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Foreword

ORIGIN OF THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Where did the Japanese spoken language come from? No one knows for sure. Some feel there’s a strong connection with the Altaic languages of Central Asia. Others believe Japanese is derived from the languages of Southeast Asia and Polynesia. And a few insist that Japanese has no connections at all with any other language.

The writing system, on the other hand, came from China in the sixth century. At that time, Buddhism was being introduced from China, and a writing system was necessary to propagate the wisdom of the sutras.

JAPANESE FOR FUN

This pocket book is intended for people who want to learn Japanese quickly. Whenever you have a few free minutes—waiting in a hotel lobby, riding on a train, or wherever—open this book and you can learn phrases you’ll use again and again during your stay in Japan. The book is divided into twenty-two chapters, each covering a specific topic. Each chapter includes the following three sections:

Words & Expressions: This section introduces words and expressions needed in specific situations. The vocabulary is presented systematically for quick and easy understanding. Simple sentences using the words and expressions are provided under the title “Examples.”

Expressions in Context: This shows how to use the words and expressions given in the preceding section within the context. The “Mini Dialogues”, sometimes followed by “Other Expressions,” is aimed at giving you confidence to use new words in sentences.

Additional Words & Expressions: By providing more words and expressions related to the topic of each chapter, this section enables you to create many new sentences using the patterns just learned and increase your vocabulary. Simple sentences under the title “Examples” will also show you how to use the vocabulary in daily situations. There’s no need to memorize all the words or phrases presented here; concentrate on just those you want to use.

Start by reading the first three chapters of the book. These introduce many of the most commonly used words and phrases, and familiarize you with the basic sentence structures. After Chapter 3, go straight to any chapter that interests you. If you want to know what to say on the phone, read Chapter 14; if you have to take a train, a few minutes with Chapter 9 should enable you to reach your destination quickly and conveniently.

This book contains a total of over three hundred carefully selected words and expressions. There is very little grammar included and there is no need for hours of rote memorization. All that is required is a few minutes of your time.

One final word of advice: do not be afraid to use what you learn. Only by taking the initiative and speaking regularly can you experience the joy of communicating in a foreign language. We hope you’ll discover how fun and easy speaking Japanese can be.

Taeko Kamiya