Japanese Core Words and Phrases: Things You Can't Find in a Dictionary

Power Japanese

by Kakuko Shoji

Some Japanese words and phrases, even though they lie at the core of the language, forever elude the student's grasp. They are not explained satisfactorily in dictionaries or textbooks for the simple reason that they cannot be conveniently defined. Japanese Core Words and Phrases brings these recalcitrants to bay.


The book is divided into two parts, each of which is arranged in alphabetical order. The first part is devoted to words indicating physical as well as psychological distance—roughly equivalent to "this," "that," "that over there," and "where," but quite different in usage. Physical distance is covered in most textbooks, but psychological distance—every student's nemesis—is not.


The second part of the book covers a variety of idiomatic expressions, many of which appear in Japanese proficiency tests. Each entry word or phrase is not simply explained but exemplified in sentence form, clarifying its meaning (in the case of many students) for the very first time.


Japanese Core Words and Phrases has a great deal to offer the beginning student and much to offer the intermediate student. Little more can be asked of a book on the Japanese language.


Previously published in the Power Japanese series as Core Words and Things You Can't Find in a Dictionary.

Genres: Japanese Literature, Language, Reference, Nonfiction, Japan

132 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1999

Reviews

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I appreciate what this book is attempting to do, I'm left confused on how it's supposed to be effectively utilized. The first section is divided into syllabaric categories, but any semblance of organization is thrown out the window in the second part. There are only the two parts, and while the quality of the information is high and potentially useful, the lack of scope makes me more aware of what the book doesn't have than what it does. For the level of Japanese being used, furigana should have been employed as opposed to having the example sentences written three times, once each in Japanese, romanji, and English; the romanji sentences are what push this book last one hundred pages. The lacking ease of access in combination with my concerns over how useful it actually is lead to my giving it a lower rating. If I find I use it more than I thought I would, I'll come back and change my rating in reflection of that.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Instead of the "core" words promised by the title, this book presents what seems to be a largely miscellaneous and almost arbitrary collection of expressions and vocab, the latter of which are actually pretty easy to look up in a dictionary, despite what the cover tells you. The explanations are too terse and rely heavily on example sentences to get the point across. This book is just so random and disorganized that I can't recommend it, which is a shame because the author's other books are pretty good.

[Amaury Pesteil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a very agreeable read being only 125 pages long and so quite compact. A pretty useful resource nonetheless which lists all those pesky words and constructions which every student of Japanese has to grapple with at some point (何が何でも, どちらかといえば, それからというもの, etc.) If you manage to get the hang of all the example sentences, you will have essentially mastered written and spoken Japanese.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is no doubt that there is a lot of good information in this book. It's too bad it's poorly edited. For a book for Japanese language learners, it's unconscionable for it to give phrases in kanji without furigana or a romaji transcription. I don't know what they were thinking.

I wish I could remember all that is presented.

[Yupa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libretto fondamentale per cominciare a districarsi tra tutte quelle congiunzioni e particelle giapponesi (kore, kara, wa/ga, ecc.) che sembrano tanto banali ma in realtà possono cambiare radicalmente il significato delle frasi a seconda dei millemila modi possibili in cui usarle.
È il non capire che spesso è proprio il modo d'uso di particelle a dare il senso preciso alle espressioni, che porta a due fenomeni tipici dello studente di fronte alla lingua giapponese:
- pensare che sia una lingua vaga e inafferrabile; mentre in realtà sembra tale solo perché si sta guardando alla parte sbagliata della frase.
- "comprendere" le frasi e tradurle in modo completamente sbagliato e fuorviato senza nemmeno accorgersene; succede spessissimo, specie quando si è alle prime armi... ma succede anche a traduttori assoldati e pagati e pubblicati da determinate case editrici.
Questo libretto, se studiato a fondo, permette di evitare i due rovinosi inciampi di cui sopra.
E poi, a quanto ne so, è l'unico in inglese che faccia un lavoro del genere. Dopo, ci sono solo i manuali monolingua, con le celebri lunghissime liste di espressioni idiomatiche...