Learn Japanese through Minna No Nihongo
Most Popular Minna No Nihongo Books
All About Minna No Nihongo
Intended to be used by a general adult learner, the books help the students to deal with the people around them through conversations that involve some negotiation and problem-solving. With all these things, the students are gradually ushered to a pre-intermediate level of Japanese grammar.
Though the books do not study aids for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), a student who was able to complete book one is estimated to be at the N5 level of the JLPT while completion of book two meant that the student is already at the N4 level.
Shokyu 1: Beginner Japanese
The first book also contains about 1,000 new vocabularies composed of words, conversational expressions, and proper nouns; around 100 grammatical items; 500- to 800-word reading materials; and may be completed within 100 to 150 study hours. Examples of sentences, dialogues, and review questions are also included in each chapter, aside from the sentence patterns.
Shokyu 2: Elementary Japanese
The second book presents the students with various types of reading materials, such as newspaper articles, essays, novels, letters, and understand the intention, writing style, and distinctive use of the language of the author, teaching the student how to praise and console; as well as show empathy. It also teaches students to express his or her opinions in different situations.
Chukyu 1: Intermediate Japanese
After finishing the Shokyu series, it is recommended for the students to move on to Minna no Nihongo Chukyu Honsatsu I to help them advance to the lower intermediate level by honing their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills.
Chukyu 2: Intermediate Japanese
The last level of the Minna no Nihongo series, if you reach the end of this set you are considered as an advanced intermediate and are able to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test N2.
Learning Materials
Textbooks
Translation & Grammatical Notes
Workbooks
Kanji Study & Practice
Reading Books
Writing Practice
Additional benefits
One thing about using the Minna no Nihongo books is that the students should have at least a basic working knowledge of hiragana and katakana. Though this might be a bit of a challenge for some, it is what probably sets this series apart from the other books which are written in romaji, or English letters. The Minna no Nihongo is written entirely in Japanese, and one must refer to the translation text for the pronunciation. It is recommended to have a hiragana and katakana syllabaries handy, for reference.
Adapted Difficulty
Each book contains 25 chapters which are composed of sentence patterns are arranged according to the level of difficulty, in terms of comprehension. It is done in such a way so that the students can consistently and gradually build up their knowledge and ability.
Useful Expressions
The series is known for cultivating the practical conversational skills of the students by understanding basic grammar and vocabulary and exposure to everyday conversations in various settings.
Grammar
Grammar lessons and exercises are presented in such a way that the function and usage are easily understood. It also covers every grammar point needed to be fluent at the intermediate level, as well as items and example sentences that will enable the student to proceed to an advanced level.
The CD
Aside from the main textbooks and the Translation and Grammatical Notes, the series also comes with two sets of CDs. It is on these disks that the student will find recorded vocabulary, sentence patterns, example sentences, drill, and dialogues, which are also part of each chapter of the books. Meanwhile, the questions from all the chapters are recorded on the fourth CD of each set.