Learn Japanese Today

Remember how I had that tidbit about -っぽい a couple posts ago, and I said it’s something you don’t really find in textbooks. Well, they have it in this book. 13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese by author and translator, Giles Murray, shown below rocking out a very stylish purple shirt.

This book basically kicks ass. Each secret has it’s own chapter and they range from manga translation, to children’s word games, to detailed explanations and histories for some of the more interesting loan words. The chapters I found most useful were the chapter containing 41 prefixes and suffixes you probably won’t find in textbooks(like -ppoi), and the synonym generator chapter, which teaches you four other ways of replacing a word you don’t know, so your conversations can go more fluidly without a dictionary. I have started applying these secrets in conversation and my Japanese has gotten noticeably better. For a detailed outline of all the secrets, check out Giles Murray’s website here.

Anyways on to the fun part of the review:

Ease of Use: 8.5

Each secret is well organized, usually with a lesson at the beginning, followed by some way to test what you’ve learned, and then a list of vocabulary used at the back. Each secret is pretty clear about what it offers, but this really isn’t the kind of book you can look in for a certain piece of information like a dictionary. You just have to read it and see what you learn.

Authenticity: 9

The real strength of this book is in teaching you all sorts of ins and outs of authentic Japanese that would be hard to cover in a textbook. There’s a lot of stuff in this book that I’ve tried out and found immensely useful and accurate in conversation with Japanese people. However, you should be careful with the included Blackjack manga, as well as manga in general. A lot of the vocabulary used is archaic or niche-slang, not stuff you would generally use.

Quantity of Knowledge: 9

For the size of this book, there’s so much useful knowledge, including idiomatic expressions and fluency tips, that it’s really hard to find consolidated anywhere else. Each secret feels fully fleshed out, and the vocabulary lists and glossary give you a little something extra to study after you’ve read the book.

Price:9

Right now you can get this book for $7-$12 on Amazon, and it’s easily worth that. When I first bought it at Borders it cost $17, and I still don’t regret it at all.

Fun: 10

This is easily the most fun Japanese learning book I’ve ever used . I’d often find myself reading it instead of watching TV, and I think that really speaks to its strengths. The book is written with such an air of frivolity and humor that you just don’t want to run out of secrets. Trust me, it’s so good.

Overall: 9.3

There’s never a dull moment with this book, and it stands up so well to multiple rereads. If you don’t have the extra $10, check the library or borrow it from a friend. You need to read this book.

To buy it online, click here

For other books by Giles Murray, click here

I’ll try to get some of those up in the future. I hope you enjoyed the first review!

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