A Guide to Japanese Grammar: A Japanese approach to learning Japanese grammar

I purchased the blue book version, printed in 2014, and it is smaller than the orange one (2012). It is easy to carry around in my purse around Tokyo. I've been studying using this textbook in Tokyo parks, restaurants, coffee shops, on the densha (JR train), while walking.... It has a wax-like coated cover (which is great given that Japan rains a lot) and gives it a nice, soft feel on the hands. I just wish there was a kindle formatted version too. Please, Mr. Kim, onegaishimasu. Personally, my core set for learning Japanese, the cream-of-the-crop best items, is as follows: 1. Genki I and II, including the workbooks, 2nd edition - the textbook for UCLA Japanese classes. Absolute gem of a book. This is your go-to "traditional" textbook. 2. Heisig's Remembering the Kanji - Remember 2000 kanji in 2 months? Yes. It's amazing. 3. Tae Kim's Guide to Japanese Grammar (my cliff notes) - Great refresher for stuff you learned. This book is like the golden notebook that you stole from that A+ student in your college Japanese class. 4. "Japanese" app by Renzo Inc. from the Apple Store. Includes wwwjdic dictionary, all conjugations for every word (volitional, transitive, past, present, polite form, etc.) , a built in flashcard builder, kanji stroke order videos for all kanji, and more from this sweet app. Absolute must purchase. This is like a super-dictionary. Don't have an iPhone? Buy an iPod Touch 5th gen. and get this app. It is worth buying an iPod Touch just for this app. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Optional study supplementals which are great for learning Japanese: s1. White Rabbit Press - Kanji Flashcards 1, 2, 3 - best Japanese flashcards around with all the Joyou Kanji. s2. NihonShock's Cheat Sheet Pack - 10 laminated colorful notes of all the vital Japanese grammar s3. Anki - a flashcard program that lets you download shared cards created by other users & allows you to make your own flashcards on the computer.

This book is much better for self-learning than other textbooks. The problem with Genki and others is that they're written for a classroom setting (hence all the group/partner exercises) or with a dedicated tutor. Therefore, grammar nuances aren't readily available but in "A Guide to Japanese Grammar", Tae Kim anticipates and explains common questions that arise for beginner learners in a reassuring, casual tone. The order of how grammar is introduced is different than other textbooks/classes which I think is better for beginner learners. Tae Kim starts off with explaining the very basic building blocks of grammar ("plain" and "informal" forms) and then gradually introduces the complexities of "polite" and "formal" form. Other textbooks start you off with learning sentences in "polite form" and then breaks it down until you learn the "plain form." I found this harder to wrap my head around when I first studied Japanese and wished more books/classes had it like Tae Kim instead. The book is focused on grammar and does require understanding hiragana/katakana and some basic kanji. Personally, I'm okay with that because you get much more grammar material. The book itself is also much easier to reference back to, which was another issue I had with Genki. All in all, it's $20 for an amazing book so just buy it!!

Through immersing in Japanese and using this guide I think this is a lot better than genki. I think genki is great for those in a class and o my want to have class level language ability but I think this book used with MIA mass immersion approach is a lot better it's been recommended by people who reached a high level of fluency and as I'm using it I find it not hard to understand. The best way to learn grammar isn't by writing it over and over using note taking methods or by studying for tests and practicing the language as if it's a formula but by seeing it in immersion in native Japanese content. The grammar points for some things go in depth and kind of build off of each other, not for everything but for grammar points that are relative to another, the cover is really nice a kind of matte material most things are easy to find and the book itself is not too big PLUS the author has this stuff FOR FREE on his website and as a PDF do you don't even really have to buy it. But I still like the printed book it's a good way to remember the grammar by reading it on a physical paper back so I'd definitely recommend it to those wanting to study Japanese like me and I also recommend Remembering the Kanji by James Heisig for kanji characters as well. Thanks for reading and have a nice day/night!

Very well made. It's got all you need to tackle this language right from the beginning.

Great guide, extensive. I wouldn't recommend to a new learner until you have cemented a solid foundational understanding as it skims over the basic grammar.

If you're learning Japanese, this is a mist-have book for you. It has almost every grammar rule. Every rule has example sentences so that you can understand with the context. While some are difficult to understand, it generally is very very useful.

Très bon livre pour apprendre le japonais en allant droit au but. Beaucoup de livres de ce type sont généralement très académiques et enseignent un Japonais archaïque que vous n'utiliserez jamais lors de vos discussions avec des locuteurs natifs. Ou alors ils, vous forcent à mémoriser par cœur tout un tas de règles que vous aurez aussitôt oublié une fois le cours terminé. Avec le livre de Tae Kim, je n'ai pas eu cette impression, la mise en page est certes spartiates, mais le contenu est de qualité et j'apprécie que l'auteur s'efforce d'expliquer la grammaire japonaise de la manière la plus simple et efficace possible. Si vous voulez non seulement apprendre, mais aussi comprendre la logique derrière la langue japonaise, ce livre devrait vous être utile

Primeiro, não li o livro todo ainda. É uma gramática, uso mais para consultas (diárias já que sou ainda aprendiz) Sobre o livro em si, eu digo que vale a pena, é um ótimo livro de consulta ou até mesmo para aprender a gramática como livro principal, tem sim uma versão gratuita, mas é bem mais prático para quem tem um Kindle tê-lo sempre em mãos como um livro de consulta (além de apoiar o trabalho do autor). Contudo, algumas palavras estão muito claras para ler no Kindle... quase sempre eu preciso ajeitar um pouco a luminosidade para algo mais do que o meu normal para ver algumas coisas escritas, nada muito incômodo, mas ainda assim, um incômodo que quebra a concentração da leitura. Ele não vai lhe ensinar nada mais do que gramática, mas a gramática japonesa é cheia de nuanças que este livro aborda muito bem. Enfim, recomendando, preço bom e bom conteúdo.