The Best Books and Study Materials to Learn Japanese

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The Best Books and Study Materials to Learn Japanese

While attending Ohio State University as a Japanese major, I spent four years discovering what books work and what are a waste of time. This is a no-nonsense guide to provide you with the best books and study materials to learn Japanese by yourself.

Japanese Core Language / Must Have:
The Japanese Spoken Language (JSL) Series by Eleanor Harz Jordan and Mari Noda

This is the official textbook that was used in my OSU Japanese classes and is used in many other universities such as Cornell, Yale, etc. I actually had the privilege to attend some classes that was instructed by the author of the book herself, Mari Noda.

Pros:
Probably the only Japanese books you would need

Cons:
Not much vocabulary, focuses more on grammar.

How To Use:

Each section includes conversations that you memorize, and by doing so you learn proper Japanese. Learn a new phrase each day, and go over the listening and speaking drills that go with it. The question and answer supplement is optional.

Free Japanese Audio:

All of the book’s conversations and audio drills are available free online at The Ohio State Language Lab. Try it out and listen to a few files. Even if you don’t buy the books, this is still a great resource; but the audio files were specifically made for use with the book so you would learn better having both.

Books That Are More Fun Than Helpful:

Kanji Pict-O-Graphix by Michael Rowley

Although the pictures are really fun and interesting to look at, the memorizing technique the book uses is a bit off. Many graphical interpretations of the kanji are very complicated, and some don’t even look like the kanji at all. It may be good for learning how certain kanji and radicals originated, but don’t expect to learn how to read Japanese from this book.

Japanese For Busy People by AJALT

This book has great grammar tips, but JSL covers it all and with greater detail. The nice thing about this book is the vocabulary it offers.

Conclusion:

If you’re serious about learning Japanese, the three JSL books are a must and really the only ones you need. You can have more fun reading some other books like Japanese for Busy People or Kanji Pict-o-Graphix, but don’t expect to gain fluency.