Classical Japanese: A Grammar

by Haruo Shirane

Classical Japanese: A Grammar is a comprehensive, and practical guide to classical Japanese. Extensive notes and historical explanations make this volume useful as both a reference for advanced students and a textbook for beginning students. The volume, which explains how classical Japanese is related to modern Japanese, includes detailed explanations of basic grammar, including helpful, easy-to-use tables of grammatical forms; annotated excerpts from classical premodern texts.

Classical Japanese: A Grammar - Exercise Answers and Tables (ISBN: 978-0-231-13530-6) is now available for purchase as a separate volume.

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

525 pages, Hardcover

First published June 17, 2005

Reviews

[Kendra Strand]

By far the best option out there for English-speaking learners of Japanese. Planning to use this with my students in future bungo classes.

[Anthony Wood]

Has a great overview of grammar with incidental notes and plenty of example sentences. A great resource and introduction.

[oni]

very informative and useful but i do wish some points were explained with more than just "for poetic effect"

[Chase]

if you are interested in Classical Japanese, this is a great introductory book for you. Classical is roguh, but this book is pretty good at clearing the fog.