Comparison of Japanese Textbooks Table

From RevTK

Here is a comparison of popular Japanese textbooks.

The Comparison Table

This is a work in progress. Please add to the wiki yourself if you own the book. If you don't know how to edit the wiki, you can give me the book's information in the forum discussion and I can add it. Please add prices if you can find them. Try not to put in your own opinions unless you think they are relatively factual and helpful to others. I'm new to editing wikis, so please make the table flashier or better formatted if you know how!

I put a link to a sample of the textbook if I could find one. Google Books, Amazon.com and/or Amazon.co.jp, White Rabbit Press, and The Japan Shop often have previews, so check those places first. I have only listed samples outside of Amazon (many are from Google Books previews).

I've tried my best to estimate vocab numbers, types of exercises etc. based on samples and reviews if I don't own the book. If you think I'm incorrect, please let me know in the RevTK forum discussion (linked above).

I made a template for each row that you can copy. To see the template, go into Edit mode and look below this line. |- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Choosing a Textbook

Think about what's most important to you and see which books fit most of your criteria (price, kanji w/ stroke order, #vocab, #grammar exercises, reading passage topics, etc.). You probably don't have the same criteria as me. To start your research, look at this table, read samples, read customer reviews, and visit the book's website. If you can find the introduction to the textbook (the samples provided below often have it, or amazon.com, or amazon.co.jp), reading through it can give you a good idea of the structure of the book, its possible strengths/weaknesses, as well as how the authors intended it to be used. If you want a book that focuses on writing, for instance, you probably don't want to choose a book that emphasizes speaking. You can also tell if the book has an appendix and how much work you will have to do to finish each chapter (are you going to have to look up the English definitions of the words yourself? Do you care? Smaller details like this may be important to you).

Most of these books assume you already know the Japanese kana (hiragana and katakana writing systems). Some of them, however, at least show you the general stroke order in a table. If you need to practice the kana, try out this website: Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide: Kana

In general, all of these textbooks have gotten pretty good reviews. None of them are perfect though. You may like one better than another, but if you spend too much time searching for the perfect textbook, you won't learn any Japanese! So choose one that you think will suit you best, stick with it until you finish, then move onto the next level. I suggest not buying multiple textbooks unless you want one for supplemental material, otherwise you probably won't progress very far in either of them, and you will also waste money. Have fun learning!

Scroll to the right to see entire table ==>

	Price	JLPT Level	#Textbooks	Chapter Format	#Vocab (total)	#Kanji (total) (stroke order?)	#Grammar points/chapter	#Grammar exercises/grammar point (or per chapter)	Type of grammar exercises	#Chapters (total)	Workbook(s)? (Are they necessary for practice? Please note price)	Answer Key? (Included, or separate -- please note price)	Audio? (Y/N and included or separate)	Detailed Explanations? (Easy to understand?)	Kana or Romanization? (stroke order?)	Pace	Setting/Topics (if applicable)	Formal or casual Japanese?	Comments	Sample
Textbook
Japanese for Everyone (JFE)	~$20	N4	1	Dialogue, vocab list, Grammar functions with exercises, reading comprehension, listening comprehension	2500	450. Does not teach stroke order. Uses furigana over new kanji.	~5	1 to 4 (~3 on average) per grammar point. 10-15 per chapter	Variety. Describe pictures, answer questions, partner dialogues, fill-in-the-blank, reading comp, listening comp.	27	Yes (Hard to find. Not necessary). There is a grammar workbook and kanji workbook (~$40 each?).	Included in back	Yes, separate (Hard to find and technically out of print. But can download online. If you special order from somewhere will probably be at least $80)	Has brief explanations with sample sentences. Pretty easy to understand most of the time. Does not go into paragraphs of explanation.	Kana. Starts using kana in Chapter 1. Romaji is gone by Chapter 4. Does not show stroke order.	Pretty fast-paced. Probably not best for absolute beginners or people who freeze when something doesn't make sense right away.	Husband and wife go to Japan for business.	Teaches both. Starts using casual in chapter 1.	A great bargain. Not for absolute beginners or people who need lots of handholding. Demanding, dense, fast-paced, and challenging.	sample
Genki I & II	$50 per textbook. $30 per workbook. $15 for answer key (I and II).	N4	2	Dialogue, vocab list, grammar, exercises, culture note, useful expressions, kanji list	1700	317 (stroke order shown).	3-7	Generally multiple. There's quite a few compared to most other textbooks. With the workbook you will have lots of practice.	Answer questions, describe pictures, translate, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, conversation with a partner.	23 total (12 in Vol. 1, 11 in Vol. 2)	Workbooks are supplemental. There are quite a few exercises in the textbook. ($30 each).	Separate ($15). Includes answers to Book I and II.	Included in 2nd edition.	Yes. Mostly easy to understand.	Kana. Hiragana taught in chapter 1, katakana in chapter 2 of Book I.	Slower-praced.	School focus.	Focuses on formal style in book 1. You learn some casual Japanese in book 2.	Probably the most popular textbook.	sample
Minna no Nihongo (Shokyuu I & II)	$40/textbook (no English, only Japanese). $30/Translation and Grammatical Notes (required). $20/workbook. $70 for audio.	N4	2 for beginners. (There are also 2 for intermediate study called Chuukyuu)		1980, (~1000/book)	518 (introduced in texts, discussed in more detail in kanji workbooks).	~3 grammar points.	At least 3.	Textbook: Drills with sentence patterns, reading/listening comprehension, pairwork with partners. Workbook: fill-in-the-blank, answer questions about pictures, complete the sentence, etc.	50 total (25/book)	Grammar workbooks and kanji workbooks are supplemental.	Separate for textbook. Workbooks should have answers in back.	Separate ($70)	Some people think there could be better/more detailed explanations. Others think it's fine.	Kana. Does not teach stroke order.	Average pace.	Various useful situations.		Comprehensive (doesn't leave special cases out) and very "Japanese." Information taught is very practical. Textbook has quite a bit of pairwork, so probably better for classrooms. But with workbook might be fine for self study. Teaches things that are useful in everyday conversation.	Translation/Grammar Notes Sample Workbook Sample
An Introduction to Modern Japanese (Bowring and Laurie)	$100 for textbook. $80 for workbook (contains vocab list).	N4+	1 textbook. 1 workbook (necessary).	Grammar explanations, dialogues. Book 2 has vocab and exercises.	3000	1000		You'll have plenty of practice.	Study the examples and then perform the same operation, translate to English/Japanese. Reading comprehension.	52	1 workbook. Goes along with textbook and isn't supplemental. ($80)	None?	None.	Very detailed explanations.	Kana from chapter 1, but also has romaji throughout. Teaches kana stroke order.	Slower paced and very comprehensive.			For serious students who want lots of detail and want to learn significant number of kanji through their textbook. After finishing, students should be able to start reading a newspaper (with the help of a dictionary).	Sample
Elementary Japanese I & II	$40/textbook. $25 for teacher's guide. Workbooks (~$15?)	N4	2	Dialogue, Usage notes, Grammar notes, Exercises, New kanji and explanation, Kanji review exercises, New vocabulary	1800	300		Not sure, but people say there are quite a few exercises in the text itself.		27	Yes. Supplemental. (Workbooks hard to find).	In teacher's edition ($25)	Included.	Pretty detailed explanations. Lots of examples, too.	Mainly kana.	Slower pace, similar to Genki.		Mainly formal.		Can't find anything :-(.
Japanese in Mangaland I, II, & III	$25 per textbook. $25 per workbook.	N4	3	Theory/explanations/overview, vocab/verb tables, manga examples, questions.	~2000 (just an estimate from the index, could be more or less).	~1000 using kanji workbooks. Teaches stroke order in workbooks.	2ish? Format is a bit different than other textbooks.	10 questions per chapter. Not many true "exercises." You'll need to buy the workbooks for practice.	Workbook: Manga story for reading practice. Questions about the manga, grammar, vocab, etc.	60 total (1st book has 30, 2nd and 3rd books have 15 each)	1 grammar workbook per textbook, contains short manga story. Three Kanji workbooks also available (~$15-25 each). (Note: The 3rd kanji and grammar workbooks have not yet been released as of 2/1/2012.)	Included. English translation of manga available on official website to download.	None.	Reasonably detailed explanations, easy to understand for most part.	1st book is combo of romaji/kana. Kana-only in 2nd/3rd books. Teaches stroke order, but assumes you are not a complete beginner to kana.	Slower-paced	Uses manga examples in the textbook. Workbooks have a mini manga story.	Both. You will learn actual (casual) Japanese used in manga.	More fun than other textbooks, with a sense of humor. Manga is original and was made for the book. One of the best for self-learners.	Preview Short Sample
Japanese for Busy People (Kana version) I, II, & III	$20/textbook. $10-20/workbook.	N4	3	Dialogue, vocab, sample sentences, exercises.	~2000	340, stroke order included. (Note: Book I has very little kanji).	~2 major points, plus some smaller grammatical items.	~5-10 per chapter.	repeating vocab, conjugating verbs, substitution drills, conversation practice, sentence pattern practice, listening comprehension, ask/answer questions in Japanese.	25/book	Workbooks (~$10-20). Supplemental.	Included	Audio included.	Opinions vary on whether explanations are good. Some people think it relies more on memorization over understanding.	Kana. Has kana table depicting stroke order.	Average pace (on the slower side).	Business.		Most people think the newer edition is improved compared to the original.	sample
An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese	$45 for text. $20 for workbook.	N3	1	Dialogues (3 dialogues, varying politeness), reading practice, kanji, vocab, grammar points.	~1750-2000	~1000. Stroke order practice in workbook. ~300 should be review from beginner text.	~5-10	Not many. Workbook provides most of the practice.	(workbook) fill-in-the-blank, answer questions, describe pictures. Kanji stroke-order practice.	15	Workbook ($20). Not required, but provides extra practice.	None	Included in 2nd edition.	Less explanation than beginner text. Brief and to the point. Expects more from intermediate students.	Kana.	A jump up from Genki, but manageable.	College/study abroad/homestay.	Both. Dialogues/reading shows various levels of politeness.	Lacks grammar exercises in textbook, but has more than Tobira. Workbook helps, but no answer key. Some might find topics a bit boring.	sample
Tobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese	$50 for textbook. $40 for kanji workbook.	N3	1	Extended reading sections, several short dialogues, ~15 grammar points with examples, discussion of difficult grammar, 100-150 new vocab, 50-70 words recommended for memorization	~2000	800 (workbook has stroke order). ~300 should be review from beginner text.	~15	Not many. Additional exercises available through website.		15	Kanji book available ($40). No grammar workbook.	Answer key included for workbook.	Included. There are also videos on companion website.	Less explanation than beginner text. Brief and to the point. Expects more from intermediate students.	Kana	Average	Variety of interesting and current topics. Japan's geography, pop culture, technology, food, religion, sports, nature, politics, education, etc.	Both.	Strengths are the current/interesting cultural topics, multimedia, reading/listening practice. Lacks grammar exercises. Does have additional exercises online though. Vocab, reading passages, and dialogue available as audio for free online.	sample
Minna no Nihongo Chuukyuu (or Chukyu) I	Textbook is $40 (all Japanese). Translation and Grammar Notes book is $25.	N3	Volume I has been released. (Volume II forthcoming?)	Each chapter has 14 pages: Grammar/Exercises (5 pages), Talking/Listening (4 pages), Reading/Writing (3 pages), and Questions (2 pages)						12 (Volume I)	Translation and Grammatical Notes book is $25. No grammar workbook.		Audio CD Included.		Kana.					See White Rabbit Press for a few pages.
Minna no Nihongo J301 and J501	~$40/textbook. $40/Audio. $50/teacher's manual.	N3 (J301) to N2+ (J501)	2	Reading section, comprehension activities to test your understanding, grammar is explained in English, grammar/vocab exercises.							No workbook.	Separate -- answers probably in Teacher's Manual ($50)	Separate ($40)		Kana.				(Can anyone comment on the differences between J301/J501 and the Chuukyuu book? J301 looks to be roughly the same level as ChuuKyuu I)	J301 Sample J501 Sample
Aozora	$30	N3+?	1		(vocab appears to be only kanji with pronunciation. Need to look up English definition. No appendix, but there are vocab lists.)						None		Included (through website).		Kana.				Printed using a university press, so layout is not as pretty as other textbooks. Very little English. No appendix. Looks like more of an upper-intermediate to advanced textbook.	Preview of Teacher's Guide Short Sample of Teacher's Guide
Hiyaku: An Intermediate Japanese Course		N3?																	This book just came out and I can't find much information about it. Please add to wiki if you own it!	Can't find any sample :-(.
Authentic Japanese: Progressing from Intermediate to Advanced	Textbook ($60). Workbook ($30). CDs ($70)	N2+	1	Essays from various real articles. Grammar/vocab from articles. Sample sentences for grammar.	(You will probably need to look up English definitions of vocab)	(Very little furigana. You are expected to know most readings and be familiar with kanji. You'll need a kanji dictionary if you need more info).					Workbook is $30. Supplemental.	No answer key.	Audio is $70.	Explanations are generally in Japanese. There is some English for the sample sentences.	Kana.	Average for advanced (this an advanced textbook, so it's not going to be easy).	Various articles.		Very little English. This is more of an advanced reader with grammar notes and vocab.	Workbook sample