Colloquial Japanese: The Complete Course for Beginners

✍ Scribed by Junko Ogawa, Fumitsugu Enokida

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 305
• Series: Colloquial
• Edition: 3
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

For a full list of titles in the Colloquial series, please visit https://www.routledge.com/Colloquial-Series/book-series/SE0069

Colloquial Japanese provides a step-by-step course in Japanese as it is written and spoken today. This new edition has been completely rewritten by experienced teachers; it combines an accessible approach with a thorough treatment of the language, equipping learners with the essential skills needed to communicate confidently and effectively in Japanese in a broad range of situations. No prior knowledge of the language is required.

Key features include:
• progressive coverage of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills
• jargon-free explanations of grammar, with key structures presented through user-friendly diagrams
• Coverage of the different writing systems of Japanese: hiragana, katakana and kanji
• an extensive range of focused and stimulating exercises
• realistic and entertaining dialogues covering a broad variety of scenarios
• useful vocabulary lists throughout the text
• additional resources available at the back of the book, including a full answer key, a grammar summary, a verb/adjective list with conjugation aid, bilingual glossaries and English translations of dialogues

Balanced, comprehensive and rewarding, Colloquial Japanese will be an indispensable resource both for independent learners and for students taking courses in Japanese.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
Japanese scripts and pronunciation
1 Watashi wa Nihon-jin desu I am Japanese
2 Tanjōbi wa itsu desu ka When is your birthday?
3 Otearai wa doko desu ka Where is the toilet?
4 Ano kamera wa ikura desu ka How much is that camera over there?
5 Donna ongaku ga suki desu ka What kind of music do you like?
6 Watashi wa rainen Nihon e ikimasu I will go to Japan next year
7 Watashi wa yoku sūpā de hiru-gohan o kaimasu I often buy lunch at the supermarket
8 Ōsaka ni yūmēna (o)shiro ga arimasu There is a famous castle in Osaka
9 Nichi-yōbi issho ni ēga o mimasen ka Won't you watch a film with me on Sunday?
10 Dōshite atarashī pasokon ga hoshī desu ka Why do you want to have a new PC?
11 Shinjuku Gyoen wa hirokute kirēna kōen desu Shinjuku Gyoen is a spacious and beautiful park
12 Musuko-san wa se ga takai desu ne Your son is tall, isn't he?
13 Koko ni suwatte mo ī desu ka May sit down here?
14 Kinō no yoru 8-ji goro ēga o mite imashita I was watching a film at around 8 p.m. yesterday
15 Pūru de oyoidari, toshokan de hon o karitari shimasu I do various things such as swimming in the pool and borrowing books from the library
16 Sukoshi dake Supein-go o hanasu koto ga dekimasu I can speak a little bit of Spanish
Translations of dialogues
Grammar summary
Appendix
Key to exercises
Japanese-English glossary
English-Japanese glossary
Index of language points

✦ Subjects

Japanese language