Here is a breakdown of the two books
Shin Nihongo no Kiso I
100 hours study time, 25 lessons, 800 vocab items, and 75 sentence patterns
Shin Nihongo no Kiso II
100 hours study time, 25 lessons, 680 vocab items, and 64 sentence patterns
The series starts with the Shin Nihongo no Kiso Main Textbook with seperate English Translation and Grammatical notes available. The main textbook is all in Japanese, which is a great way to immerse yourself in the language, but I highly recommend getting English Translation and Grammatical notes as they really helped me. The English Translation lists the vocabulary for each chapter in romaji, kana and English as well as an English translation of the sentence patterns and example sentences from each chapter. The Grammatical Notes in English explain in detail the grammatical points and structures for each chapter with lots of examples to help you with correct usage.
I have found that my grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure and reading and writing improved dramatically using this book. It was also a great aid in studying for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.
Read more about How to Learn Japanese
The Secrets Of Speaking Japanese Fluently
Interesting article, thank you :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Muza-chan, I am glad you enjoyed it. It is great motivation to study Japanese.
ReplyDeletehey,rly a grtt article.i wana learn japanese asap and perfectly.may it could help me...thanx....
ReplyDeleteThank you Yashi, great to hear you want to learn Japanese and this book will help you greatly. Ganbatte!!
ReplyDeleteI cant seem to find the american translation of the first one.
ReplyDeleteHi Anon, there should be an English Translation book that goes along with the first series. I've been lucky enough to find it on Amazon a few times as well as some better bookstores :)
ReplyDeleteSo I found the Shin Nihongo No Kiso I in Japanese but I am not sure which translation book I found this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/4906224660/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2MU9ZILHNPP6L, or this one http://www.amazon.com/Shin-Nihongo-No-Kiso-Bunpo/dp/4906224695/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1323019110&sr=8-4 which one would you say I get.
DeleteHello, The first one looks like the right translation book, but it is in Portuguese. You are probably looking for an English one. The second book is in English, but is an explanation of the grammar contained in the book. It is also pretty handy to have along with the translation.
DeleteJohn
Ok, thanks.
Deletei think i found the english trans. heres the link
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Shin-Nihongo-No-Kiso-Bunpo/dp/4906224695/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1323019110&sr=8-4
i think i found the english translation but i am not sure so heres the link
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Shin-Nihongo-No-Kiso-Bunpo/dp/4906224695/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1323019110&sr=8-4
Thanks Anon, That's the one! It is the exact same one that have at home :)
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteDo you not recommend Genki series? How does it compare to Shin Nihongo no Kiso? I know that it's also the company that made Minna no Nihongo and when compared to Genki, Genki is more user-friendly and Minna no Nihongo can get expensive with the several books needed for purchase.
I'm looking into purchasing "The introduction to Modern Japanese", as per your recommendation, not sure of the inside content since I'm unable to preview it.
Sasha
Hi Sasha, Thanks for leaving a comment. The Genki and Minna no Nihongo series books are OK but out of all the resources I used for a beginner I would recommend either the "Japanese Demystified" textbook by Eriko Sato or "The introduction to Modern Japanese" as they most helped me. The Shin Nihongo no Kiso series really helped me with study for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.
DeleteHi there, can you pick this up from no experience in the language? I did a bit during my school years but have barely any memory of it, and i'd like to learn during my spare time when i'm not studying for my university course. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Dillon, Yes, you can and it is not too difficult. I would recommend starting with a beginners text like either the "Japanese Demystified" textbook by Eriko Sato or "The introduction to Modern Japanese". The key is to stay motivated and try and fit in as much study as you can. This could be 10 mins a day, or 1 hour 2-3 days a week. Good luck and happy studying.
DeleteJohn
I am 16 years old student from Singapore. I have been studing (self taught) for the last 10 months with the help of NHK audio program and books borrowed from libraries. I managed to save up some pocket money and I have purchased Shin Nihongo Kiso I and II. I also bought the English Grammar I and II but I do not have enough money to buy the audio CD sets. The audio CDs sets is so costly and I am hoping to buy some used ones. Can someone help me. I am taking JPLT N5 this July. Thank you. My email is newhuifen@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThanks Anon, Glad to hear you are a keen student of Japanese and keep up the great work. You can sometimes find used copies of the audio CDs online.
DeleteI'm 13 and i've just started out on Japanese. I want to but this textbook but is the 'Main Textbook Romanized Edition' the same as the one you've suggested? Also would this book be good for a beginner like me?
ReplyDeleteHello Anon, The main textbook I used was all in Japanese, which was great for full immersion. I didn't know there was also a romanized version. I would try and avoid romaji if possible as it is better to try and learn kana straight away. This is a good book for beginners, but you need to know kana in order to use it. A better book for the absolute beginner would be Japanese Demystified by Eriko Sato http://japan-australia.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/japanese-demystified.html
ReplyDeleteHey Japan Australia!
ReplyDeleteI really want to learn all I can about speaking and reading/writing in Japanese. I have a bit of a money shortage (I'm only left with $30.00 CAD) and i'd like to strat off properly. What would you recommend I learn first and where can I buy it!
~Thank you very much ^_^
Thank you K-ON_FAN, I would recommend starting by building up some basic vocabulary and learning some simple grammar and expressions. You can find quite a few good books on Amazon that will help and they should be within your budget. Have a look at something like Japanese Demystified http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Demystified-A-Self-Teaching-Guide/dp/0071477268/ref=as_li_tf_mfw?&linkCode=wey&tag=japanaustr-20
Deletehey japan australlia,
ReplyDeletei want to say that i am very interested to learn japaneese. This interest grew inside me as I see lots of animes. I know the basic phrases told by them. I learned them from animes. my question is do japanese people talk like it is heard in anime? Morover I'm totally unaware of any japanese letters.So, can you suggest me any book which contains learning of letters from the beginner's level. And also suggest me book so that I can learn hirangana, katakana, and kanji from basic level. Is shin nihiongo no kiso perfect for me?
Hello Aphrodi, Thanks for the comment. Most Japanese on a daily basis would speak like they do in an anime, which is very informal. This language is usually used between family and friends.
DeleteMy favourite books for beginners are:
Japanese Demystified by Eriko Sato, which is a great self-teaching guide for learning Japanese. It begins with a review of Japanese writing systems, basic pronunciation, and everyday expressions. The book covers key grammar fundamentals such as particles, nouns, verb forms and honorifics. It will help you build your vocabulary with essential words and phrases. You can even test yourself at the end of every chapter for reinforcement. It allows you to learn at your own pace and build the fundamentals to effectively learn Japanese.
An Introduction to Modern Japanese by Osamu Mizutani & Nobuko Mizutani, which is a is a fantastic book for learning Japanese. The book is designed to give the reader a solid foundation in modern Japanese, sufficient to handle everyday conversations and discussions as well as the ability to express their interests and life.
After studying this book you will be able to read all of the hiragana and katakana, recognise a lot of basic words in kanji, and have a good knowledge of grammar.
I hope this helps.
Would the "shin" series mentioned still be applicable in 2013 or is there a more modern book out there that will be able to help me learn japanese available?
ReplyDeleteThanks Ricardo, Yes, the "shin" still applies today as the Japanese language structures and grammar patterns have not changed much over the years. New words do constantly come into the language but these are more for later. First you need to learn the basic grammar patterns and this book is great at that.
Deletewhat would be the most modern book to get for someone who wishes to learn japanese and has a minimal background due to watching alot of anime and dramas?
ReplyDeleteMost of the books recommended on this site would be sufficient as the first step in learning the language is to build up vocabulary and learn the basic grammar patterns and sentence structures. The Shin Nihongo series is great for that as well as other books like Japanese Demystified and An Introduction to Modern Japanese.
DeleteHey Japan-Australia,
ReplyDeleteI'm just about done with SNNK1 and I really liked it so I plan to get the second volume as well. I was only using the main text and grammatical notes and got by without the translation since I just looked up the vocabulary in a dictionary. The only instance in which I would have liked to have the translation is for those expressions that appear at the end of most of the vocabulary lists.
Now for SNNK2 I am considering purchasing the translation so I was wondering how useful it actually is and if you would recommend it, i.e. will I get something more from it than just the translations of those expressions? Are the expressions themselves reason enough to get the translation?
Thanks.
Hello Anon,
Deleteお疲れさまでした。Good job with SNNK1, glad to hear you enjoyed it and plan to get the second volume. If you got by got by the first time without the translation then I probably wouldn't bother. Like you said you can use other sources to find out the meaning. It was just easier for me to have it with me when I studied but I don't think it is a necessity.
Good luck with the studying.
Hello was wondering is the "English translation and grammatical notes" 2 or 1 book?
ReplyDeleteHello Anon, They are two separate books.
DeleteHello, can tell me what book you got? i bought this book ( http://www.amazon.com/Shin-Nihongo-Kiso-Text-Version/dp/4906224512 ), and I'm not sure if this is the right one. the whole book is in Japanese so i can't learn from it.
ReplyDeleteHi Anon, Yeah I got that one as well. The main book is all in Japanese. You can also get an English Translation and Grammatical Notes as well that go along with the main textbook.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteIm a bit confused
Ok, so I bought this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Shin-Nihongo-No-Kiso-Bunpo/dp/4906224695/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1323019110&sr=8-4#sthash.9haJzYGL.dpuf
Is this the only book I need?
Do I need the main textbook?
Hi Paul, What you have there is the Grammatical notes which go along with the main textbook. It explains the grammar that is used in the main textbook. I would still go ahead and get the main textbook as it is the one you need the most.
DeleteOh I see, is it this one?
Deletehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/4906224520/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=
What you have there Paul is the English Translation of the main book. You want this one which is the main textbook http://www.amazon.com/Shin-Nihongo-No-Kiso-I/dp/4906224512/ref=as_li_tf_mfw?&linkCode=wey&tag=japanaustr-20
Delete