日本人観光客は, 350万人を突破しています．　毎日の新聞を読んで，　いつも感じることのひとつは,　日本や海外で国際会議がひんぱんに開催され,　特に文化・芸術・各種スポーツ等の国際的な催しには，　世界中の人々が,　大勢集まって交歓する機会が増加しているということです．　海外から国内へ，　また国内から海外へ，　と「外と内」の区別がなくなり，　まさに国際化の全盛時代になりつつある今日この頃です．　このような国際交流の場で，　必ずと言ってよいほど話題になるのが，　「日本の文化」についてです．...   [Sample Page]

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1   2   5   9   A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   U   V   W   Y     Titles  Authors  Publishers  Types

10 A Dictionary of Abbreviations and Truncations. 日英略語･略称辞典. Prem Motwani. 1993. Maruzen Co., Ltd., Tokyo. 269 pp, 18 cm, [21] (abbrev) ISBN: 4-621-03845-1) ¥2900 Abbreviations are not something unique to Japanese. Truncations of longish words or phrases are to be found in all languages but usually abbreviations imply the acronyms such as U.S.A., W.H.O., U.N., N.A.S.A. etc. In addition, truncations like disco (discotheque), exam (examination), fan (fanatic), ad. (advertisement) etc. are also to be found in English, but their number is very limited. As against this, abbreviations in Japanese are diverse and abundant and their number keeps increasing literally everyday. Abbreviations in Japanese are derived by truncating Kango (Chinese words), Wago (Japanese words), Gairaigo (loanwords) and Rōmaji (Roman letters). While some are used independently, many are blended with other abbreviations or words to form hybrid words. Resultantly, in Japanese one finds acronyms (OL, DPE, BGM, NG), single character abbreviations, truncations and abbreviations derived through all possible combinations of Kango, Wago, Gairaigo and Rōmaji...   [Sample Page]

154 A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. 日本語基本文法辞典. Seiichi Makino, Michio Tsutsui. 1986. The Japan Times, Tokyo. (4th printing, May 1990) 634 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [24] (gram) ISBN: 4-7890-0454-6) ¥2890 This is a dictionary of basic Japanese grammar designed primarily for first and second year Japanese students and for teachers of Japanese. After having examined major textbooks being used in Japan and the United States we have chosen what we believe to be basic grammatical items. Our descriptions and explanations have incorporated the recent findings in Japanese linguistics which we felt were of practical significance. We have spent three years and a half preparing this dictionary. Each of us initially prepared half of the original draft: approximately 200 entries. Upon completion of the first draft of the dictionary (i.e., Entries, Appendixes, Characteristics of Japanese Grammar, and Grammatical Terms), we closely examined, discussed and improved our individual drafts. Therefore, every part of this dictionary has virtually been written by both of us. Naturally we owe a great deal to our predecessors whose works are listed in the references. Our heart-felt thanks go to them, although we could not acknowledge them individually in each entry where we used their insightful explanations...   [Sample Page]

131 A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Sentence Patterns. 日本語基本文型辞典. Naoko Chino. 2000. Kodansha International, Tokyo, New York, London. 309 pp, pbk, 18.3 cm, [24] (gram) ISBN: 4-7700-2608-0) ¥2500 The purpose of this dictionary is to help students gain a better grasp of the basic sentence patterns of the Japanese language, either by refreshing their knowledge of what has been learned in the past or by acquainting themselves with new patterns. The dictionary contains fifty basic patterns and explains and exemplifies them through example sentences. When there are variations on these basic patterns, they are also explained and exemplified. The book can be used purely for reference or it can be read profitably from beginning to end as a textbook. The latter method has the benefit of fixing the patterns in the student's mind by means of repetition. There are three basic types of Japanese sentences that form the basis for the entire language; all the other sentence patterns and variations contained in this dictionary are based on one or another of these three. Once the student has become completely familiar with these patterns, the other patterns and variations based upon them should not be difficult to pick up. These three basic sentence patterns are as follows...   [Sample Page]

231 Dictionary of Idioms - Learned Through the Origin. 慣用句辞典. ルーツでなるほど. Shueisha. 1991. Shueisha, Tokyo. 430, 48 pp, pbk, 18 cm, [25] (idiom) ISBN: 4-08-400172-4) ¥1350 私たちは、日常生活において、人々と会話としたり文章を書いたりするときに、さりげなく数多くの“慣用句”を用いておりますう。慣用句は、たとえば、「シャッポを脱ぐ」「おだを上げる」「小股の切れ上がった」「順風に帆を上げる」などのように、二つ以上の単語が結びついて一つの決まった語句となり、それ独自の意味を持っております。...   [Sample Page]

13 A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar. 日本語文法辞典（中級編）. Seiichi Makino, Michio Tsutsui. 1995. The Japan Times, Tokyo. 760 pp, pbk, 18.3 cm, [21] (gram) ISBN: 4-7890-0775-8) ¥3811 The long-awaited follow-up to the best-selling Japanese language book, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. In order to advance beyond beginning-level Japanese, students must develop facility in handling a variety of language issues both in written and in spoken Japanese, e. g., knowledge of complex sentence structures for reading authentic texts, mastery of conjunctions and transitional phrases for coherent sentence production, familiarity with nuances among related expressions for conveying ideas accurately, and other information. The entries in this volume address just such concerns. Arranged in dictionary form, with an abundance of example sentences, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar goes beyond the basics to provide students with information which is essential to the master of intermediate-level Japanese.   [Sample Page]

48 A Dictionary of Japanese and English Idiomatic Equivalents. 和英熟語慣用句辞典. General Editor Charles Corwin. 1968. Kodansha International, Tokyo, New York. (9th printing, 1988) 302 pp, 21.3 cm, [22] (idiom) ISBN: 4-7700-0789-2) ¥3900 For native speakers of English whose target language is Japanese, the Dictionary fulfills two major functions : (1) it serves as a quick guide for locating idiomatic equivalents in Japanese, and (2) it enables one to familiarize oneself with the correct use and selection of Japanese idioms. It is designed for those who have grasped the basic structure of the language and are attempting to express ideas in Japanese. The Dictionary is a shortcut to finding Japanese idiomatic expressions hitherto found only through the reading of Japanese books-a laborious and frustrating task that left the reader unsure whether the expression was in common use or was simply a phrase coined by the author. The phrases found in the Dictionary have been checked by scholars to insure that they are, in fact, part of general Japanese speech. The Dictionary also serves as a reference which provides a systematic form for finding expressions one has heard but cannot recall. It is a memory aid, showing the range of possibilities for expressing ideas and encouraging the reader to employ his working knowledge of Japanese in the actual use of the expressions. The Dictionary is not a word list ; rather it is designed for penetration into idiom study through perusal, memorization, and usage, and can be used as a systematic guide to building one's command of Japanese idiom.   [Sample Page]

237 A Dictionary of Japanese Culture. 日本紹介辞典. Setsuko Kojima   小島節子, Gene A. Crane. 1987. The Japan Times, Tokyo. (1990) 402 pp, 18.2 cm, [s1] (cul) ISBN: 4-7890-0353-1) 国際化時代といわれる現在,日本と日本人の存在理由が世界の中でますます問 われるようになってきている。 これまで,日本の国際化は受け身的であったり, 物質的な交流に偏りを見せてきた。最近てでは海外への人の流れは出超傾向にあるが,　まだそのほとんどが物見遊山的なもので,文化の交流を図り,　人と人との心の通うコミュニケーシイシが対等に行われているとはいいがたい。国際間の相互理解は, 国家的レベルや経済面にとどまることなく, 草の根のレベルにまで, 及ふ, 文化の交流がなされなければありえない。文化や心に関する限り, 日本は外に向けて開かれてかれているとはいえな いのではなかろうか。 国際化の前提は,自分と自国を外の光に当てて客観的に見つめ直すことから始まるといえよう。異文化との比較によって,　価値も歪みも浮き彫りになるであろ うし,　また新しい発見も期待できよう。   [Sample Page]

100 A Dictionary of Japanese Food - Ingredients & Culture. Richard Hosking. 1996. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland & Tokyo. 238 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [23] (cul) ISBN: 0-8048-2042-2) ¥1280 This is a dictionary of Japanese food, not a dictionary of food eaten in Japan. That is an important distinction that highlights the way the Japanese observe a strict distinction between Japanese style and Western or other style. Green tea is Japanese and is drunk out of Japanese-style handleless cups. Coffee is Western and is always drunk out of Western-style cups. Green tea appears in this book, coffee does not (except in passing). Curry rice, one of the most popular dishes in Japan, is not considered Japanese and therefore does not warrant an entry. The approach of this book is that of a non-Japanese living in Japan, and the book is intended to be a help to other such people, as well as to any other speakers of English wishing to know about Japanese food. There is a great need for accurate information on this subject in English. In Japanese, a large number of excellent books is readily available, so the Japanese and those who can read Japanese are already well catered for...   [Sample Page]

65 A Dictionary of Loanwords Usage : Katakana-English. 日常外来語用法時点. Prem Motwani. 1991. Maruzen Co., Ltd., Tokyo. (1st printing 1991) 258 pp, 18.1 cm, [22] (loan) ISBN: 4-621-03578-9) ¥2472 A student of the Japanese language would find a large number of loanwords (Gairaigo 外来語) borrowed from the European languages, specially English. Ads, banners and posters are often inundated with loanwords, sometimes to the extent that one hardly finds any native words in them. Such words would easily number tens of thousands. However, the use of loanwords varies from person to person according to age, sex, occupation and education and the majority of these sooner or later decay into trite, ineffective expressions not basic to the Japanese lexicon and everyday speech. Thus the foremost problem that faces a foreigner learning the Japanese language in a foreign country, is how to make out which loanword is naturalized and which one is not. In this respect, dictionaries of loanwords available on the market are of little help as they list 20,000 to 30,000 loanwords of which only a fraction are naturalized...   [Sample Page]

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11 Effective Japanese Usage Guide - A Concise Explanation of Frequently Confused Words and Phrases. 日本語学習使い分け辞典. Kodansha. 1994. Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo. 755 pp, pbk, 18.2 cm, [21] (usage) ISBN: 4-06-123282-7) ¥3400 In Japanese, there are many words which appear to mean the same thing but are actually quite different. For example, although the words utsukushii and kirei are both translated as 'beautiful' in English, there are slight differences in usage between them. Depending on the circumstances, these differences may give rise to a situation in which although the usage is slightly incorrect, it is permissible, or if the usage is slightly incorrect, the meaning changes entirely. For this reason we have created this dictionary, which we hope will help students of Japanese to learn a variety of expressions and to use them correctly...   [