GENKI: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese, Vol. I

Genki #1

by Eri Banno, Yutaka Ohno, Yoko Sakane

Genki outlines in 23 structured lessons all the fundamentals of the Japanese language. Abundantly illustrated and containing a wide variety of exercises, Genki is sure to bring vigor to your classroom! Though primarily meant for use in college-level classes, it is also a good guide for independent learners and is a nice resource book for teachers of Japanese. Genki's authors teach at Kansai Gaidai University, which hosts the largest number of North American students spending their junior year in Japan.

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

344 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

Reviews

[Taro · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting tale of exchange student Mary Hart from Arizona who goes to Sakura University in Tokyo.
She meets up with the handsome Takeshi Kimura and they hit off the most epic romance in the history of textbook romances. She also meets new best friend Sue Kim from Korea, and Robert Smith from England, Michiko Yamakawa, Ken, Mr. Yamashita, a whole host of friends.
Share your panic with Mary as she thinks Takeshi abandons her on their first date... {spoiler} he thought she said Mo's Burger, when Mary really said Makkudonarudo! Mary waited for Takeshi there for an hour.
Still, there are some unanswered questions. Why does Taro keep his sandwich in the freezer? Why did Hitler want to buy a wallet from that hippie? Is Mr Nomura going to be ok? Did that old lady ever accept her bags to be carried for her?
It ends in a horrifying cliffhanger where Mary is sick. She had a stomachache yesterday. Will she ever get to her tennis tournament?!!?!?
Only Genki II will tell us.
Included is an audio recording of their adventures where Mary sounds mysteriously very native Japanese.
......


(As a textbook, this was fun. I have to admit that my school was pretty awesome and anyone in Vancouver learning Japanese should check out the Vancouver Japanese Language School (VJLS/バンクーバー日本語学校). The book is great for 20-somethings, intending on taking a longer (college-style?) course in Japanese. If you want to cram an education into a few weeks, it might not be as beneficial.
Tons of examples and exercises, and has a workbook companion. The CD includes audio by native Japanese speakers for almost all the Japanese in the text and in the workbook.
If you got the workbook and are a well disciplined self-learner (unlike me), this would be great to learn alone. Though nothing compares to additional live talking experience.
NB - there are currently 2 editions of this book and they have changed significantly... both of the last two years we had a student who used to old edition only to have troubles most classes in linking in, usually with exercises. So, check which edition your class is using. They both have just as good Japanese learning potential, just some of the examples and exercises are vastly different.)

[Karmologyclinic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just some notes for people shopping for Japanese learning material.

I think Genki is the best textbook-workbook for self learners of Japanese. I started both Genki and Minna no Nihongo to see which one I would stick with and it ended up being Genki. It has a lot of both writing and listening exercises, also reading and listening comprehension practice that is really helpful. Especially the listening.

Having said that I would say that the serious disadvantage of this book is the way it approaches grammar. The best way to describe it is, haphazard. You shouldn't rely just on Genki for grammar anyway, so as long as you have a complimentary Japanese grammar book (a good option is A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar) you're good to go.

I would also suggest a complimentary SRS method of teaching yourself Kanji, make your life easier, there are a lot of choices out there.

Off to Genki II now, to check out what this creeper Takeshi is up to.

[Brett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used this text when I taught Japanese in the University of Minnesota's Japanese department. I thought it was an okay book/system. Here are some thoughts:

There was a bit much focus on handwriting.

There was little focus on showing how grammar principles relate to one another. Rather, each principle was a standalone concept.

Many examples related to drinking and partying. I know the intended audience is university students, but do we have to assume that they are studying Japanese in order to enrich their debauchery?

There is no roadmap/review structure to the system. It's kind of a we-hope-you-absorb-some-stuff kind of a system.

My favorite thing about this system, however, was the tolerance for making mistakes. Other systems rely on rote memorization and performance, and that isn't really that helpful in the grand scheme. Learners need to try things out.

All of this said, if I were still teaching Japanese, I would develop my own system. I haven't seen a system out there that is that great.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

It taught me Japanese. Also the bane of my existence, at times.

[Sorina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Genki 1 textbook was a wonderful introduction to the Japanese language. The material is presented in a clear and succinct manner, and I find the explanations generally easy to understand. The textbook presents to you all the necessary information to learn a particular grammar point, but it also includes extra information for those seeking it. I felt that the vocabulary words introduced in each chapter were appropriate and generally useful.

The only part of the textbook I thought was lacking was an overall map of how it is going to present the Japanese language to the reader. Genki comes in three parts, and as this is part one, I was expecting something similar to a general overview of how the books are going to try to teach Japanese to the reader. I felt this was especially important because Japanese is so different from English, that it was confusing at times to learn certain grammar points, but not others, at certain times, without knowing where the textbook was headed. Other than that, I believe Genki 1 to be a solid introduction to the Japanese language.

[Tanaii · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently self-learning Japanese. However, I have a regular 9-6 job so finding time to squeeze studying in can be difficult. I am using a good variety of books tools for study - including Japanese From Zero! 1, GENKI: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese Workbook I, and two online resources that I absolutely love: Japanese-lesson.com NHK World | Easy Japanese. In addition to these, I also listen to some Japanese music watch anime in Japanese.

Genki is a formal textbook meant for the classroom. That being said, I find it easy to follow use. The only caveat is that book does not start with introducing the hiragana or katana alphabets. IT DOES INCLUDE THESE SECTIONS, so don't worry. However, they are located at the back of the book. The book comes with a listening CD (the workbook also comes with an audio CD) - so it does provide some listening ability which is essential when learning a new language. However, I didn't realize at first that the book included the hiragana, katana, kanji sections - so I started learning those through the Japanese-lesson.com site. Which, even though I now know that the Genki book includes these, I am still using the japanese-lesson.com to learn study the alphabets. I HIGHLY recommend japanese-lesson.com. They have practice writing sheets, audio videos to teach you how to pronounce letters, provide grammar points, and reading quizes.

Overall, I really recommend the Genki series. There is also an online Genki site with more resources to help you study.

[Bine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Endlich komplett durch mit dem ersten Textbuch!
Japanisch lernen macht mit diesem Buch wirklich Spaß, nicht zuletzt, weil die Charaktere der Dialoge und Aufgaben eine nette Geschichte erzählen, was einen gerne weiter lernen lässt. Das Buch ist sehr logisch aufgebaut mit einem Dialog, den neuen Vokabeln, einer Grammatiksektion, Übungen und hilfreichen Ausdrücken. Sicherlich auch für das Selbststudium gut geeignet, zumal man die Dialoge mit der beigelegten CD auch hören kann.
Selten stößt man aber auf Probleme, die man schlecht lösen kann, wenn man nur das Buch zurate ziehen kann. Außerdem werden manche Grammatiken nicht in einem Abwasch vermittelt, sondern es liegen mehrere Lektionen dazwischen. Es wäre z.B. sinnvoller alle Short Forms auf einmal zu lernen und nicht nach Tempus getrennt.
Ein gutes Lehrbuch auf jeden Fall, wenn auch nicht perfekt. Aber zusammen mit dem dazugehörigen Workbook und den CDs wird einem japanisch lernen recht leicht gemacht.

[Giorgia ジョルジャ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non ci siamo
元気じゃないです😡😡😡😡

[JV]

Em algum momento ali pela crise do governo Dilma, durante uma bad (desempregado e revendo alguns conceitos), me vi dentro de um rabbit hole do YouTube. Até às madrugadas me via envolvido em assuntos como escalar o monte Fuji, cat cafés e festivais de dança japonesa (não danço nem forró). A fase passou, mas ainda me interessava por Kendo, a situação imobiliária no Japão e walk throughs por Shibuya e Osaka por exemplo. Eventualmente passei a ler alguns mangás. Depois de alguns anos os meus interesses pelo Japão continuaram sendo apenas uma distração.

Isso mudou depois de uma conversa com um conhecido da minha esposa. O rapaz tinha saído do ensino médio, fazia curso técnico em design e era fã incondicional de K-pop. (Urgh!) Deplorando mentalmente o estado da juventude brasileira, só restava lavar minhas mãos pois o considerava um caso perdido. Eu disse repentinamente, com todos os vícios da linguagem urbana e cotidiana, provavelmente o interrompendo, “Mas porque tu não estuda coreano a sério já que tu gosta dessas coisas? Acho até que combina com tua escolha de carreira”. Foi talvez um conselho insensível e não requisitado, não lembro mais a resposta nem mantive contato depois daquilo; mas quando cheguei em casa pensei: cura te ipsum. Nesse momento decidi que queria aprender japonês.

Foi uma decisão contudo que teve de competir com muitas outras no jardim da minha vida. A escolha do Genki como primeiro guia me pareceu fácil; a maioria dos que falam japonês como segunda ou terceira língua o citam. Mas já pela terceira lição minha filha nasceu, na quinta voltei a trabalhar. Estudo ademais grego, latim e alemão – todas essas línguas demandam atenção e uso. Na décima lição comecei um EaD. Isso para não citar outras ocorrências de uma vida que não me deixa parar. Logo, meu método de estudo é o pior: devagar e sempre. Nessas últimas lições do Genki 1 me forcei a apressar o passo, fiz uma lição por mês. Só para terminar esse livro (mais caderno de exercícios correspondente) demorei mais de um ano e meio.

Mas meu Anki está sempre em dia. Tenho dois baralhos para japonês, um de kanjis mais Building-block-ish que quero decorar a ordem dos traços, e outro onde guardo kanjis complexos e palavras. Dizem que o número de ouro é 2000 kanjis para se dizer minimamente fluente. Assim, baseado nos baralhos, coleciono entre 400 e 700 kanjis na memória. Uso "coleciono", pois, menciono Donald Keene que dizia que aprender kanjis é como colecionar selos raros. O charme do aprendizado é a dificuldade mesma, o trabalho quase de amanuense de usar os caracteres, ordená-los e reordená-los na memória ocasionalmente. Por isso, mesmo a passos de formiga estou muito satisfeito com meu desenvolvimento, que sacrifica um pouco da velocidade em nome da organização mental.

Mas como é o japonês de quem termina o Genki 1? Consigo pescar aqui e ali algumas palavras de anime e kanjis que aparecem nos manuais de equipamento do navio onde trabalho. Escrever, ou antes compor textos, é meu sofrimento existencial visto que reduzir meu jeito de ser, meus rodeios verbais e forma mentis a umas poucas centenas de vocabulários é como voltar a ter 2 anos. A leitura é o bálsamo que guardo e que me motiva a continuar. Minha pronúncia é a de vilão de anime que fala devagar para que o inimigo saboreie a ameaça enquanto pensa nas escolhas de vida. A diferença entre mim e o citado vilão é que falo devagar pois estou pensando nas palavras que saem da minha própria boca como que da de um terceiro. Em suma: abaixo do A1 no quadro de avaliação europeu.

Se a vida seguir como o planejado pretendo seguir com o Genki 2, mas estou muito feliz por ter terminado o primeiro. A sensação que sinto é aquela liberdade que só quem tem consciência da própria força, mesmo que incapaz de prova-la a outros, pode sentir. A sensação de que posso qualquer coisa desde que me aplique um pouco por dia.

[Brendan Coster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not exactly sure how you rate a book you've basically lived with for over a year.

The first textbook I was working with did a better job getting you reading upfront - but was light on everythign else. This one was much more comprehensive but a slower burn in terms of 'feeling' successful. It really wasn't' until the end until I kind of realized I could read entire letters and stories.

Granting I could take as much time at any point as I wanted - I probably did better with this textbook then any I had in HS/College.

My lovely wife brought me #2 for Father's day and I've already jumped into it. it's starts right where #1 left off - starting on chapter 13 so the two are clearly 1 large volume split in half.

I'm also encountering that thing where you have to know a certain amount to really know more... or, the further along I go the easier it gets. The Genki series seems to be more acedemic then most of the other materials I've come across -- where most every other source I've picked up just wants you copying and mimicking right away -- the Genki series is definitely going to teach you what, why, and how before anything else and then at every point it gets you to produce answers yourself, rather then listen and repeat. I think this just works better for me, it might not really be the most efficient way to pick up another language, but it's clearly working.

My only complaint about the book is that the English offered is all in clean translation - that is how we would say something. 1) when noting what a sentence means in English, I keep it as rough as possible -- basically notes because translating it kills what a lot of it is actually saying. 2) I would have liked more lesson specific untranslated materials - I kind of think that would have been more useful then anything else. The back of the book review sections have some and I feel I got as much from the last 30 pages as the previous 270 in terms of practice/advancement.

IDK, the point of the thing is to not think in English, so my biggest complaint is that I think the book is trying to make new translators as opposed to people able to read in another language. If that makes sense. 'Tis a small complaint, ultimately - I've found other sources and this one book doesn't have to do everything - so it keeps a full 5 star rating.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this text helpful for picking up this language again, as I started studying decades ago but put it down until college. The text I own is the revised second edition. It contains 12 chapters, a cd in mp3 format, notes on Japanese culture and life (that the original edition did not have) in all chapters, vocabulary and expressions to reflect each chapter, and practice for grammar, reading, and communication. Additionally, users have the option to download the Genki Vocab app for Android. In the back of this book, you will find a Japanese-English and English-Japanese dictionary, map of Japan, number charts, and conjunction chart to help with your studies.

The beginning of this book will introduce you to hirigana and katakana along with some practice before diving into lessons, but I used a separate workbook called Japanese Hirigana & Katakana for Beginners by Timothy G. Stout (Tuttle is the publisher) to practice before jumping into Genki's lessons. This is because Genki is mostly written in Japanese, which is great because books that use romaji make it harder for me to retain information. If the text isn't written primarily in Japanese with some English to guide the user, I feel that it holds my hand too much and the information isn't retained when I go out and attempt to read Japanese. In other words, this book does a fantastic job of forcing the user to get into the habit of reading in the language they're learning and stop relying on English altogether.

It's no wonder this is a highly recommended text for students and self-taught students alike.

[Nym · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the textbook used in a majority of college courses, and is generally considered to be the gold standard for Japanese at this level. After finishing it, I can see why that would be. The structure of the lessons is well put together, giving you sufficient practice on each grammar point before moving onto the next. It's not just a one trick pony grammar book either, you'll also be working on your listening, reading and writing. As well as walk away with a (small) handful of useful vocab and Kanji to boot.

Despite being focused on classroom study, I found it to be well suited to self study as well. Though, you may find it to be a bit too slow for your tastes compared to some other options out there.

My biggest problem with this book (and a number of others) though, is that it uses romanji entirely too much, and for way too long. It's nothing but a distracting crutch that should be done away with immediately after you learn kana, which should be the very first thing you do in this language anyways.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've owned a lot of Japanese textbooks but I have to say that the Genki series (I an II) are the best that are out there. Each lesson is broken down into useful vocabulary, a couple of conversation with the grammar point included, an easy to understand explanation of the grammar point(s) with lots of good examples, some exercises to help you practice and then some oral conversation activities to practice in groups or pairs. There is also a matching kanji lesson for each lesson although I did not use that so much.
I've tried Japanese for Busy People and the Yokosou books but these texts are far and away better. These two textbooks helped me pass the level 5, 4, 3 JLPT tests. If you've finished with these two books and are looking for something a little more advanced, I would recommend "An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese" also put out by The Japan Times. These 3 books will get you 3/4 of the way to being a native speaker!

[Angelica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is ok (I read the second edition). So far it is one of the better ones I have read when it comes to learning Japanese. One of the main problems I have with this book is the vocabulary they have you learn. Some of the words in the book you will not use that much. The audio cd is really helpful when it comes to how to pronounce the vocabulary in the book. This is a good book if you want to teach your self Japanese. But if your using this book for a class be really careful because depending on the teacher the book can be useful or even more confusing. And also you should pick up the workbook for this book. The second edition of this book is out now and from what I know some of the problems the fist one had was fixed.

[Eirini Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yayyyy!! We made it through the first part of elementary japanese *without any losses haha* :D
I'm so happy, and Genki was a very very helpful book -wish it had more informal dialogues in it though!-
Anyways, so excited for the good beginning we made *yikees!*

[Alexander]

I have seen your pages so many times in the last 10 years. Sweet, sweet, Genki 1.

[Mat Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really solid book for learning Japanese. Every chapter kicks off with a dialogue, followed by vocabulary, grammar, listening and practice activities. The back of the book contain Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji practice and on the whole, I found this book more visually appealing and practical than some other books I have looked at.

My issue is that the answer book doesn't come with it and therefore I had to order that online. That was annoying. i am working my way through the workbook now and also purchased the Kanji book that is part of the series. I would recommend this as a good starter to Japanese. But get speaking as soon as you can - I left it too long.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second run through after doing it for the first time 12 years ago. Been wanting to brush up on my Japanese again after it had grown very rusty, and Genki is super easy to follow along with. Paired with some other resources for extra reading and listening practice, it builds a strong foundation.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book for learning Japanese! Very clear and easy to understand.
This is the book used in Genki JACS school in Shinjuku, Japan.

[Azri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but the translations are occasionally unclear/poorly worded. Would be easy for an independent studier to use (as opposed to, say, minna no nihongo)

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

日本語somewhat上手

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a year and three months of classes and private lessons, and lots of hours studying, I'm finally finished with the Genki 1 textbook. I usually wouldn't include a textbook on the list of books I've read, but considering how much time I've spent with this one, I think it warrants recording. On to book 2!

[Henrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

bra lättläst läromedel för grundläggande inlärning av japanska. finns en lösrykt story att följa genom kapitlen då ens ordförråd och grammatiska förmåga utvecklas (eller som i mitt fall, borde utvecklats).

[Phylicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a year of Yookoso-based Japanese language study, I came to Japan on an exchange, and went into an intensive-style class using Genki II - which was completely confusing, because Genki I taught so many practical grammar and vocab that my Yookoso-based studies left out (by both reading Yookoso and using a text made by my Japanese department that was based on Yookoso). Just say no to Yookoso.

[Cindhi Cintokowati · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you are a real beginner in Japanese, and you want to study it in a simple and easy way.. this book is the perfect guide for you! it provides you with new key vocabs at each chapter which is frequently used in daily conversation. In no time, you'll find yourself familiar in simple Japanese conversation and are able to actively involved in it. Love this book!

[Stuart Piper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished the definite beginner's textbook to Japanese, 1 month before I take the JLPT N5.

I've also been using:
For Test Prep: Tuttle's JLPT Study Guide, Tokini Andy's YouTube guide to Genki
For Vocab: ANKI decks
For Grammar: BunPro
& ChatGPT4o for error revision.

Now on to Test Exams for the final month countdown to first attempt at the famous test.

Thank you Genki!

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as thorough or clear as other language books but this one is fun. Fun is one of the most important aspects in learning a new language.

[Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

man can speak Japanese now wikced

[axxonn]

hey. it's nice

[Kristoffer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too basic for too long and is 75% aimed at groups.