Common Japanese Collocations: A Learner's Guide to Frequent Word Pairings

by Kakuko Shoji (editor)

Collocations are word combinations that occur in natural speech more frequently than can be explained by chance. In English, we say, "take a bath" (or "have a bath" in British English), but in Japanese the equivalent is "get in a bath," o-furo ni hairu . The verb hairu is the one that
collocates with o-furo .

It has long been recognized that the study of collocations can lead to more natural language production, and yet until now there has been no book on the subject for learners of Japanese. Common Japanese Collocations will be the first resource to introduce the most frequently used noun-and-verb and
noun-and-adjective combinations.

The book is divided into six thematic chapters centering on daily life. Each chapter presents more than a hundred key entries, which consist of a noun and a selection of words that go with that noun. Some collocations come with example sentences that demonstrate how the word pair can be used in a
sentence. In addition, throughout the book there are notes on common usage errors.

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

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2010

Reviews

[Till Raether · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

This is the most enjoyable Japanese language textbook I've come across so far. The examples are well-organised and practical, but at times also quirky and just random enough to be entertaining.

The furigana are so very tiny though and not in the most easily readable print font, but oh well

[Marija S.]

A useful book for learners, but it is absolutely baffling that is doesn't contain a glossary.

[Joshua Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

very useful for the intermediate learner of japanese. there are many examples you can read. english and japanese sentences where kanji uses furigana.

it is a bit cluttered but it is well organised such that you can see clearly the topics.

not so relavant, but if this had an index at the back it would have been exceptional! i guess the contents page should get you close enough to your desired topic.

[Nirmal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers aspects of Japanese that many JLPT preparation books overlook. It includes useful vocabulary ranging from N5 to N1 level. To read and speak naturally, it is essential to understand the relationships between commonly used words. This book provides numerous examples that illustrate these connections, helping learners develop a deeper and more natural command of the language.