Kodansha's Hiragana Workbook: A Step-by-Step Approach to Basic Japanese Writing - Softcover

Stewart, Anne Matsumoto

Softcover

ISBN 10: 4770030819 ISBN 13: 9784770030818

Publisher: Kodansha USA, 2009

Synopsis

Beginner-level students wishing to read Japanese need to learn hiragana, the most basic of three Japanese scripts, used for writing words of native origin. Kodansha's Hiragana Workbook is an all-new, streamlined workbook designed precisely for such students. It introduces all aspects of the script-reading, writing, and pronunciation--in a fun, accessible format, packed with illustrations and exercises.
One page each is devoted to the 46 basic characters. These include instructions for character formation and space to practice writing, as well as a selection of vocabulary for further reading and writing. The vocabulary are all commonly used words that students can put to immediate use in conversation; and their readings--pronounced by a professional voice actor--are available as free downloads from the Net. Frequent review pages allow students to test their understanding of the hiragana at various stages.
The appendixes offer additional practice exercises, as well as grids for playing hiragana Battleship and Bingo. There are also 120 pull-out flashcards for playing Memory, Scrabble, and other games.

About this title

About the Author:

Anne Matsumoto Stewart is a professional Japanese-language instructor with more than 25 years of experience. She has taught at all levels, from kindergarten through university. After earning an M.A. in linguistics from the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, she went on to pursue graduate studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and Cornell University, where she earned another M.A., in Japanese literature. She is the author of All About Katakana and Kodansha's Katakana Workbook (both from Kodansha International), and the coauthor of several volumes of the Total Japanese series (Waseda University). She is a member of the Association of Teachers of Japanese and the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers, and currently teaches and resides in Seattle.

About this edition

• Publisher: Kodansha USA
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 4770030819
• ISBN 13: 9784770030818
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 112