Particles are one of the most difficult aspects of the Japanese language. This is precisely why there are a good number of books on the market dealing with the subject. Most of these books take up particles as independent entities, so that after having studies them, students are, if all goes well, familiar with the functions of the individual particles. One unfortunate side to this approach is that some of the particles share the same functions (but with slight differences), and so even though students may have grasped the general nature of each particle, they are not sure about the differences between the particles that have similar functions. Well-known language book author Naoko Chino solves this problem by grouping the particles by function, defining them, giving samples of usage, and clarifying differences. Each section is followed by dual-purpose quizzes that allow readers to test and practice their knowledge. In this way, while not replacing general reference books on particles, this book goes a step beyond them and helps students nail down the troubling differences between particles. For students who find themselves befuddled when confronting such differences, How to Tell the Difference Between Japanese Particles should prove the perfect tool to further their understanding.
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About the Author
NAOKO CHINO resides in Tokyo, where she is a lecturer at Sophia University. She is the author of All About Particles, Japanese Verbs at a Glance, and A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Sentence Patterns, all published by Kodansha International.
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3.8 out of 5 stars
8 reviews
69 of 69 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must-have guide to a murky area
July 31 2005
By Zack Davisson
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
"I sat at the chair." "I went on school today." That is probably what most of us sound like when we start really speaking Japanese, merrily swapping around all those cute little "ni"s, "wa"s, "de"s and "ga"s. It gets even worse at an upper level when the mysterious "hodo"s and "kana"s start rearing their ugly heads. Particles are one of the most confusing aspects of Japanese, and one of the biggest road blocks to conversational fluency.
Every student of Japanese could use "How to Tell the Difference Between Japanese Particles." It is a practical, concise little book that contains a wealth of information. Unlike Naoko Chino's previous particle book, "All About Particles," this volume contains practice exercises and demonstrations of the most common mistakes of Japanese particles. It is more of a workbook, that should be followed from start to finish.
Chino takes several similar but confusing particles, such as "particles indicating time" or "particles used for comparison," then highlights the different usages of each particle, along with demonstration sentences in both English, kana and romaji. Like all good Japanese books, the emphasis is on the kana, with the romaji and English doing support work. After each chapter, there are several quizzes to test your new knowledge. The book closes with an overall test on the entire book.
The comparative nature of this book, along with the repeated quizzes, make "How to Tell the Difference Between Japanese Particles" one of the most useful Japanese study guides that I own. It serves a niche purpose, but a very useful and necessary one.
Every student of Japanese could use "How to Tell the Difference Between Japanese Particles." It is a practical, concise little book that contains a wealth of information. Unlike Naoko Chino's previous particle book, "All About Particles," this volume contains practice exercises and demonstrations of the most common mistakes of Japanese particles. It is more of a workbook, that should be followed from start to finish.
Chino takes several similar but confusing particles, such as "particles indicating time" or "particles used for comparison," then highlights the different usages of each particle, along with demonstration sentences in both English, kana and romaji. Like all good Japanese books, the emphasis is on the kana, with the romaji and English doing support work. After each chapter, there are several quizzes to test your new knowledge. The book closes with an overall test on the entire book.
The comparative nature of this book, along with the repeated quizzes, make "How to Tell the Difference Between Japanese Particles" one of the most useful Japanese study guides that I own. It serves a niche purpose, but a very useful and necessary one.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
a superb guide to a complicated subject
Sep 6 2007
By Dewdrop
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This book does a superb job teaching the difference between closely related particles, allowing students to grasp subtle distinctions in meaning and usage.
Chino has written an excellent book - the text is very clear and concise, well organized, and illustrates each point with great examples. Students can study the particles by reading through the book and then reinforcing what they've learned by taking the quizzes at the end of each chapter. Afterwards you can continue to use the book as a handy reference guide.
The book probably isn't suitable for beginner level, as the example sentences are too difficult and many of these particles are beyond the scope of beginners. But intermediate and advanced students will definitely benefit. In the blurb, the author promises to quickly give students a knowledge of the particles that would normally take years speaking Japanese to acquire, and this is no exaggeration.
I strongly recommend this book as a great way to quickly pump up your Japanese grammar.
Chino has written an excellent book - the text is very clear and concise, well organized, and illustrates each point with great examples. Students can study the particles by reading through the book and then reinforcing what they've learned by taking the quizzes at the end of each chapter. Afterwards you can continue to use the book as a handy reference guide.
The book probably isn't suitable for beginner level, as the example sentences are too difficult and many of these particles are beyond the scope of beginners. But intermediate and advanced students will definitely benefit. In the blurb, the author promises to quickly give students a knowledge of the particles that would normally take years speaking Japanese to acquire, and this is no exaggeration.
I strongly recommend this book as a great way to quickly pump up your Japanese grammar.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's truly all about particles!
Aug 19 2008
By Christina L. Lechner
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is absolutely fantastic and critical for students of Japanese--from beginners, who are just learning about particles, to advanced students, who should brush up on particles and learn as much as they can about them. This book can't even compare with dictionary definitions--it goes much further beyond that! Instead of giving flat out definitions and making groups of particles all sound the same, it gives examples and restrictions of when and how to use the particles.
There are also quizzes at the end of each section and a main test at the end of the book. These are very useful, and it gives you more motivation to take notes in the book.
The author groups the particles into sections--the first one dealing with particles about time. This is very smart, considering that some particles--if spaced out throughout the book too far--could become confusing with one another. Although, please note, that some particles found in much later chapters are much more common than some found in the first chapter.
Kudos to Naoko Chino. Kudos.
There are also quizzes at the end of each section and a main test at the end of the book. These are very useful, and it gives you more motivation to take notes in the book.
The author groups the particles into sections--the first one dealing with particles about time. This is very smart, considering that some particles--if spaced out throughout the book too far--could become confusing with one another. Although, please note, that some particles found in much later chapters are much more common than some found in the first chapter.
Kudos to Naoko Chino. Kudos.
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3.8 out of 5 stars
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