Genki 1: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese 1 (English and Japanese Edition)
Eri Banno,Yutaka Ohno,Yoko Sakane,Chikako Shinagawa | 1900-01-01 00:00:00 | The Japan Times | 368 | Japanese
Genki outlines in 23 structured lessons all the fundamentals of the Japanese language. Abundantly illustrated and containing a wide variety of exercises, Genki is sure to bring vigor to your classroom! Though primarily meant for use in college-level classes, it is also a good guide for independent learners and is a nice resource book for teachers of Japanese. Genki's authors teach at Kansai Gaidai University, which hosts the largest number of North American students spending their junior year in Japan.
Reviews
If you're serious about wanting to learn Japanese, the Genki series is the best. I honestly recommend the workbook over the textbook but together they are a lethal combination. I am serious! GET THIS. I had primitive japanese skill that was limited to a few memorized coin phrases. I took a class, where this and the workbook were my study aides, and worked relentlessly to finish the workbook, erased all my answers and did it again, and again (which is why I recommend the workbook). Then I went and spent 3 months in Osaka. When I got to Osaka, I had a really good understanding of Japanese Grammar, and an alright vocabulary, only I'd not had much experiencing really using the language. By the time I left Osaka (90 days later) I was to the point of being able to walk into a shot bar/club/handmade crafts store and have a fun filled/deep/entertaining conversation with anyone there. My jump was insane, and it was because of the genki series.
You know how people talk about male enhancers on late night infomercials? "I cannot believe the results! Amazing!" that's how I feel about genki. buy the text used and the workbook new. Use a pencil to write in, so you can erase and go over it again.
Once you feel like you've really devoured (and I mean you picked the crumbs out of the couch cushion too) genki I, move onto the genki II books.
hope this helps you save a little money and time on the way to experiencing one of the most beautiful cultures in the world.
Reviews
This is probably the most commonly used Japanese textbook on the market for college students, and it has earned that status. The organization is good within each chapter, things come in reasonable chunks (vocab, grammar or phrases), and the end-of-chapter exercises are enough to keep you busy if you choose not to buy the workbook (which you should buy if you are taking a class!) My only complaint was the fact that chapters have themes that really don't fit with their content -- barbecue, for instance, is a chapter, and really does not focus on that. Also, words like "this semester" and "last semester" may well be found in different chapters (true example). Lastly, if you are going further in Japanese and want to learn some kanji, you will need to look at the back of the book for each chapter's kanji list. They are organized by chapter but are not included in the chapters themselves, which I find strange and annoying, and they may or may not be vocab words from that chapter. The question word "what," for instance, is randomly placed and learned much later than is useful, even though it is relatively easy to write.
If you are taking a class that uses this book: Buy it. Used or new shouldn't matter, but familiarize yourself with its organization and read all the grammar sections carefully. Some situations (like using a noun where an adjective is commonly used in a particular structure) are written but easy to miss if you skim.
If you are not taking a class but want to learn Japanese: You might or might not find this a good match. If you memorize quickly and forget quickly, forget it. If you want things in context so they have somewhere to stick in your brain, forget it. It's really formatted for a formal classroom setting.
Reviews
The book came in great condition and so far has been very easy to use to learn Japanese!
Reviews
This book is amazing. It teaches you grammar quickly, in a way that makes sense. Very few times I was confused with what was going on with this book. I would advise you to have a dictionary with you (Or be at your computer with a dictionary site ready) because flipping pages is a pain sometimes. There are plenty of examples that never try to trick you.
Only downside is the audio tape isn't too helpful. They pronounce all the words for you, and they read out certain scenarios, but they don't slow down. Sure its great listening practice, but its very hard to do for a beginning student. Believe me, listening to full pace Japanese is hard to make out. If you want good listening comprehension, might want to go to rosetta stone or something.
The kanji they teach is pretty good. They dont go over radicals or anything, but they teach you about 20 of them then give you some reading exercises, repeat for about 160 or so. Also, during the main lessons, all the kanji have furigana for you to read. You may end up 'accidentally learning kanji' this way. Where you see the same kanji enough times you just remember it without studying it. Other books weren't so good at teaching kanji, or do so in a different manner. Know that this book wont teach you all of the joyo kanji, not even close, but it gets you started with a few hundred of the most common ones. It is very organized.
PS: I recommend a dry erase whiteboard + a thick tip chisel dry erase marker for all your kanji drawing. A pen and pad will not cut it. Write down all the kanji you learn a few times, and try to remember it by parts. EG-- the in (ni-hon-go --- Japan) is made up of (to say) (5) (mouth). Definitely makes it easier to remember. Just know that learning kanji will suck no matter what, but this book makes it slightly less sucky. I found it a bit fun to read their little stories, too.
Keep in mind that the Genki series wont teach you -everything-, but it will get you started. I've attained several Japanese textbooks and this one is the best.
PS: How each lesson works is they have a story at the beginning, then a few pages on the grammar tricks used in each story. If you cant read a lesson without 100% understanding, don't advance.
Reviews
My University will be using this textbook for the Japanese 1 class. To get a heads start, I purchased this book, accessed many online resources (i.e. Smart.FM), and utilized another book called: 'Hakwon kal shigani upnun bun weehan: dokhak chutkul eum (For those who don't have time to go to class: Japanese, first step) published in korea.
I titled this review as "It's okay, but supplementary" because I wouldn't learn the Japanese language using ONLY this book. It doesn't cover everything, and often, it does very vaguely. For example: it goes over Katakana and Hiragana pretty fast and doesn't elaborate on the use of and its various pronunciations; nor does it include stroke order for any of the Kana or Kanji within the book. You are required to use other sources to nail down these important concepts.
As a learner who speaks both English and Korean fluently, I find the previously mentioned book (from Korean<->Japanese) much more elaborate and concise when explaining grammar.
This book is an excellent supplement to learning the Japanese language. I recommend utilizing online resources!
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