Essential Japanese Grammar is an indispensable study guide for students of the Japanese language at all levels. Long the standard in Japanese language education, it provides clear, jargon-free explanations of how Japanese grammar works and offers hundreds of example sentences. An essential handbook for self-study or the classroom, students will find that a strong foundation in grammar is vital to those wishing to learn Japanese. Essential Japanese Grammar presents many unique features. First, grammatical terminology has been kept to a minimum so that extensive prior knowledge of grammar is not required. Second, abundant example sentences are written in Japanese characters (kana and kanji) followed by romanji and English translations. Third, the authors have tried to reveal aspects of grammar that may not be found in comparable grammar books--such as rare Japanese verbs, adjectival nouns, clauses, adverbs, etc. This Japanese grammar book contains: Parts of speech. Sentence constructions. Conjugations forms. Speech styles and tones. Accentuation rules. Essential words and functional elements. An appendix for referencing and cross-referencing Japanese words.

First published in 2013. As with its series counterparts, this is an innovative reference guide to the Japanese language, combining traditional and function-based grammar in a single volume. In its two-part structure, Part A covers traditional grammatical categories, such as structural features of the language and the behaviour of parts of speech. With a strong emphasis on contemporary usage, all grammar points are richly illustrated with examples written in a combination of hiragana, katakana and kanji, alongside romanizations and sentence meanings in English.Part B is organised around language functions such as expressing likes and dislikes, giving and seeking information, making decisions and apologising. This function-based presentation is an invaluable guide to the situationally-appropriate use of Japanese for learners at all levels. The two parts of the Grammar are closely linked by extensive cross-references, providing a grammatical and a functional perspective on many patterns in the language. This is the ideal reference grammar for learners of Japanese at all levels, from novice to advanced. No prior knowledge of grammatical terminology is assumed and a glossary of grammatical terms is provided.

The first all-inclusive, single-volume guide to the history of modern Japan--conveniently divided into easy-to-use sections that provide a narrative, topical compendium, resource guide, and selected documents

Say sayonara to your fears of speaking Japanese! Interested in learning to speak Japanese but feel intimidated by the complex characters and pronunciations? No need to worry! Even if your only experience is ordering sushi, Japanese Demystified will have you saying konnichiwa to your new language skills in no time. Beginning with a review of Japanese writing systems, basic pronunciation, and everyday expressions, this book covers key grammar fundamentals such as particles, nouns, verb forms, and honorifics. You'll build your Japanese vocabulary with essential words and phrases and quickly master this challenging language. Test yourself at the end of every chapter for reinforcement that you're fast on your way to speaking, writing, and understanding Japanese. This fast and easy guide features: Clear and straightforward explanations of Japanese grammar fundamentals Numerous examples of simple and complex sentence structures Japanese hiragana, katakana, and kanji with phonetic transliterations for all Japanese words Helpful writing and speaking exercises that bring the Japanese language to life Coverage of everyday topics as well as conversational expressions Quizzes at the end of each chapter to reinforce new material Simple enough for a beginner, but challenging enough for a more experienced student, Japanese Demystified is your shortcut to mastering this complex language.

Students of Japanese are familiar with the term "particle," and realize that they, like English prepositions, require a special effort to master. This handbook provides all the information one would need on these tricky units of grammar. All About Particles covers more than 70 particles those that are used regularly as well as those used less frequently in more than 200 uses. The book can be approached as a guiding textbook and studied from beginning to end. It is as a reference book, however, that All About Particles shines. It is light and easy to carry, slim enough to fit into the corner of a shoulder bag, and concise enough to quickly clarify particle-related questions. It is a priceless tool for any serious student of Japanese. In its previous incarnation as a part of the Power Japanese Series, ISBN 978-0-87011-954-5, and sold more than 40,000 copies worldwide.

A Guide for Food Buying in Japan takes the mystery out of shopping for Japanese food as well as household necessities while staying in Japan. Part 1: Before You Shop outlines what the shopper will encounter when shopping in Japan including the different kinds of local markets, and the methods of pricing and labeling products, and Japanese Kanji and Kana with Romanization and pronunciation of the Japanese ingredients and common necessities found in Japan. Part 2: Food and Household Needs describes different types of products, when and where they may be found, and how they can be incorporated into daily menus and recipes. A Guide for Food Buying in Japan includes comprehensive lists in Japanese and English of popular ingredients as well a household items. Basics from milk, eggs, salt, pepper, soba, tempura to laundry detergents, cleaning supplies and personal hygiene products--all indexed for easy reference. This book helps guide the shopper through each process in shopping for food or personal household products in Japan. The items are listed out clearly along with pictures to help identify the products.

The Complete Japanese Verb Guide is a handy, easy-to-use guide to one of the building blocks of language learning--verbs. To effectively learn Japanese, a strong knowledge of Japanese grammar and vocabulary is needed. This book will come to the rescue as it shows learners how to conjugate the 600 most common Japanese verbs quickly, and with very little effort. This is the only guide to list all verb forms in both Japanese script and romanized form, while giving an accurate English translation for each conjugated form, making this book far more comprehensive than any other book on the subject. Compiled by Japanese language experts at The Hiro Japanese Center, more than 30 different verbal forms are given for each verb including all forms used in contemporary spoken, written, formal and conversational Japanese--making this the ideal reference when reading any sort of Japanese printed materials including manga, newspapers, magazines and books. The Complete Japanese Verb Guide places an expert resource at your fingertips, giving you the information you need to speak, read, and write Japanese sentences correctly. Key features of this book are: Includes all the most useful verbs and Kanji (logographic Chinese characters) in Japanese, including less common ones. A wealth of example sentences are given to demonstrate correct verb usage. Over 30 forms are given for each verb including polite or formal, plain, negative, potential, conditional, passive, causative, and many more. Both Kana, Japanese script, and romanized forms are given for each entry. An ideal study guide for the standard Advanced Placement college test and the Japanese Language Proficiency Exam. Special sections are devoted to compound verbs and suru verbs such as Kaimono suru (to shop), benkyo suru (to study), and much more.