Japanese for Everyone is your standard, run-of-the-mill Japanese textbook. It’s split into 27 different lessons that use dialogues, worksheets, and other resources to help you learn Japanese grammar, sentence structure, and new vocabulary. The textbook includes a dictionary and reference section, and is laid out in a very linear, easy-to-understand fashion.
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Pros
- Tried-and-true traditional Japanese textbook.
Cons
- Some dialogue is outdated.
- Requires you to already know hiragana and katakana.
- References audio tapes that are hard to find.
This is a very simple, very solid traditional Japanese textbook with no big surprises. If you’re a tech enthusiast who uses technology to help learn things, then this book may be too stone age for you; however, if you like the experience of learning with a physical, basic Japanese textbook, then Japanese for Everyone will be right up your alley.
Very Basics Are Missing
I came across a few issue while reviewing Japanese for Everyone. One thing that might be a problem for some beginners is that the book doesn’t teach you the basic Japanese alphabets, hiragana and katakana, it just assumes that you know them already. There are lots of other resources to learn these alphabets (like our free ebook), but if you’re a new student of Japanese and you don’t know either alphabet, then this book may not be for you.
The reviews I have read online have mentioned that at some points in the book it references audio tapes, which is problematic because firstly, who uses cassette tapes anymore? And secondly, these tapes are extremely difficult to find. Some reviewers said that they had to order direct from Japan to get a hold of these tapes.
Final Word
Minor problems aside, Japanese for Everyone is a great choice for those looking to teach themselves with the help of a physical Japanese textbook.