Japanese Learning Materials in Beijing

[Lauren88]

Hi,

I am currently living in Beijing, but will be spending some time in Japan. I would like to get my hands on some Japanese language learning materials. Can anyone suggest a place to find Japanese materials for native English speakers?

Thanks,

Lauren

[roddy]

Tricky, but you might get lucky at the Foreign Languages Bookstore on Wangfujing - not the Wangfujing Bookstore itself, the one further north. They have had imported Teach Yourself books previously, and they may happen to have a Japanese one. Check the top floor, they have a lot of reference / textbooks up there, presumably because the inflated prices causes all the books to float . . .

[yingguoguy]

I'm pretty certain Roddy is right about being able to get the Teach Yourself books at sky-high prices, but luckily if it's the book I'm thinking off, I think it has very good grammar explanations and might be worthwhile. It's all written in latin script which is a major drawback though.

Both the Wangfujing Bookstore and the Foreign Languages Bookstore have a ton of Japanese language learning material. For the intermediate learner it's an absolute mecca for dirt cheap good study materials, but for the beginner learning Japanese from a Chinese textbook is going to be a daunting task. I would however recommend you get your hands on either or both of:

みんなの日本語 Minna No Nihongo

しんにほんごのきそ Shin Nihongo no Kiso

(Amazon doesn't seem to have pictures of the covers, but Minna book 1 is red and white and has a tiled pattern a bit like a stained glass window).

These books are used by a lot of university courses in England (and as I understand it everywhere else). They are very similar in style as Shin was initially designed for (Chinese?) engineers going to Japan, and then Minna was an updated version designed for universal appeal (literally Japanese for Everyone). They're different enough that at Chinese prices it's worth getting both if you're really keen. They're divided into a main textbook which is entirely in Japanese and the same the world over, and various Translation books which have vocab and grammar notes each of the different languages. You won't get the English translation book in China (afaik), but the price difference means it makes sense to buy the main text here, and buy the translations in Japan. Make sure you get the tapes (60 quid in England as opposed to 60 yuan here). You will definately need to use it in comination with an English language book, as you'll be scratching your head a lot otherwise.

Also there's a nice set of lessons from NHK the Japanese national broadcaster. These aren't archived but update every week, however as they're on lesson 52 and they repeat them every year, I think they'll start again from lesson 1 next week.

[atitarev]

1。家内です。

トム:失礼ですが。。。

安斎:あ、ハードさん！暫くですね。

トム:先生、家内です。

ジル:ジルと申します。初めてお目に掛かります。

安斎:安斎です。始めまして。

トム:安斎先生は僕の歯医者さんです。

ジル:どうぞ宜しく。

トム:家内は英語の先生です。

安斎:ああ、すですか。ハードさんはイギリス人ですね。奥さんもイギリス人です

か。

トム:いいえ、イギリス人でわありません。アメリカ人です。

安斎【あんざい】 Anzai (p,s).

初めて【はじめて】 (adv,n) for the first time; (P).

お目に掛かる【おめにかかる】 (exp) to see (someone); to meet someone.

暫く【しばらく】 (adv,int) little while; (P).

歯医者【はいしゃ】 (n) dentist; (P).

トム:これは先生の傘ですか？

安斎:はい、私のです。どうも。

ジル:新聞も先生のですか。

安斎:いいえ、それは私のではありません。

安斎:それはどこのチーズですか。

ジル:これですか。これはフランスのチーズです。

安斎:それから、あれは何ですか。

ジル:ああ、あれはイギリスのジャムです。

安斎:何のジャムですか。

ジル:苺のジャムです。

安斎:全部食べ物ですか。

トム:いいえ、そうではありませんよ。ほら、あれ！

安斎:ああ、ロールスロイスですね。

苺【いちご】 (n) strawberry; (P).

全部【ぜんぶ】 (n-adv,n-t) all; entire; whole; altogether; (P).

食べ物【たべもの】 (n) food; (P).

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I typed in ALL of the book...