Japanese from Zero! 1: Proven Methods to Learn Japanese with Integrated Workbook and Online Support

I have studied Japanese on and off for many years, but when I decided to 'get serious' with studying this wonderful language, this is the book I chose to study from. The accompanying videos on YouTube were a huge consideration for me. This is extremely clear to work from and the explanations make it easy to grasp the concepts of forming sentences and using the language you learn. It even manages to explain quite complex ideas in a clear way and for the first time I fully understand how to conjugate verbs and can now do so with Japanese verbs. This felt like a HUGE win for me. This starts off with simple concepts and builds upon them to give you confidence and useful knowledge. This book has a workbook built into it, with reading and writing exercises (with an answer guide in the back) and these exercises really help you grasp and solidify what you have learnt in that chapter. This books also teaches you Hiragana and I love the way that as you progress through the book the words are gradually built up with each Hiragana you learn, until by the end everything is written in Hiragana and you can read and understand written Japanese. Of course there is Katakana (which is covered in book 2) and Kanji which comes in book 3 onwards. The author has also written a book called Kanji from zero, which covers Kanji a little more. But learning Hiragana so quickly and effortlessly is a huge win and will impress native Japanese and will also enrich your experience when you travel in Japan. This isn't necessarily a book that'll teach you lots of phrases you can use on your holidays, right off the bat, but instead builds a solid language framework and introduces vocab, so you can build your own sentences and actually understand the language. This is much better than simply learning by rote. I also like how the author teaches a style of Japanese that is actually used and which is useful when in the country. Some courses will teach very formal and stilted Japanese, and whilst the author does teach you polite forms, he also teaches langauage that sounds more natural. A simple example of this is 'ja arimasen', compared to 'junai'. They both mean 'not' but one is more stuffy and the other will make you sound more natural (I'll let you read the book to find out which!). As someone who wishes to use Japanese when I am in the country, this is essential for me and will hopefully open up another side of Japan that I may not have seen. My personal way to use this book was to read through each chapter to familiarise myself with the material, then watch the accompanying YouTube video for that lesson to get a clearer idea of pronounciation and any tough parts. Then I'd go back and work though the chapter in a slower, more methodical way, answering the exercies and making notes. I used the Ankidroid app to make up flashcards for all the words and phrases from each chapter, so I could study and test myself when out and about. And I also used a notebook to write up mind maps and mneumonic techniques for the more 'non-sticky' words. In conjunction with this course I also listened to Michel Thomas cd's in the car and used an excellent Particles dictionary (which I have also reviewed on Amazon). Using all these techniques together has really helped the info in this course sink in and start to build a decent framework to build upon. This course is great to work from. You quickly grasp difficult concepts, feel as if you actually understand the way the language is formed and the accompanying videos are light hearted and a wonderful additional media to aid your study. I can't recommend this book enough and if you wish to seriously learn Japanese and unlock your full potential, then give this a try and see what it can do for you.

Japanese from Zero I purchased this book way back in 2012 when I first began the long and daunting path of learning Japanese as a hobby. However, I can easily say that even after building up an impressive collection of Japanese language books over the years, this is still the standout one along with the rest in the series. They have been written by George Trombley who actually grew up in Japan yet is not Japanese themselves. This helps as they are able to give a first-hand experience of the ‘Text book’ way and the ‘everyday’ way of talking and also boast strong English skills to help translate the subject better. A good example is saying something simple like what is your name. 99% of Text books will tell you to say, “Watashi no namae wa _____ desu” However, in this one you will be told to say “_____ to moushimasu” instead as it is a more natural way that a real Japanese person would say it. After speaking to many Japanese people over the years I can also confirm this to be true. The book covers a huge range of areas for the level such as simple introduction (Hello, my name is, goodbye) counting numbers as well as time and dates. Reading Hiragana and much more. It has questions on almost every page with a full list of answers at the back of book and a dictionary of all the words you will learn in this book. Of the four current books available, this is probably one of the most difficult in the series mainly because it is the first one so it has a lot more ground to cover. The later books are more about improving or adding to what you know and by that point you will have a strong understanding and grasp of the subject. However you shouldn’t let that put you off. A good example of how much you will learn in the first book is by how much your questions will improve without realising it. At the start, you will learn to ask the question. “What is it?” (Nani desu ka) Then after one chapter it will become, “What colour is it?” (Nani iro desu ka) next chapter, “What colour is your car?” (Nani iro no Kuruma desu ka) “What colour is your mothers car?” (Anata no okaasan no kuruma wa nani iro desu ka) While that may not look very impressive when looking at the English side, it really is a huge amount of information to learn in such a short amount of time. If you look at the words in the brackets, you can see how much information you can learn in just a matter of a few weeks. One of the things this book does that I really have not seen another learning book do is slowly add the Japanese Hirigana to the Romanji words. (Romanji is Japanese letters translated into an English format) For example, it will teach you the Hiragana vowels, A,I,U,E,O and then replace those in the Romanji format. It is very hard to explain but it does work and is a very good way of teaching the letters. So to summarise, while my Japanese level is way beyond this book at this point, I really do owe a lot of that to this series. Even today, I still find myself coming back to it from time to time to brush up on some old knowledge. If you are thinking of learning Japanese or have just begun to then I highly recommend this book. You will use this one repeatedly and for the rest of your learning experience.

This is a book that does exactly what it says. It teaches you Japanese from zero. I am going to give you a detailed explanation as to why this is the best book, in my opinion, to start learning the Japanese language. After some time, I have to say that this is the best book for people with zero knowledge in Japanese. It is for anyone who wants to study the Japanese language on a deeper and serious level without spending money on a teacher or course. I’ve studied the books 1-3 and left it for a few years. I have now decided to take the Japanese language test and following some instructions, I started reading Genki Vol. 1 (as it was recommended by teachers for people who want to take the JLT N5) but had I not previously finished Japanese from Zero, it would have been nearly impossible to learn anything about the Language. English is my second language and Japanese is going to be my fourth. Having ADHD requires for me to be and be kept interested and also to primarily understand why something is the way it is and Japanese from Zero! has given me that and have personally found it the best place to start learning. I highly recommend this book to anyone new in Japanese language and culture. Study the books in conjunction with George’s YouTube videos and the website. Use everything at your disposal. Also the community is very welcoming and nice, so I urge you to also join the discord community. FYI I also used Duolingo and other sites but that’s just me, I wanted to learn more. I cannot stress enough how much I appreciate the work being put into this series of educational books and thank George for this. Do not hesitate to start with this book series as it will take you long way. Genki, despite being made by Japanese educators and being recommended by everyone, (I really don’t know why) is nowhere near as detailed and helpful as Japanese from Zero!. The structure in Japanese from Zero! makes sense. It introduces you slowly into each theme and knowledge you need to acquire and gives you the right tools to learn. In comparison Genki gives you only what they assume you’ll need but at the same time, not enough to help you grow or understand. When it should be detailed is not and when it should hold back it gives you more than you need to know about something. Also, the structure is all over the place. Genki is a book that should be taught in a classroom and should be accompanied by other materials whereas Japanese from Zero! makes that need redundant. I hope that this helps anyone starting now.

I am currently using this book and am probably 80% done with it so i feel i have most things in order to say how the book does. First and foremost, the book is very in-depth, when it teaches you new words (and more importantly grammar) you are given lots of examples of how it is used and how it should be used and alot of example Questions and Answers which you can gain a true nature to this. Also alot of the words introduced at the beginning or end of a lesson unit are frequently used from then onwards to help you memorize them even better, sadly some other words offered in the book (commonly the ones you might pick up on from 'common Hiragana words' or when practicing Hiragana arnt revised well but these arn't intended to be teached to you, there more extra's so i dont think its worth getting upset over. Otherwsie the layout is very simple and easy to follow which helps keep a easy understanding to new words and rules being introduced. I have had little to no issues for learning rules other than remembering stuff from time to time so i think its well to say it teaches very effectivly. My only true problem with the book is down to 2 things: 1> As many other said there are some minor mistakes in the book. I have only noticed one so far and thats when they wrote the japanese 'Inu' instead of neko (cat). Otherwsie the only mistake i found is one page had a printing error and a small courner of the page text hasnt been printed, this was ok though as it was only saying what to do in the exercise which i already knew as i had done it several times. 2> This is so much a problem but i think its worth mentioning. The lessons are lengthy, this is good by all means, but i when starting out did a lesson per day, this way tough on me, assuming you read all examples and probably take everything in a lesson could take up to 5hours all at once, its definitely possible to do this but for most people 5hours a day can be tiring, and people like myself find it hard to free up more than 3hours. I wouldnt say they need lowering in lengh but maybe split them lessons into Section A and B, (this is what i do, i revise all examples and new words and practice the Hiragana, then i make section B the exercises and do them the next day, splitting it into 2-3hours sessions.) (First point is reason i only gave 4 stars, if not for that it would be 5/5. Reason 2 is personal so i dont see it countable) Otherwise this tool has proven very effective. It's hard to find a study book which teaches you from no knowledge at all to a good level, i feel i know alot more now and i learned alot from this book. I will deffinetly get book 2, i think its a must buy for someone who wishes to self study japanese. Also the work in the book can become quite fun when you get into it and you find yourself learning fast after your half way in so dont be intimidated at first if it seems hard, everything is well explained :)

Absolutely fantastic! Yes, this book is really well written and easy to follow but... above all it’s fun! I’ve always found learning languages difficult. With boring text books, meaningless memorisation of phrases you’ll never use (I know how to reach the airport and I doubt many people care that I got to the cinema by train). This book series is so different. It teaches HOW to make phrases for yourself. Basic at first yes, but you quickly become inspired to try new things for yourself. I now feel confident enough to chat with Japanese people on Hello Talk and I’ve only just started Book 2. What makes this series really great is the author, who compliments every lesson of the book with a YouTube lesson. This help solidify what you’ve learnt, helps with pronunciation, encourages and is genuinely entertaining. Add to that a website and podcasts... The only negative I have is that I feel having bought a set on Kindle (because it was cheaper than the books) I’ve really missed out. I’d recommend buying the print version. The books have worksheets at the end of each lesson, that really challenge and help with learning. The Kindle app has some simple note taking but really lacks the ability to draw on the worksheets as intended. When I’m a little further along, I’ll definitely get Kanji from Zero in print. To the Author: Thanks George and Yukari for giving me a hobby and inspiring me to see it through. Japanese is challenging but you make it rewarding and have given me confidence to try, fail, learn and try again. I have quite simply never encountered such an excellent language learning resource. I wish school had been this fun!

I've been learning the Japanese language on and off for 7 years around my college and university studies and have been to classes, watched subbed anime and Japanese TV, and bought many many resources to try and grasp even the basics of the language. By this point, I had so much information about grammar and vocab and there was just no way I could streamline it and make sense of it. With the Covid lockdown, I saw an opportunity and decided to grab yet another study book to try and learn the basics - from zero. I was very VERY pessimistic, cause as you can imagine I'm swimming in pages of other books that haven't worked for me already but this book was definitely worth the buy ESPECIALLY WHEN COMBINED WITH THE JAPANESE FROM ZERO YOUTUBE LESSONS! The book begins by introducing pre-lessons to give a strong foundation for the proper lessons that follow. It then slowly introduces one or two new concepts in its lessons at any time and gives you a general list of vocabulary to familiarise yourself with and guides you through the use of the concepts with vocabulary that you already know. I've already completed 6 lessons and am taking some time to review everything I've already learned because my past mistake with this language has been trying to rush through to be speaking as soon as possible. Even as someone who has quite a lot of time experiencing Japanese, this book combined with the youtube lessons to review is proving to be an invaluable part of learning the language. I can't really comment too much on learning the hiragana from scratch from this book because I've known them for a very long time now, but the addition of relearning them and the intricacies of their stroke orders and positioning when writing is helping to tidy my handwriting. I'm finding this also helps to break up the lesson enough so that you haven't forgotten all of the grammar points and vocab, but by the time of the Q&As you've forgotten enough that you're still challenged enough to have to think properly through your answers. I'm really looking forward to the next lessons in this book and in the next books to come and will definitely be buying the rest. Just a note: if you have this book and book 2 it isn't necessary to buy the Kana from Zero book cause it's literally an exact copy to the word of what's in this book and book 2.

As a learner of Japanese I've been studying mainly from Genki, but following the rule of "never learn from one source" I wanted a supplementary course book. I chose the JFZ series on the merit of the author George Trombleys YouTube channel and website, which is packed with useful, informative lessons and ask a teacher sessions. JFZ has served as an excellent supplement. George's method of teaching is friendly, often humourous, and cuts a lot of linguistic jargon, keeping explanations clean and easy to understand. Less time looking up linguistic terms is a real benefit and his time living and growing up in Japan is a benefit to those he teaches, leading him to he lean towards a naturalised way of speaking rather than the textbook style you can find in many books. Also, the vocabulary he offers is more relevant to real life, books such as Genki offer a university centred vocabulary (why do I need to know medical terms?). On this JFZ is much more useful. I do have a few complaints, but they are fairly trivial. Firstly, I knew the Kana before purchasing JFZ, so his progressive approach in the first two books (which may be useful to those who are just starting out) is something I'd choose to avoid. However, this doesn't detract from the quality of the lessons themselves. As a result it puts Kanji off a little, not a massive deal but I think Kanji should be introduced off the bat. While the books lack audio supplements, the YouTube channel more than makes up for it. In terms of pace, JFZ books are offered in more, smaller volumes - each two volumes of JFZ cover about the same content as each volume of Genki, taking you to around an intermediate level. So, if you were to buy all of the JFZ books (1-4/5) then you'll cover the same level as Genki I and Genki II but save yourself a few bucks in the process (Genki still works out more expensive). I highly recommend George's books, they'll serve you well and recommend following his YouTube Channel and website.

I rarely write reviews but this book deserves me taking the time to write one. First off I have been trying to learn Japanese off and on for a number of years but at different points became scared off by one thing or another. Usually when a new concept was poorly introduced leaving me feeling like I would never grasp it. This year I decided I was going to set aside at least an hour a day and almost became discouraged again when COVID19 happened. I purchased this book in the hopes it would help me to progress and really wasn't expecting much as I've tried this with other books with no success. After 2 months with the book and watching the YouTube videos after each lesson. I'm finding the concepts are sticking and I'm understanding sentence structures, grammar and retaining words. George is a great tutor and is very easy to follow and as in the book uses examples which make things stick which has always been an issue for me. I learned hiragana and katakana through flash cards a long time ago but never how to write them and now that I am learning how to write them in the book it's making following along even more fun. My 5 year old Daughter loves helping me and learning too. I highly recommend this book for anybody looking to learn Japanese at the right pace and with a perfect flow. I can't stress enough how much this book has helped me. I can't wait to get the other books in the series. Thank you George.

الكتاب كبير وممتاز ولكن الغلاف معفط للاسف مو مرره جديد

Recomendado como introducción para el aprendizaje del idioma japonés, tiene muchas actividades, va de lo simple a lo complejo y tiene buena dinámica de inserción de nuevo vocabulario y escritura japonesa progresiva. No es un libro infantil, es más para adolescentes y adultos. Se puede complementar el aprendizaje al avanzar de nivel los libros de niveles posteriores.

This book is structured for beginner's learning of Japanese. I have learnt how to read Hiragana from this book. And I even understand simple conversation and request.

this is the best book to read and write and learn and speak Japanese and if you are a big sucker for anime I think this is the best book to learn Japanese and able to enjoy anime to a next level. And it is easy to learn and I think anyone one can use this book and learn Japanese and I foregut to mention that the author of this has a YouTube channel called Japanese from zero

Questo è il libro perfetto per chi non ha mai toccato (e dico mai toccato nulla) che sia inerente al giapponese. Il libro parte proprio dal sillabario hiragana (nel secondo il katakana, cioè il sillabario per termini stranieri) su come scrivere ogni singolo carattere, partendo poi con le frasi più basilari ( ad esempio nella prima lezione la presentazione, poi i numeri etc) con tanto di piccole sezioni dedicate a vocaboli ad inizio capitolo (con tanto di scrittura in romaji, hiragana e kanji), grammatica e note culturali per ogni capitolo, passando poi infine agli esercizi (domanda e risposta) e traduzione.Il libro può trarre in inganno le persone adulte dando perscontato che sia un libro adatto solo per bambini per via della copertina ma non è così, il libro spiega in modo molto semplice e chiaro tutta la grammatica e struttura della frase giapponese.Questo è solo il primo libro e per ora ne conta in totale 4, in arrivo forse il quinto. Posso dire che ho il libro della hoepli e il genki (il genki poi costa un botto) e tra questi 3 preferisco proprio japanese from zero, forse perché spiega in maniera meno schematica e monotona rispetto agli altri due, contando anche che questi due libri sono più rivolti ad uno studio scolastico, mentre japanese from zero è rivolto di più verso gli autodidatti. Forse l'unica pecca è che il libro non è proprio adatto ad un neofita (non sono né neofita ma neanche ad un livello intermedio) e trovare le frasi scritte (parlo di frasi, non della singola parola) scritte solo in hiragana può essere un po' fastidioso ma...nulla di grave alla fine.Conosco quasi tutti i kanji a memoria (intendo quelli del libro di Heisig) e vedere solo la versione in hiragana fa quasi sentire l'apprendimento un po' parziale, non del tutto completo.Ad ogni modo è perfetto per qualunque categoria, sia per chi non sa nulla ma anche per chi sa già qualcosa, è sempre un buon strumento per rispolverare la lingua.La cosa che trovo molto carina è la fase progressiva di come i romaji (i nostri caratteri) vengono sostituiti nel tempo dagli hiragana dopo l'apprendimento di alcuni di essi dopo ogni capitolo. Ad esempio, se io trovo la frase -> kuruma desu ka? dopo 2 capitoli diventa kuるma deすか? e poi くるまですか? ed infine con l'aiuto dei kanji inseriti per ogni vocabolo 車ですか?. Altra pecca (ma è soggettiva come cosa) è che il libro è disponibile solo in lingua inglese, quindi non adatto a chi non conosce la lingua.Per chi invece ha dubbi può consultare la versione kindle e farsì lì direttamente un'idea più o meno chiara se acquistarlo o meno. Vi assicuro comunque che il libro è che scritto in un inglese molto semplice e che tutti (o almeno la maggioranza) può benissimo acquistarlo con tutta la serenità possibile, ve lo assicuro :). Ultima cosa che ho dimenticato di citare è che il libro non ha in dotazione il cd, ma credo che per la maggior parte delle persone non sarà un problema per via della diffusione di manga e anime; ma per chi non ha mai avuto a che fare con il giapponese, vi posso rassicurare che la sua fonetica è come quella italiana, per cui non sarà un problema.