Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shostahoosier]

I studied Japanese for a few years in college and I'd like to shake some of the cobwebs off.

I didnt bother to bring my Japanese textbooks to Korea because I didnt have a lot of room and I wanted to spend time learning Korean (which I am).

Can anyone recommend a book that I can get here in Korea to study with?

I'm a little picky with books because the majority of "learn Japanese" books that I thumb through in bookstores are actually complete garbage. Or at least they were in the US.

My university used "Japanese: The Spoken Language", and "Nakama". My final year they the lower levels switched to Genki so I dont have any experience with those books and when I looked for them in Korea, they were really expensive!

Anything around under 50,000W that's not complete garbage?

[nekopanchi113]

I also used Japanese spoken language and can attest that it is complete garbage. The fact that chapter 2 I think teaches you the word for typewriter.

I am not sure about prices, but when I studied in Tokyo we used a book called Minna no Nihongo. I found it to be a very good book and actually uses kana and kanji which JSL does not. Genki is also a good book and can recommend it as well.

Some prices are high because they come with video or audio tapes. These are very beneficial but if you are only looking for a book, try to find them without tapes if possible, or maybe used.

[Neil]

The JLPT speed master vocab books have both English and Korean translations which might be useful.

[shostahoosier]

[Murakano]

I studied in Tokyo and the book that was commonly used at most schools was Minna No Nihongo as mentioned.

I think I`d prefer the Genki series if I was studying on my
own though.

[Trinny]

I like Japanese for busy people workbook (not as much textbook). It has a lot of exercises for every new expression and grammar. I'm toying with the idea of going to Japanese to learn more Japanese and to be immersed in the culture for a short period (probably less than 3 months), but not sure which school/area I want to be in. Any recommendations?

[Caffeinated]

[shostahoosier]

I did notice that it seems like Korean bookstores dont carry a lot of texts for studying Japanese (in English), though to be fair, their customers are mostly Korean.

I became really interested in the "Minna No Nihongo" series but I had a hard time finding anything over level 1.

Amazon's Japan site ships to Korea for about 2,000Y which isnt terrible.

I ended up getting a book on Interpark. It's pretty much the 3rd book in the Genki series.

Anyone have any luck with alternating Japanese and Korean studies? I tried that with Spanish in college and completely threw myself off. I know they share some things so I'm not too worried.

[Sticks]

They share some grammar structures and vocab, not a lot though. Enough to make you OHHH and slap your forehead every now and then.

I used to use Genki back during uni, some friends used Minna no Nihongo. Just pick what you're comfortable with, you could...obtain 'sample' copies online and check out the material, but you really need it in a physical form. Make sure the material is in Kana/Kanji. I've seen some books that are entirely in Romaji, what's the point..?

[shostahoosier]

[Bill2K]

Since you have some experience with Japanese, a great started would be: どんなときどう使う日本語表現文型200 初・中級 (アルクの日本語テキスト) [単行本]. ISBN-10: 4757401744 It gives you good, solid foundations.

Once your done with that, you can advance to : どんな時どう使う 日本語表現文型500―日本語能力試験1・2級対応 (アルクの日本語テキスト) [ペーパーバック]

My college used the Genki series. They were okay. Much better than Japanese for Busy People and other textbooks I've seen offered in the states. But if you are serious in studying, you should get books written in the native language, with no romanji and few English explanations.