Hiyaku: An Intermediate Japanese Course provides a progressive intermediate course in Japanese, incorporating modern teaching methods and practicing all four language skills. Hiyaku provides content-based instruction, with authentic and semi-authentic dialogues and readings, all carefully selected to instruct and inspire students as they learn Japanese. Key features of the textbook include: highly structured chapters, beginning with warm-up exercises followed by focused practice of each of the four skills gradual introduction to increasingly authentic materials content taken from original Japanese sources such as books, TV programs, magazines, newspapers and websites extensive audio material provided as FREE MP3 files on a companion website here https://routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/_author/eguchi/ instructor’s materials, including PowerPoint files provided through the companion website. Hiyaku does not simply teach language and basic cultural points: it also helps students gain a holistic understanding of Japanese society and history, and provides the necessary foundation for the advanced study of Japan and its language.

Following the first volume of Remembering the Kanji, the present work provides students with helpful tools for learning the pronunciation of the kanji. Behind the notorious inconsistencies in the way the Japanese language has come to pronounce the characters it received from China lie several coherent patterns. Identifying these patterns and arranging them in logical order can reduce dramatically the amount of time spent in the brute memorization of sounds unrelated to written forms. Many of the “primitive elements,” or building blocks, used in the drawing of the characters also serve to indicate the “Chinese reading” that particular kanji use, chiefly in compound terms. By learning one of the kanji that uses such a “signal primitive,” one can learn the entire group at the same time. In this way, Remembering the Kanji 2 lays out the varieties of phonetic pattern and offers helpful hints for learning readings, that might otherwise appear completely random, in an efficient and rational way. Individual frames cross-reference the kanji to alternate readings and to the frame in volume 1 in which the meaning and writing of the kanji was first introduced. A parallel system of pronouncing the kanji, their “Japanese readings,” uses native Japanese words assigned to particular Chinese characters. Although these are more easily learned because of the association of the meaning to a single word, the author creates a kind of phonetic alphabet of single syllable words, each connected to a simple Japanese word, and shows how they can be combined to help memorize particularly troublesome vocabulary. The 4th edition has been updated to include the 196 new kanji approved by the government in 2010 as “general-use” kanji.

This is complete Japanese textbook and learning package for intermediate level students. In the intermediate level of this highly-acclaimed new series, learners will continue to study Japanese through an engaging story line which slowly unfolds over the arc of the text, keeping things interesting and adding the motivation needed to master new material. This story–based approach is a great way to learn Japanese. The emphasis in Intermediate Japanese is on real-life situations drawn from contemporary Japanese culture and authentic written, visual and oral materials embedded in the lessons. Available in both hardcover and paperback, Intermediate Japanese includes an accompanying audio disc, and free web-based multimedia resources with additional exercises. A separate Workbook is available with corresponding one-of-a-kind practice activities. Key features of this program: The focus is very visual. The book's narrative is told with manga-style story pages, and the CD–ROM uses colorful video. Authentic written, visual, and oral materials are embedded very naturally throughout the book. Independent learners and classroom students alike will find this an accessible and upbeat way to master contemporary Japanese. Kanji characters are emphasized here more than in other textbooks and are taught as an integral part of learning Japanese spoken vocabulary, rather than separately. By the end of this book, learners will have mastered 149 additional kanji, for a cumulative total of 300 kanji. The CD–ROM includes Native Japanese language speakers. Pronunciation guides for all new words. Accompanying dialogues. The Beginning Japanese Website includes: Online games and activities. Additional information and updates. Downloadable Hiragana Practice Book, Katakana Practice Book, kana practice sheets. Downloadable kanji and kana flash cards. Beginning Japanese is the second volume in a 3-level series. Deepen your learning with the Intermediate Japanese Workbook, a volume of drills and exercises that reinforce the lessons in the textbook.

The Routledge Intermediate to Advanced Japanese Reader: A Genre-Based Approach to Reading as a Social Practice is designed for intermediate to advanced learners of Japanese and presents twenty-five authentic texts taken from a wide range of media and literary sources, which promote a deeper understanding of Japan among readers. The book is divided into ten genre-based chapters, allowing the learner to focus on the textual features relevant to that genre. Key features include: Selected texts covering topics related to Japanese language, society and culture encountered in the Japanese media, from news reports to interviews, book reviews, short stories and editorials. Word lists for challenging vocabulary and kanji provided throughout to aid comprehension and learning. Pre-reading activities to enable familiarity with the topic, the text’s background and words to be encountered in the reading passages. Short grammar explanations of essential structures. Questions to help comprehension, raise awareness of genre features, promote critical reading, and to encourage the reader to think more deeply about the content. Opportunities to write passages, utilizing what has been learned by reading the text. Vocabulary and grammar lists at the back of the book. The Routledge Intermediate to Advanced Japanese Reader emphasizes reading as a purposeful social act, which requires readers to make meaning of the text by considering the authors’ choices in language (scripts, vocabulary, styles) in the text. The learners are guided to situate each text in society (for example, the author, target audience, social-cultural background related to the subject) in order to understand the social significance of reading and writing. This book aims to help learners develop the ability to critically read and write in Japanese for their own social purposes. It is suitable for both class use and independent study.

Do you know what the hardest thing for a Japanese learner is? Finding PROPER reading material that they can handle...which is precisely the reason we've written this book! You may have found the best teacher in town or the most incredible learning app around, but if you don't put all of that knowledge to practice, you'll soon forget everything you've obtained. This is why being engaged with interesting reading material can be so essential for somebody wishing to learn a new language. Therefore, in this book we have compiled 20 easy-to-read, compelling and fun stories that will allow you to expand your vocabulary and give you the tools to improve your grasp of the wonderful Japanese language. How Japanese Short Stories for Beginners works: - Each chapter possesses a funny, interesting and/or thought-provoking story based on real-life situations, allowing you to learn a bit more about the Japanese culture. - Having trouble understanding Japanese characters? No problem - we provide you with the English translation below each paragraph, allowing you to fully grasp what you're reading! - The summaries follow a synopsis in Japanese and in English of what you just read, both to review the lesson and for you to see if you understood what the tale was about. Use them if you're having trouble. - At the end of those summaries, you will be provided with a list of the most relevant vocabulary from that chapter, as well as slang and sayings that you may not have understood at first glance! Do not get lost trying to understand or pronounce it all, either, as all of the vocabulary words are Romanized for your ease of learning! - Finally, you'll be provided with a set of tricky questions in Japanese, allowing you the chance to prove that you learned something in the story. Whether it's true or false, or if you're doing the single answer questions, don't worry if you don't know the answer to any - we will provide them immediately after, but no cheating! We want you to feel comfortable while learning Japanese; after all, no language should be a barrier for you to travel around the world and expand your social circles! So look no further! Pick up your copy of Japanese Short Stories for Beginners and level up your Japanese language skills right now!

Boost your language skills with this time travel-themed book! Using an integrated set of multimedia tools, this book's exciting new approach to Japanese teaches you to speak, read and write the language naturally. Intermediate Japanese continues the story of Kiara, an American student who travels through time to exciting periods in Japan's past—learning to speak, read and write the language along the way. Her adventures allow her to meet fascinating people and visit famous places. The book's manga-style drawings and photos make the learning process fun! Intermediate Japanese introduces 150 additional Kanji characters and teaches you to form and understand conversational sentences. Free online audio recordings complement the book, helping you to develop good pronunciation and comprehension skills. Whether you are planning to travel to Japan, preparing for your Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams, or learning Japanese for the sheer joy of it, Intermediate Japanese will bring you one step closer to fluency!