Japanese For Dummies

The fast and easy way to learn to speak Japanese Want to feel comfortable with conversational Japanese? Then this hands-on, friendly guide is the book for you. It's filled with the essential grammar, vocabulary, verb conjugations, and pronunciations you need to know to start speaking like a native. Japanese 101 — learn to recite the alphabet; pronounce words and phrases; and meet, greet, and exchange pleasantries with other Japanese speakers It's as easy as ichi, ni, san (1, 2, 3) — hone your small-talk skills and discover how to ask for directions, order food, and more Happy trails — take your Japanese on the road and find out how to plan a trip, make arrangements for a place to stay, discuss transportation, and handle emergencies while you're away Take care of business — grasp the essential Japanese language skills you need to talk on the phone and perform everyday tasks at the office Audio CD Includes 35 real-life conversations that reinforce lessons from the book Japanese pronunciation, pitch, and intonation guide Please see CD appendix for details. Open the book and find: How to pronounce Japanese sounds Common words and phrases in Japanese scripts Japanese grammar basics A guide to addressing others respectfully Information on numbers, time, and measurements Pointers for describing everyday activities in Japanese Fun exercises to help you practice your Japanese skills Expanded Japanese-English and English-Japanese dictionaries Learn to: Speak conversational Japanese with ease Master basic grammar, verb conjugations, vocabulary, and pronunciations Identify kana and kanji CD includes real-life conversations by native speakers

Introduction  1 Part I: Getting Started  7 Chapter 1: Japanese in a Nutshell 9 Chapter 2: Checking Out the Japanese Sounds and Scripts 17 Chapter 3: Warming Up with Japanese Grammar Basics 33 Chapter 4: Starting with Simple Expressions 61 Chapter 5: Getting Your Numbers, Times, and Measurements Straight 77 Chapter 6: Speaking Japanese at Home 99 Part II: Japanese in Action 117 Chapter 7: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk 119 Chapter 8: Asking for Directions 131 Chapter 9: Dining Out and Going to the Market147 Chapter 10: Shopping Made Easy 163 Chapter 11: Going Out on the Town 183 Chapter 12: Taking Care of Business and Telecommunications 199 Chapter 13: Recreation and the Great Outdoors 219 Part III: Japanese on the Go 233 Chapter 14: Planning a Trip 235 Chapter 15: Dealing with Money in a Foreign Land 245 Chapter 16: Making Your Way Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and More 257 Chapter 17: Finding a Place to Stay 275 Chapter 18: Handling Emergencies 291 Part IV: The Part of Tens 309 Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Pick Up Japanese Quickly 311 Chapter 20: Ten Things Never to Say in Japanese 315 Chapter 21: Ten Favorite Japanese Expressions 319 Chapter 22: Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Fluent in Japanese 323 Part V: Appendixes  327 Appendix A: Mini–Dictionary 329 Appendix B: Verb Tables 349 Appendix C: On the CD 359 Appendix D: Answer Key 363 Index  365

Eriko Sato, PhD, is Director of the Teacher Certification Program for Japanese and the Pre-College Japanese Language Program at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.