Japanese Language Learning Reviews

Japanese for Dummies (paperback with audio CD) by Eriko Sato

Score:
4 / 10
Pros:
lively, amusing approach; good range of beginner Japanese; topic-driven language skills taught; audio CD with dialogues; a couple fun and useful exercises

Cons:
author’s discussions will put off readers looking for more direct exposure to the language; connection between language skills in each chapter and dialogues and examples is often loose; only exercises are the short “fun and games” section on the last page of each chapter; vocabulary lists to memorize; no methodical teaching of grammar; no writing (kana or kanji)

If you’ve ever flipped through a …for Dummies book before, Sato’s Japanese for Dummies won’t surprise you. The series’ formatting, look and casual language shine through here, too.

Chapters one through sixteen set out to teach you the basics of conversational Japanese. In the first three chapters, you’ll learn about Japanese words you may already know, English words borrowed into Japanese, how to count, the absolute basics of grammar, and how to introduce yourself and greet people.

Chapters four to sixteen each deal with some general topic, like “talking on the telephone”, which the author uses to introduce relevant language skills and vocabulary words.

Each chapter gives plenty of vocabulary and explanations of specific words and phrases. You’ll also find multiple dialogues, which the author doesn’t always relate to the specific skills you’re learning in the explanations. You’ll find Japanese grammar points (like past tense verbs) used in early dialogues, but not explained until later.

The disconnect between language goals in the explanations and the actual language used in example conversations will make it difficult for students to track their progress in learning Japanese. On top of that, the exercises are short, maybe amounting to a half-dozen simple fill-in-the-blanks at the end of many chapters. That makes it tough to test your linguistic abilities.

You’ll find this isn’t a way to teach yourself about Japanese writing, either. Also, the course doesn’t systematically introduce grammar. It does offer an appendix with verb forms, a short English to Japanese and Japanese to English glossary, and a good index.

The audio CD reads the dialogs and some of the early pronunciation samples to you. It’s not a complete audio lesson approach, but it’s a plus. The pronunciation guide is basic, but helpful, and will teach you to read the book’s speech transliteration code. For instance, the book uses “ah” to help you pronounce Japanese romaji “a” (short A), and “ahh” to guide you to the correct pronunciation of romaji “?” (long A). Transliterated Japanese appears throughout the rest of the book: when you learn the word “d?mo”, you’ll see “dohh-moh” written beneath it.

Japanese for Dummies can’t compete with results-driven courses. It’s missing too many of the essentials that comprehensive methods provide. If you’re looking for an introduction to audio conversations, grammar, writing or vocabulary, there are better resources for each – take a look at my review categories on the right. If you want some exposure to a range of basic Japanese with engaging explanations, and can overlook the flaws I mentioned, you’ll be somewhat content with this book and CD.