YesJapan Corporation Japanese From Zero! 2: Proven Techniques to Learn Japanese for Students and Professionals

Excellent book

Just got my hands on this book and wow it looks great!

I have just finished book 2 of this series and whilst it is definitely more difficult than the first book, it is still satisfying to work from and builds on the knowledge you have previously gained.I have studied Japanese on and off for many years, but when I decided to 'get serious' with studying this wonderful language, this is the series of books I chose to study from. The accompanying videos on YouTube were a huge consideration for me.This is extremely clear to work from and the explanations make it easy to grasp the concepts of forming sentences and using the language you learn. It even manages to explain quite complex ideas in a clear way, although I did struggle from chapter 9 onward, as this is where it introduces informal forms (in past, present and positive and negative forms) and a little more grammar. I had to take it slow and keep reinforcing what I'd learnt, but bit by bit it is sinking in.Like the first book, this has a workbook built into it, with reading and writing exercises (with an answer guide at the end of each chapter this time, rather than in the back like in book 1) and these exercises really help you grasp and solidify what you have learnt in that chapter.This books also teaches you Katakana and I love the way that as you progress through the book the words are gradually built up with each Katakana you learn, until by the end everything is written in Hiragana and Katakana and you can read and understand written Japanese. Kanji will come in book 3!. The author has also written a book called Kanji from zero, which covers Kanji a little more. But learning Hiragana and Katakana so quickly and effortlessly is a huge win and will impress native Japanese and will also enrich your experience when you travel in Japan.This isn't necessarily a book that'll teach you lots of phrases you can use on your holidays, right off the bat, but instead builds a solid language framework and introduces vocab, so you can build your own sentences and actually understand the language. This is much better than simply learning by rote. This also includes lots of foreign words that Japan has borrowed, which is why there is Katakana and these vocab are easier to learn as they already feel familiar.I also like how the author teaches a style of Japanese that is actually used and which is useful when in the country. Some courses will teach very formal and stilted Japanese, and whilst the author does teach you polite forms, he also teaches language that sounds more natural. As someone who wishes to use Japanese when I am in the country, this is essential for me and will hopefully open up another side of Japan that I may not have seen.My personal way to use this book was to read through each chapter to familiarise myself with the material, then watch the accompanying YouTube video for that lesson to get a clearer idea of pronunciation and any tough parts. Then I'd go back and work though the chapter in a slower, more methodical way, answering the exercises and making notes.I used the Ankidroid app to make up flashcards for all the words and phrases from each chapter, so I could study and test myself when out and about. And I also used a notebook to write up mind maps and mnemonic techniques for the more 'non-sticky' words.In conjunction with this course I also listened to Michel Thomas cd's in the car, JLPT audio CD's and used an excellent Particles dictionary (which I have also reviewed on Amazon). Using all these techniques together has really helped the info in this course sink in and start to build a decent framework to build upon.This course is great to work from and really progresses well from what you have already learnt. You quickly grasp difficult concepts, feel as if you actually understand the way the language is formed and the accompanying videos are light hearted and a wonderful additional media to aid your study.I can't recommend this series enough and if you wish to seriously learn Japanese and unlock your full potential, then give this a try and see what it can do for you.

The book is quite similar in style to Japanese from Zero! 1. However, there has been a lot less care taken this time. The book is absolutely littered with mistakes, English language mistakes and more worryingly Japanese language mistakes: typos, incorrect translations, mixing up answers, layout mistakes, the lot. In addition, there are times when the answers to questions require vocabulary that hasn't been previously mentioned, and isn't even covered soon after (if at all). In Japanese from Zero! 1 I found the particle explanation "wa/ha" and "ga" to be quite good, however in this second book we are using the particle "de", without any explanation clarifying the difference between "de" and "ni".That said, overall the book is still a good main guide to learning Japanese, you just have to be careful and prepared to use other sources when the book is lacking. In my experience, language books are often poor and don't have a very good pedagogical approach. That is where this book is good, following on from book 1; it's just a shame about the lack of care taken, the book could be so much better.

I'd only watched the online videos for book 1 but decided to invest in book 2. Very glad I did, there is something about the way George & Yukari explain things that just clicks with me in a way other texts haven't; in this books verb conjugations and informal tense especially. The free video series on YouTube you can watch in parallel with the textbook lessons really add to the value of it as well. I passed my JLPT N5 test in December 2019 and aced the grammar element, which I can confidently say was largely thanks to this book and the accompanying videos.

The second entry in the Japanese From Zero! series is just as good as the previous one, containing extensive grammar rules, vocabulary and, of course, katakana, albeit with a few changes in the layout and designs of the pages. This book starts off where the previous book ended, so if you haven't already purchased the first one it's essential that you complete it first, as you will be very confused if you start this one with no previous knowledge of the Japanese language. This book covers vocabulary and types of sentences that you'd use in your day to day life, talking about formal and informal forms of words, providing cultural context so you don't say anything offensive or strange, and giving lessons on other useful things to know, and it's a very effective learning tool, even if you're teaching yourself (which I did).Although the layout and structure of this book is very learner-friendly and accessible, the book unfortunately has a few editing errors, which generally consist of kana that you haven't learned yet appearing in words in vocabulary lists. If you don't understand what that means, all of the Japanese words in the book start off being spelt in Roman lettering, which you are reading right now, but as you learn more kana, the symbols that you have learnt start being implemented into the spellings of those words. For example, the Japanese word for cake would start off being spelt as "keeki", but when you learn the symbol for "ke", it will be spelt in the later chapters as "ケ-ki". This system is incredibly useful, as it drills the symbols you know into your head so you know them by reflex, but sometimes words are written in full kana due to incorrect editing, forcing the reader to go to the glossary at the end of the book to see what the symbol sounds like. Whilst being a minor issue, I thought that this was important to mention, as some people may become confused and think that they didn't know some kana that they should have learnt earlier, or think that maybe they skipped a bit of the book where you learn the new kana.Besides the minor errors, this book is greatly helpful and plentiful in content that assists learners and teaches them new concepts/grammar rules effectively. If you're interested in learning Japanese for either professional reasons or out of interest, I'd recommend no other book series to you than Japanese From Zero!, as it doesn't overload you with information and allows you to learn at your own pace. For the amount of content here, the price is completely justified, so if you want to start learning this intricate and fascinating language, look no further and purchase this book.

I haven't worked so hard and so effectively since the 70s on workbooks. I am enjoying this so much. I watch the YouTube videos and encouraged by the author I persevere. It takes work to learn a new language, it doesn't just happen and it's very important to me that I make this work. This series and the authors make it achievable. If I'm flailing around a bit then the workbook sections at the end of chapters help clear things up. I'm thrilled with my progress.