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Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana: A Workbook for Self-Study
| Title | Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana: A Workbook for Self-Study |
| Writer | |
| Date | 2024-12-23 14:05:29 |
| Type | |
| Link | Listen Read |
Desciption
Learning Hiragana and Katakana is a systematic and comprehensive Japanese workbook that is perfect for self-study or use in a classroom setting. Written Japanese combines three different types of characters: the Chinese characters known as kanji, and two Japanese sets of phonetic letters, hiragana and katakana, known collectively as kana, that must be mastered before the Japanese kanji can be learned. Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana provides beginning-level students of Japanese a thorough grounding in the basic hiragana and katakana phonetic symbols or syllabaries. A comprehensive introduction presents their primary function, origin, pronunciation and usage. The main body of the book is devoted to presenting the 92 hira and kata characters along with their variations, giving step-by-step guidelines on how to write each character neatly in the correct stroke order, with generous practice spaces provided for handwriting practice. This Japanese workbook includes: Systematic and comprehensive coverage of the two Japanese kana systems. Ample provision for Japanese kana practice, review, and self-testing at several levelsDetailed reference section explaining the origin and function of kana, and the various kana combinations. Access to online Japanese audio files to aid in correct pronunciation. Helpful additional information for language students accustomed to romanized Japanese. Vocabulary selected for usefulness and cultural relevance.About this new edition:The new third edition has been expanded and revised to include many additional reading and writing exercises. Accompanying online recordings demonstrate the correct pronunciation of all the characters, vocabulary, and sentences in the book. Read more
Review
I am reviewing this as someone who is completely brand new to the language (I had TOTALLY no idea about the Japanese language prior to this book). I feel like this makes a difference with this book as other reviewers may have some degree of familiarity with the language. It's definitely an excellent introductory resource but to truly master the writing systems, this one may be not enough on its own and you may have to seek or create additional resources.PROS:-Great introduction/background about the two kana systems in the beginning of the book.-Great explanation about the distinctive differences in pronunciations between English/Japanese for certain characters-Clear explanations of stroke orders for each character-Provides interesting "history" of how each character evolved and came to be-Ample sized boxes to practice each character (some resources I have seen have pretty narrow, small boxes and aren't enough to practice some characters that have more intricate strokes involved)-Helpful review sections every few characters that introduce you to Japanese words with the characters you have just learned and provide further writing practice. These were really helpful in setting a "pace" for me to study. There is also extensive review towards the end where you practice everything you have learned.-Great price!CONS (these may be more of a concern for those who are unfamiliar with the language):-Although there are ample sized boxes, the number of boxes provided simply may not be enough to "drill" the characters into memory. More practice is definitely needed on your own. I should note that the book also provides additional photocopiable grid paper at the end where you can practice further.-Section for half-voiced sounds, etc. seems rushed. Although it is understandably based on things discussed earlier in the book, the sections dedicated to it are quite small. Flashcards, etc. may be needed.-There are great English "equivalents" provided of how the characters are pronounced. However, there is no way for you to remember what sounds each makes (I used tofugu.com quirky mnemonic chart to help me remember).-As other reviewers have mentioned, the binding does it make it a bit difficult to write in the book at times.Overall, I give it five stars as it is a phenomenal resource even for someone like me who did not have a single clue about the language. I am almost done with the book and now I can pick out characters in Japanese texts and sound out some of them even though I still have quite a bit of to learn.
