Easy Japanese: A Guide to Spoken and Written Japanese

Learn Japanese in 16 easy-to-follow lessons

Easy Japanese provides all the basics you need to speak and write Japanese. Designed with the true beginner in mind, this book provides full language explanations in English and focuses on essential Japanese for effective communication in everyday situations.

You'll find the lessons stimulating and effortless and organized into clearly defined sections for ease of use: useful everyday expressions; pattern sentences and how to use the grammar; cultural highlights and study recommendations. Once you get a bit comfortable, written Japanese--both kana and kanji--is introduced. You can put to use your new skills right from the start and allows you to progress at your own pace.

Includes:

• 16 easy-to-follow lessons
• Cultural "sidelights" and study recommendations
• A free audio download from the first chapter (lesson), The Importance of Good Pronunciation.

Topics include: The Importance of Good Pronunciation, Word Order, Particles Wa, Ga, Mo, Ka, Ne, and Yo, Singulars and Plurals, Desu and Arimasu, Yes and No, Nouns, Negatives of Desu and Arimasu, The ko, so, a, and do words, The uses of no, Names of nations, languages, and peoples, The two classes of adjectives, Kana, Conjugation of A Verbs, -masu, Periods of Time, Basic numbers, Desiderative -tai, Gerund + hoshii, "and", Conjugation B verbs, Pronouns, Time, Irregular verbs, Adverbs, -nagara (while, although), Tsumori (intention), Kara, node, and naze ka to iu to (because), Noni, tame ni--In order to, Noni--Even though, Tokoro--Place, time, et al, Dokoro ka--Quite the contrary, -tari (-dari) suru--to do this and that, Ho ga ii...It is better to..., Numators, Passive Voice, The Causative and the Passive Causative, Kanji (the written characters), Particles, Conjunctions, To--meaning if or when or with, Phrases of location, Interjections, -kata, yo, oku, miru, -te (-de) miru, -yasui and -nikui, -so desu, Koto, (conditional verb) to suru or to omou, kamo shiremasen, -shidai, Must, Should, Commands, Instructions, and Requests, Permission, -ra suffixed to the plain past, The Comparative Degree, The Superlative Degree, The same as.., Nara

Jack Seward is a Japan area-and-language specialist whose intimate involvement with Japanese extends over half a century. He has taught college-level courses in Japanese and is the author of many books on the people and country where he lived for 25 years.