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hisuin's review against another edition
4.0
Pendiente queda una buena reseña del libro y los puntos que trata. En general, ahonda temas que normalmente no se suelen explicar muy en detalle en las clases de japonés, e ilustra sus explicaciones con varios ejemplos.
Como puntos negativos, he encontrado alguna de sus explicaciones algo complicada o difícil de seguir. Además, utiliza casi exclusivamente romaji para las palabras o frases en japonés, lo que dificulta tremendamente la lectura.
Como puntos negativos, he encontrado alguna de sus explicaciones algo complicada o difícil de seguir. Además, utiliza casi exclusivamente romaji para las palabras o frases en japonés, lo que dificulta tremendamente la lectura.
kwarnberg's review against another edition
3.0
Jag misstänker att jag kommer att läsa om boken igen om några år, när jag förhoppningsvis har en djupare förståelse för japanska. Och jag misstänker att boken då kommer att få högre betyg. I dagsläget är jag helt enkelt inte på en tillräckligt hög nivå för att få ut så mycket av boken som jag skulle kunna få. Därav ett i dagsläget lägre betyg.
tsharris's review against another edition
4.0
Brief, humorous, and useful guide to some sticky problems in comprehending written Japanese. Rubin provides some useful notes on what to pay attention to when reading. The one problem with this book is that it uses extensive passages of Japanese text in Romaji> instead of kana and kanji. Not sure why the publisher couldn't be bothered to print the Japanese.
javerend's review against another edition
4.0
Wry and charming, an excellent collection of short explainers for some of the more obtuse (at least to English speakers) parts of the Japanese Language. Does require a fair bit of Japanese knowledge to appreciate, and, to me, worked well as a way of reframing things that have already been learned and wrestled with and learned again; I doubt it would be of much use to someone who is still more-or-less a beginner.
Worth a read, and perhaps a re-read (it is pretty quick) at some point in the future
Worth a read, and perhaps a re-read (it is pretty quick) at some point in the future
sasha_in_a_box's review against another edition
4.0
This book was recommended to me by my favorite professor ever, who taught Japanese translation at university. And it was definitely a great recommendation. This book is useful to me not just as a translator, but more as a Japanese teacher. The issue of Wa and Ga and endless modifiers is always a tough one to explain, and I feel better equipped to deal with the kids' questions.
Mr. Rubin, though. What a character. He makes me think of a dad or an uncle who jokes with the waitresses and laughs too loud at his own funnies. He's a great translator, especially of technical/other nonfiction material. Fiction, though. I don't know what it is. I'm a native speaker of Japanese and when I read his translations, they make sense, but the atmosphere is never quite carried through perfectly. I wish I could work with him on a project and learn his skills wrangling the endless Japanese sentences that have to be translated ass-backwards. And maybe add my two cents about atmosphere.
But I digress. This book is a great resource for students and teachers. Right on.
Mr. Rubin, though. What a character. He makes me think of a dad or an uncle who jokes with the waitresses and laughs too loud at his own funnies. He's a great translator, especially of technical/other nonfiction material. Fiction, though. I don't know what it is. I'm a native speaker of Japanese and when I read his translations, they make sense, but the atmosphere is never quite carried through perfectly. I wish I could work with him on a project and learn his skills wrangling the endless Japanese sentences that have to be translated ass-backwards. And maybe add my two cents about atmosphere.
But I digress. This book is a great resource for students and teachers. Right on.
pookykun's review against another edition
4.0
I lived in Japan for a year.
(I romanced not one single Japanese man while I was there.)
I have spent the best part of a decade circling the drain of Japanese Beginner.
(I befriended not one single Japanese person I didn't also work with while I was there.)
I wanted to be able to play final fantasy VII in Japanese by the time I was 30. Having reached that age, I am not even almost that good at reading kanji.
(I did wind up in a gay bathhouse in Shinjuku one night, which in some ways was the most ffVII thing I did in that country, but it wasn't as exciting as it should have been, and I didn't speak much, or read much, while I was there.)
Maybe if I had spoken to more people in Japanese, I would have learned faster, and if I had learned faster, I might have made better connections with people who didn't only speak English. If I had done that, maybe I'd be playing RPGs in Japanese by now. Maybe I'd be doing any number of things I once dreamed of doing.
What does any of this have to do with this book? I don't know. Leave me alone.
(It was pretty good! I recommend it to Japanese learners, though probably not beginners. It's difficult at times.)
(I romanced not one single Japanese man while I was there.)
I have spent the best part of a decade circling the drain of Japanese Beginner.
(I befriended not one single Japanese person I didn't also work with while I was there.)
I wanted to be able to play final fantasy VII in Japanese by the time I was 30. Having reached that age, I am not even almost that good at reading kanji.
(I did wind up in a gay bathhouse in Shinjuku one night, which in some ways was the most ffVII thing I did in that country, but it wasn't as exciting as it should have been, and I didn't speak much, or read much, while I was there.)
Maybe if I had spoken to more people in Japanese, I would have learned faster, and if I had learned faster, I might have made better connections with people who didn't only speak English. If I had done that, maybe I'd be playing RPGs in Japanese by now. Maybe I'd be doing any number of things I once dreamed of doing.
What does any of this have to do with this book? I don't know. Leave me alone.
(It was pretty good! I recommend it to Japanese learners, though probably not beginners. It's difficult at times.)
cloudtet's review against another edition
4.0
This was a pleasant read, and a breath of fresh air after what I've been reading recently. It's light-hearted, humorous, and about a topic in which I find genuine interest. These things set the bar exceedingly low for finding enjoyment. The length is also good.
Rubin has a way of explaining things and breaking down concepts in a manner that is easy to understand, which, paired with his humour and light-heartedness, makes it hard not to enjoy exploring the knowledge he has to impart. In that sense, I suppose he is quite reminiscent of Richard Feynman.
Verdict: 8/10
Rubin has a way of explaining things and breaking down concepts in a manner that is easy to understand, which, paired with his humour and light-heartedness, makes it hard not to enjoy exploring the knowledge he has to impart. In that sense, I suppose he is quite reminiscent of Richard Feynman.
Verdict: 8/10
ninineji's review against another edition
4.0
A very very good essay. It's nicely written and quite witty. The author clarifies a certain number of points in Japanese language that often appears vague to the students. It's the kind of book that you read once in its entirety and then you come back to it when you think about the Japanese language and you want to clarify.
The last part where the author explains how he actively understand a long Japanese sentence by anticipation is very clever and interesting to follow.
After reading, I really feel like I learned things. Not necessarily about Grammar per say, but how I can approach the Japanese language.
It quite makes you want to get even better.
I only regret the use of romaji that made it difficult to me to read from time to time. But you always can use post-it and translate it in hiragana/kanji... it's actually a good exercise.
The last part where the author explains how he actively understand a long Japanese sentence by anticipation is very clever and interesting to follow.
After reading, I really feel like I learned things. Not necessarily about Grammar per say, but how I can approach the Japanese language.
It quite makes you want to get even better.
I only regret the use of romaji that made it difficult to me to read from time to time. But you always can use post-it and translate it in hiragana/kanji... it's actually a good exercise.
shenia's review against another edition
5.0
A very good collection of japanese grammar concepts that are often hard to grasp for foreigners. I found myself thrilled to finally understand the difference between wa and ga (and avoiding the subject all together) after years of thinking it was something one could only get through intuition and practice. I even quoted it to my partner (who doesn’t study japanese)! The writing was insightful, funny and interesting to read, with an appropiate difficulty for my personal japanese level (somewhere between N3 and N2, for reference).
Some people say that the explanations were too long, and that might be true if you expect to read a grammar textbook. This was more similar to going to a lecture where a professor with lots of experience speaks to you about the technical aspects, the mindset and the overall approach towards learning and enjoying a new language.
Some people say that the explanations were too long, and that might be true if you expect to read a grammar textbook. This was more similar to going to a lecture where a professor with lots of experience speaks to you about the technical aspects, the mindset and the overall approach towards learning and enjoying a new language.
ashleylm's review against another edition
4.0
What a treat! Almost 5 stars, if only I wasn't lost for most of it. I don't know how to speak Japanese, and am a rank beginner in terms of learning to read it, so some of the trickier bits sailed past me--but it was astonishing how much I grasped, and how enjoyable it was to read about the intricacies of this language from an opinionated, humorous, knowledgeable author.
I even ran around quoting bits of it to uninterested friends, colleagues, and family, that's how much I liked it. It reads like a series of blog posts of varying lengths on several subjects, and you're sure to find a few of them to your taste, if not all.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
I even ran around quoting bits of it to uninterested friends, colleagues, and family, that's how much I liked it. It reads like a series of blog posts of varying lengths on several subjects, and you're sure to find a few of them to your taste, if not all.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!