Complete Japanese: The Basics (Coursebook)

by Living Language, Kumiko Ikeda Tsuji

The top-selling Complete series has been fully revised, with all new supplemental material and a bonus wallet phrase card for travelers. Each program contains everything a beginner needs—a coursebook with 40 lessons, three hours of recordings on three CDs, a quick-reference learner’s dictionary, and an all-new indispensable wallet phrase card, all in a convenient and compact package.

The courses still use the popular and effective conversation building-block method, but all content has been thoroughly updated and now includes e-mail essentials and internet resources for each of the eight languages in the series. In addition, 18 supplemental vocabulary sections, covering such topics as “Family and Relationships,” “On the Job,” “Sports and Recreation,” and “Around Town,” are now included. As an added bonus, the new handy wallet phrase card with 300 essential words and phrases is the perfect reference for on-the-go learners, travelers, and businesspeople.

With a fresh look, great new features, and the same rock-solid approach to language learning, the best-selling Complete series is better than ever!

432 pages, Paperback

First published July 12, 2005

Reviews

[Juliette]

6/28/16
I chose this because it got better ratings (and a lot cheaper) than Rosetta Stone. We have two adults and a 9/10 year old learning, we do have the supplemental help of my Okinawan mother. I can say so far that while pronunciation is wonderful on the CD, inflection is missing (so far, I have not gone on line or beyond track 6 on CD 1).

July 2020
This is an DNF for a couple of reasons.
1. We had planned a trip to Okinawa. My mother, who is a native mentioned some issues with pronunciation and things you just don't say to family (which was not mentioned in the book). This might be a thing specifically to Okinawa and not Japan.

2. I got cancer. Kinda threw things off.

What we did get through was helpful and fun. I did use the charts for the alphabet a LOT and practiced my hiragana and katagana through the series.

Personally, I would read Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It before learning any language. I found this to be an easier approach to learning.

[Dushyant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first foreign language book I have ever read so I cannot compare it with other books. Moreover, I read this book to revise my basic Japanese which I had already studied in a class for one year from a native Japanese teacher. It served my purpose. What I found remarkable is the limited use of vocabulary which helps you learn the words and figure out the meaning of a sentence of a different structure with the same vocabulary. It boosts your confidence and motivates you to read it further. When you don't have much time to devote to reading, such techniques help.

[Jessica L Seay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am still using these books to learn Japanese and I love them. They are fun to learn by and easy to follow and understand for a low price. If you want to learn a language I highly recommend living language.

[Sammy C · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh. I got bored fairly easily, which is not good when I want to learn a language.