Product Review: Teach Yourself Japanese

I talk a lot about language learning, so I thought it would be a good idea to review some of the materials I have used for people who want to learn the language themselves. I will list the pros and cons, and my thoughts at the end. I hope this is helpful for those learning a language. There are so many textbooks, references, grammar guides and all sorts out there, that for someone who is new to it might feel demotivated just at the thought of deciding what to use! This is my first review and it will be focusing on Teach Yourself: Complete Japanese.

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TEACH YOURSELF: COMPLETE JAPANESE

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Product information

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Teach Yourself Language: English

PROS:

• Thorough
• Promises to get you to B2 Level (Low Intermediate)
• Teaches Kana and some Kanji
• A lot of realistic conversation
• A lot of vocabulary
• Exercises challenge your knowledge
• Answer key in the back

CONS:

• Limiting
• Promises B2, falls short of it (High Beginner)
• Primarily in romaji 

MY THOUGHTS:

I have much faith in the Teach Yourself series, and I have much faith in this book. I used the older version when I started learning, but I recently bought this edition for my boyfriend who also wants to learn Japanese. We have been working through it together, even though it is specifically written and aimed towards those who are learning it alone. Since we only bought the book version, I am his tape recorder. There are a lot of dialogues in the book which use natural, every day Japanese. At the beginning, my boyfriend and I often agreed that some of the words they teach at the beginning are a bit useless, such as "journalist", "company manager" and "secretary". But we are two University students who will not need to use words like that in our every day life. 

As the book goes on though, it increases in difficulty, introducing more grammar and more vocabulary. What I like about this book is how it tactically introduces words and grammar you have learnt into the dialogues you have to study. When I am going through the conversation with my boyfriend, he often points out that he recognises words and grammar from previous units, and that it is helpful in remembering them. The book eventually progresses from very polite and formal Japanese to every day, informal language which is something I love about this book. Most textbooks will not introduce you to informal language to avoid confusion, yet this book handles it perfectly. There is a good balance between the two. In some units, it will introduce an informal and formal version of the same conversation, so there is something for everyone.

The majority of the book is in romaji, which to me is a let down. My boyfriend and I combat this by having him write out words, dialogue and grammar points all in hiragana. The book does eventually introduce Kanji and Kana, but not enough in my opinion. If you are wanting to start with the writing, it might be a good idea to use this book in conjunction with Read and Write Japanese Scripts: Teach Yourself, or do what my boyfriend and I do, by writing out the kana separately.

The activities are challenging, asking you to translate from Japanese and into Japanese. Some activities require you to complete the sentence or insert missing words. I think at one point we even saw a crossword in there! But do not quote me on that. 

Overall, it is a decent book and in my opinion, a good place for someone new to Japanese to start. By the end of the book, you will have a semi-decent foundation in Japanese. 

Get your own copy of it at Amazon: Complete Japanese: Teach Yourself
I also recommend you grab:  Read and Write Japanese Scripts: Teach Yourself to accompany this if you are wanting to learn more about Japanese Kana!