Job Discussion Forums

[Canuck2112]

The market is saturated with some very good beginner to high beginner level Japanese texts. However, after Minna no Nihongo II (the most difficult of the "beginner" texts IMO) it seems to be very slim pickings.

Going to Japanese school doesn't really fit with my work schedule and so I've been self-taught since I came here. Are there any good resources once you become intermediate?

I passed my 2kyuu but in all honesty I don't feel as though I can communicate effectively at all using the vocab/grammar for that test. I can only recognize them

[Toon Army]

The Genki series seems to get alot of good reviews (haven`t used it though)

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Japan Times pulbishes "Intermediate Japanese" that sort of duplicates a bit of Genki II, at the beginning and then goes on. If Genki II is a bit easy (and if you passed 2kyu, then it should be) then that might be okay (but probably still a little easy).

I think if you already have 2kyu, you would do better just with practicing- watch a lot of Japanese movies, read the paper, have conversations with people, try to make your pronunciation as close to theirs as you can.

If you're having problems communicating, then maybe the problem is your vocabulary, rather than grammar. It could also be that you basically crammed the knowledge in but didn't actually acquire the language. If that's the case, then another textbook isn't likely going to help. You just need practice using the language.

[southofreality]

The best Japanese grammar book I ever bought was
A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar
by Seiichi Makino, Michio Tsutsui, Michio Tsutsui

[mspxlation]

I used to teach Japanese on the university level, and I agree that the leap from advanced beginner to intermediate is difficult.

I've been out of the field for nearly 15 years, so I don't know what's current, but I just looked on the Web, and was pleased to see that the bookstore known as Bonjinsha still exists, with locations in Tokyo (Kojimachi) and Osaka (Chuo-ku).

It specializes in teaching materials and teaching training textbooks for Japanese as a second language. As such, you will find every textbook series currently available for teaching Japanese to non-natives, as well as supplementary textbooks, workbooks, and audiovisual for all kinds of needs.

I learned a lot from the workbooks on various topics, most of which are for foreign students in Japanese universities. I don't know what your proficiency in the four skills is, but I'm sure you will find something useful.

Otherwise, I'd like to echo the recommendations to watch TV and movies, read materials that are of interest to you, and talk to Japanese people as much as possible. In the matter of reading, two of the authors whose short stories are accessible to intermediate students are Hoshi Shin'ichi and Akagawa Jiro. Their books are easy to find in paperback in any large bookstore.

Manga, the realistic ones about everyday life, are a great source, too, because you see conversational Japanese written out word for word, complete with slang and dialect forms. The same is true of realistic anime.

One thing that helped me when I lived in Japan was carrying a small notebook and pen around. I often heard phrases or idioms that I understood but never would have thought up on my own, such as "Ii tokoro de aimashita" ("I'm glad I ran into you.") or "Moushiwake gozaimasen, muri na koto o tanonde," ("I apologize for asking you to do something that's impossible for you."). Whenever I heard such a phrase, I'd write it down and make a brief note about the situation in which it was used. Memorizing these phrases helped make my Japanese more natural and idiomatic.

Good luck with your studies.