Rating: 
Summary: Extremely helpful for learning Kana
Review: I began learning the Japanese language not long ago. Although one can learn romaji, if you go to Japan, well, they write in Japanese. So, I figured I should start learning kana (and then kanji) as soon as possible. I looked through our library, and found this book. It has been incredibly helpful in learning kana. Be warned, this is not a book that teachs grammer or any such thing, for that purpose buy a different book, or prehaps a computer program that teaches Japanese. But if your goal is to be able to have a rudimentary understanding of the kana, this is a great book. I have been learning for maybe 2-3 weeks now, at a rate of about 2 characters per day, and can write recognizably almost half the hiragana characters. Also note, that of course practice is key. Every day I rewrite the kana I have already learned, and do pages of practice of the new characters. I also suggest photocopying the page you're using two or three times, as the one page in the book will never be enough, and you may wish to use it again later. Finally, this book actually teaches only the basic characters, modified characters (with nigori or maru) are only shown in pictures. However, that's no major setback, as they're not so different as to require another set of pages. I am also using this book in conjunction with a website that shows moving .gifs of how to write the kana figures. Between the two, I have been able to learn kana quickly. Realize, of course, that this book does not garuntee mastery of kana, nor does it make it unbelieveably easy. The Japanese alphabets are difficult to learn, plain and simple. However, this book certainly makes it easier. It's great for self-study, and better if you have a native Japanese person to tell you where your mistakes are (but we all know not everyone has a Japanese person coincidentally living next to them). All in all, if you're set on learning kana, buy this book!
Rating:
Summary: Extremely helpful for learning Kana
Review: I began learning the Japanese language not long ago. Although one can learn romaji, if you go to Japan, well, they write in Japanese. So, I figured I should start learning kana (and then kanji) as soon as possible. I looked through our library, and found this book. It has been incredibly helpful in learning kana. Be warned, this is not a book that teachs grammer or any such thing, for that purpose buy a different book, or prehaps a computer program that teaches Japanese. But if your goal is to be able to have a rudimentary understanding of the kana, this is a great book. I have been learning for maybe 2-3 weeks now, at a rate of about 2 characters per day, and can write recognizably almost half the hiragana characters. Also note, that of course practice is key. Every day I rewrite the kana I have already learned, and do pages of practice of the new characters. I also suggest photocopying the page you're using two or three times, as the one page in the book will never be enough, and you may wish to use it again later. Finally, this book actually teaches only the basic characters, modified characters (with nigori or maru) are only shown in pictures. However, that's no major setback, as they're not so different as to require another set of pages. I am also using this book in conjunction with a website that shows moving .gifs of how to write the kana figures. Between the two, I have been able to learn kana quickly. Realize, of course, that this book does not garuntee mastery of kana, nor does it make it unbelieveably easy. The Japanese alphabets are difficult to learn, plain and simple. However, this book certainly makes it easier. It's great for self-study, and better if you have a native Japanese person to tell you where your mistakes are (but we all know not everyone has a Japanese person coincidentally living next to them). All in all, if you're set on learning kana, buy this book!
Rating: 
Summary: fun for novices too
Review: I was hoping that if I used this book, I would be able to do Japanese-ish calligraphy for some art projects. After a lot of practicing, which has been fun, I still can't make strokes cleanly enough. It takes a LOT of practice. I recommend photocopying the practice pages. And if you intend to do brush calligraphy, enlarge them while you're at it.
Rating:
Summary: The FIRST book to buy when learning Japanese.
Review: I work for a Japanese company here in the US, and learning Japanese for me is essential to my job. I not only see print, but handwriting on a daily basis. This book is fantastic! It shows the reader exactly how to make the strokes, in what order the strokes are made, and implied relation between Hiragana and Katakana. This is truly the first book to buy when learning Japanese. You must be able to identify the characters before building a sufficient vocabulary! This is better than the worksheets we get here in the US when learning English. You will be glad that you bought this book!!!
Rating:
Summary: The FIRST book to buy when learning Japanese.
Review: I work for a Japanese company here in the US, and learning Japanese for me is essential to my job. I not only see print, but handwriting on a daily basis. This book is fantastic! It shows the reader exactly how to make the strokes, in what order the strokes are made, and implied relation between Hiragana and Katakana. This is truly the first book to buy when learning Japanese. You must be able to identify the characters before building a sufficient vocabulary! This is better than the worksheets we get here in the US when learning English. You will be glad that you bought this book!!!
Rating:
Summary: a good supplement!
Review: Make no mistake, this book has one purpose and one purpose only: to show you how to write the japanese characters within hiragana and katakana. It has ample space to practise, and explains in what order the strokes should be for proper writing.
I found it refreshing to use to remember what each character actually means and would recommend it as a good supplement aid to any japanese language course. (personal or class)
Rating:
Summary: A good practice book
Review: The beginner's kana workbook is clear and neat and it gives the right order for the pen strokes to be done. It also has an appealing global approach to kana and includes a final section of useful ready-to-use sentences that help get started with Japanese reading.
Nevertheless it lacks of more explanations about handwritten Japanese and about the commonest variations (e.g. for the "sa" sound). The hirigana way of writing of some basic greetings words that people mostly read in the romanji form of writing are also missed.
Rating:
Summary: The first step on the road to Japanese proficiency
Review: The first step to learning Japanese is to learn kana, both hiragana and katakana. It is just like learning the Alphabet. The more difficult Kanji comes only after mastering the two basic writing systems. All quality Japanese books will use a kana base, rather than a romaji (English writing of Japanese) base. Kana learning is incredibly simple, and is basically learning the strokes, then getting a good workbook for practice. I found the "Beginner's Kana Workbook" to be an excellent tool in kana acquisition, with appropriate exercises for both writing forms. Also, hiragana and katakana are combined in one book, as they should be, for a good price.
Rating:
Summary: The first step on the road to Japanese proficiency
Review: The first step to learning Japanese is to learn kana, both hiragana and katakana. It is just like learning the Alphabet. The more difficult Kanji comes only after mastering the two basic writing systems. All quality Japanese books will use a kana base, rather than a romaji (English writing of Japanese) base. Kana learning is incredibly simple, and is basically learning the strokes, then getting a good workbook for practice. I found the "Beginner's Kana Workbook" to be an excellent tool in kana acquisition, with appropriate exercises for both writing forms. Also, hiragana and katakana are combined in one book, as they should be, for a good price.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Valuable Resource
Review: This book is excellent for anyone wanting to learn Hiragana or Katakana. You can work at your own pace; there are plenty of words and symbols to practice. It's even better to copy the pages as worksheets so you can continue to use the book for review. For me, it is helping with my pronunciation of Japanese syllables and vowels. I definitely recommend this workbook. It's definitely worth it.
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