I think you nailed this review! Thank you so much for taking the time to make it! We would love to have you review Kanji From Zero! book 2 once it's completed.
Ah!!! So glad you liked it! :D I'd be super happy to review all of your other material if you'd let me. :-) I also gave a positive review on Amazon as well. Keep up the good work guys!
I have a deep love of Japanese culture and I LOVE how much MORE I've learned about it through this book. Kanji aren't just random lines meant to confuse you. This book also great for adding hundreds of more words to your japanese repetoire. 5 out of 5
Hi! This video was really helpful for me because I just started learning Japanese a few months ago and I wasn't sure if this book would be for me. Great video.
I'm going to get the book now lol. I'm also using another source too but its online. Her youtube channel is called Japanese Ammo with Misa. She is another good one too because she is a native speaker.
What a great review. Like you I am a massive JFZ fan. One big thing you nailed in the review most others don't mention, The target audience. This is for the beginners and probably self study. This is me to a tee. I have just finished book 1 of JFZ and am feeling pretty good right now. Anyway , well done, just about one of the best reviews of a textbookI have seen and heard.
Thank you for doing this review! I’ve been thinking about getting this book but I wasn’t sure if it was gonna be just as good as their other books. It’s definitely on my list to buy now. Great review!
Cool video! Would you recomend that you start with the japanese from zero books? I bought the first one, so I'm very much a beginner. Should I wait and do them first?
I always recommend beginners start with the Japanese From Zero books first! The first two books teach hiragana and katakana while the third book onward teaches kanji. You can technically start learning kanji whenever so long as you already know hiragana and katakana. For that reason, I recommend using the Kanji From Zero! books only after finishing Japanese From Zero book 2. Hope that helps! :)
アメ人 this is great, I've just started learning Japanese with Japanese from zero books, and was wondering when the right time would be to start learning kanji. Good review by the way
This would have probably helped me out a lot I just simply learn from various website and a app called hello talk where talk to Japanese people and the correct your grammar.
Hey, I have a N5 level of japanese, with almost known 100 kanjis, I got the korean version of it and I reeeeeally love it and thought of getting the Japanese to continue my studies. Which one should I get? I can't waste money on something I already know :( Loved the review on the Kanji. I'll definitely buy the kanji version!!!
Wow your Japanese pronunciation sounds... I don't want to say like a native but to me it does sound like a native. How do you improve your pronunciation like that?
I have a question, I have the 5 books and it looks like the last 3 books teach Kanji, do I still need to buy this book or is it just those 3 books compiled in one book? Thanks
thats hilarious :) it has only been mentioned 100 TIMES in the comments that it's written for beginners.. don't beginners usually start in the shallow end of the pool?
I honestly hated the progressive system. It's kind of absolutely annoying if u already know all ur kana... I ended up re-writing everything in full kana
😅 Yeah, that can be annoying for people who already know it. I wonder if they will ever make a version without that progression--one that teaches hiragana (or all of kana) in the very beginning or just blurbs about it to appeal to those who already know it. But like I said, this series is geared towards the absolute beginner. I think they could get a lot more customers if they made a version of the book without the progression.
I mostly agree with your assessment. But what point is in buying the book when we know that it stops with Kanji No 240. I bought it a few years ago in the hope that soon will come out follow-up volumes. I expect as minimum 1,000 Kanjis. So I am disappointed.
It's kinda late, but I'm going to say it anyways. The book is for beginners, and mostly covers only the beginning stages like level N5 and at most N4. So, you can't expect to have that much kanjis since 1000 is around N2 level, and that's not a beginner. This books are simply basic foundation to start you in Japanese rather than giving you some advanced stuff.
I tried DuoLingo out for a little bit, but it was way below my level and it seemed to try and fit the Japanese language into a Western Language learning mold. For that reason, I don't recommend learning Japanese using DuoLingo. There's actually a MUCH better free app called LingoDeer that's tailored to Japanese and the other major East-Asian languages. I definitely recommend it. Actually, I made a video about it! You should check it out!! :D
They might be working on a book 2, so you could go from there. Personally, if you want to learn kanji along with vocabulary and are willing to spend a little money, I would highly recommend an online program called WaniKani. If you want physical books, then maybe start looking at some JLPT Kanji books around your level and go from there. Or you could even try the Kanji Kentei books.
Thanks for helping me! This is inspiring! Now Is this the PERFECT guide to learning Japanese? I already have Japanese for dummies, I use DUOLINGO and memrise. I don’t want to use so many methods to learn Japanese. I need one source and your SURE this is it? 🤔
Tiaran83 This specific textbook, “Kanji From Zero”, is not an all-in-one resource-just for studying kanji characters. If you’re looking for an all-in-one resource, I would recommend a formal textbook like the Marugoto Series or the Genki series. The From Zero! Japanese textbooks are great for self-study-ers as well. :) Good luck on your journey! Please let me know if you have any more questions.
You said its good for self learners but not college students. Cant college students also be self learners? So why is it bad for college students? Do you mean college students enrolled in a Japanese language class?
Yes, I meant that it's not so great if you're taking a college class in Japanese. But if you're a college student who is learning Japanese on their own, then it's fine for you. I just wouldn't make it a required textbook for any college Japanese course.
SoHardToBeMe Haha, good thinking! It’s actually a shortening of the word, “アメリカ人”. It happens all the time in Japanese! There’s also another reason, but I’m planning on making a video about that later. 😉
I can see why people would, especially those who like to learn at their own pace. I did not use it for hiragana or katakana, I am still learning, and I doubt that I would need one to learn. Perhaps to reinforce or delve deeper into the background/etymology of the symbols.
@Matheus Guimaraes, Hiragana and Katakana are the easiest characters in the Japanese language to learn and are learned easily without getting a book specifically for them. I bought Japanese from Zero 1 and it covers all the hiragana characters throughout the book while teaching plenty of vocab and grammer in one book. Point is you get a much better value when you get a book that does more than teach you just the basic characters of the language.
It takes you well over 3 minutes to actually begin reviewing the book after you say you're going to review the book...edit the video and put his other products at the end.