A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar

I bought it used, so it had no sleeve and the exterior was worn, but the inside is just like new. I was worried it was going to be just like an English dictionary where everything is shoved together and confusing, but this book is anything but. It starts by explaining abbreviations, symbols, and grammatical terms. Then it talks about special grammar topics. Before getting into the grammar for specific words one by one. They are organized by the English alphabet, and when the word they are talking about is written in Japanese they write it in red. It first shows the word spelled out in romanji & Japanese, then explains when it might be used and it's definition. It makes it very clear and concise so there is hardly any confusion even if you are new to the language. Then in the back of the book they go on to explain katakana specific rules, compound verbs, compound particles, conjunctions, affixes, counters, cooccurrence, and functional expressions & grammatical patterns. Next is an English based "index" which lists English words alphabetically with their japanese romanji counterpart, but that's it. Lastly, there is a Japanese index organized by English alphabet, but this one simply lists the words explained throughout the book and what page number they're on. (BTW, as a bonus I thought I'd mention the price listed on the cover of the book is 3700 yen which roughly translates to $24.45, I paid more than that for a used book. But everywhere else wanted even more, so I suppose the demand is high?)

After 3 or four readings through the Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, i finally became ready to start this one. The book is called and organized as a dictionary, however I use it as a study textbook, and it is excellent. This book is by far my best textbook for studying Japanese. I read the sentences, spell them and write them down in order to memorize Kanji. Contrary to Chinese, the pronunciation in Japanese is relatively simple, so after learning audio-courses (such as The Pimsleur Japanese I-II-III) studying grammar by reading writing and self-pronunciation is almost sufficient. My other textbooks are "Breaking into Japanese Literature" and "Read Real Japanese Essays" which include the audio-tracks. All the entries include the text in Japanese, where for first appearance of Kanji in every entry the reading is shown in kana. No romaji transcription is given, and no kana transcription for following appearance of the Kanji within the entry, which is very convenient for study and memorizing of Kanji readings.

I bought the 3 books of this series at the same time to have them as a reference, so I didn't read them from the beginning to the end. I have however checked multiples entries and the grammar is clearly and methodically explained every single time. Each time I use it I feel satisfied with the responses I find to my queries, learn something new, and am happy I bought these books.

Once again, this is the best series for students of Japanese grammar. The grammatical explanations are in-depth and very well written. There are numerous examples for every single grammatical pattern, each with very well explained definitions. One wishes that those who write grammar books for other languages would look to this series for inspiration.

Was told by my professor, as well as many others through Japanese language learning websites that this book series is ESSENTIAL to anyone who seriously wants to learn and speak fluent Japanese. Have to say, they were absolutely right! Have these next to me during my long study sessions, and the amount of detail and example these go into for not just grammar rules, but (擬音語) onomatopoeia words and descriptions grammatical terms that you learn early on but forgot the true meanings of. If you are serious about Japanese, stop second guessing and buy at least the Basic and Intermediate levels ASAP. Best purchase ever.

The key to any worthwhile grammar dictionary is a stock of example sentences. Beyond delineating the mechanics and meanings of grammar points, this series features a font of examples which provide natural context for expression and stem any doubts about usage. Its Japanese and English indices allow for timely classification and identification of structures, useful both for translation of Japanese text sources as well as sophisticated expression of novel ideas in Japanese. Together with its two companion dictionaries, Makino and Tsutsui's series offers an exhaustive and authoritative synopsis of Japanese grammar.

I also endorse this dictionary with some considerable exceptions. First, and foremost, the example sentences provided are entirely devoid of a specified context. Any language instructor worth his/her salt understands that it is not so much learning to say things in the language as it is "learning to do in a language" (Galal Walker). Thus, it would be of more worth to have the example sentences couched within specified contexts to allow learners to learn to use them within those constraints. Second, this book is targeted at an intermediate audience and yet the fact that it has eliminated the romanized text from the examples sentences doubles the difficulty inherent in the task of learning new grammar. It essentially causes the example sentences to become vocabulary and kanji acquisition tasks on top of the grammatical acquisition task it promotes. These weaknesses being considered, I still heartily endorse this book and the other two in the series as they are perhaps the most comprehensive compilation of Japanese grammar items available. The hallmark of each book is not only the vastness of the items introduced and discussed in the series, but also the in-depth analyses given regarding the subtle differences between semantically similar grammatical items (e.g. node and kara).

pour japanophile anglophone motivé

I heard from a YouTube review that there was a lot a examples and you bet there is! Moreover, as a experienced kanji learner, I like that for every grammar entry, the first time any kanji is used, it has furigana but after that for the same kanji, there's no furigana; it helps not having crutches all the time. I also like the section at the end of entries that compares with other related entries and that it shows similarities and differences in usage. I haven't spent a lot of time with it yet but with this book and the basic one, I'm pretty sure for normal japanese, it will cover everything for those levels. Other grammar books or textbooks I find that sometimes, it is lacking a bit of information or it isn't clear what is the difference with another grammar point, those issues aren't present in this book.

Follow the title ^^

30 years after the first edition and it is still by far and far the best authoritative, exhaustive, comprehensive and lucidly written source on Japanese grammar. It is a bit pricey but will last you a lifetime and cover all your Japanese grammar needs (in all the three volumes).

Very indepth explanations and easy to understand. The appendix section in the back is a highlight.