Reviews (2)

"User Friendly" Japanese Reading/Writing Workbook
The author (Dr. Shimazu) is as fluent in English as he is in Japanese. His book creates a "read between the lines" ideal that I found useful in understanding the Japanese culture, which is the gateway to learning this language. I have compared it to other workbooks of this type, and find that it has a much higher level of communication for a beginning student. Shimazu is a masterful teacher, and his book thoughtfully and artistically conveys his creativeness in a manner which is very useful to the student.

Reviews (1)

Reviews (6)

The starter
If you're a beginner in Japanese language, this is your first dictionary.
Okay, no romanji. But if you're afraid of kana why are you trying to learn Japanese?
Go ahead, forget romanji and dive deeply in this beautiful language

Not very useful
This book is very limited. It is too basic and leaves out many important words. It is difficult to study Japanese when many of the words in my text book can't be found in this dictionary. Also, many of the entries from Japanese to English are vague and don't give a clear explanation of the word.

Isbn: 0536812403

Isbn: 4095060212

Reviews (6)

This book is a work of art
This is quite possibly my favorite book.

Let me explain what I mean by that.

My knowlege of Japanese is so minimal that I rarely make much use of this book, so I can't honestly say much about its content and you'll have to rely on the other reviewers for that.

But I had to write this review to say someting about the construction and simple artistry of the way this book is designed. While there's nothing revolutionary about any one aspect, the resulting whole has a perfection akin to that of a traditional Japanese house or a Zen garden. The size of the book is perfect, the quality and color of the paper are wonderful, the way that the pages are cut and assembled, the way that the soft rubbery vinyl cover makes it feel just right in your hand.

The design of this book makes it a delightful piece of art, even if you can't read a character of Japanese. It is simply pleasing to hold in the hand and browse through. If you can actually make use of its contents, so much the better.

G.

SIMPLY THE BEST: FUNCTIONAL, UP-TO-DATE, TIMELY
If you know these 1,945 essential Kanji, you will know more than the average Japanese person. This the standard dictionary, bound in a very durable leather back, with a handy reference for quick, funcatinal usage. The following are list of its good points:

1) Contains the 1,945 most commonly used characters in modern Japanese writing. A judicious selection of general and specialized kanji compounds.

2) Is portable, handy and extremely durable. Pages are a sturdy and easy to read.

3) Access was given first priority, so there are a number of ways of locating the character you are searching for: by radical, by stroke order, or by "on-/kun-yomi" readings.

4) Definitions are given in clear, straight-forward English.

5) Devotes considerable space to the language of the business world: financial terms, business jargon, special business senses of ordinary words, and many standard business abreviations. It is thus indispensible for anyone who wants to enter or do business with the Japanese economy.

This is the dictionary you will want to have with you when you travel to Japan, along with KODANSHA'S FURIGANA. With these two books, you've got it all.

Good All-Around Product
I have used this guide for some years now, and I find it to be the most useful Japanese dictionary that I have. While of course it cannot compete with Nelson on the number of entries, or kanji for that matter, it is a good deal smaller than Nelson and I can take it to work with me without problem. For business uses and the popular press in general I have rarely run across a word that I could not find in here. And it's so durable!