Review of A Handbook of Japanese Usage by Mary Riendeau

This book is a guide to Japanese usage. I wish that it existed back in years two and three of my studying japanese. Not only would it have upped my moral but it would have greatly improved my often book-like style.

The book is a cross between a dictionary and a grammar reference book. They describe it as a guide to "function words", those words that perform a role within a sentence rather than express meaning. The book is aimed at the lower-intermediate student who wants to expand their basic japanese skills into command over the language.

The words are listed in romanji alphabetical order and include the kanji for the words. Extensive examples are given and claim to be culled from purley Japanese sources. Examples are written in kanji first (yeah), romanji second, and then in english translation. Each word has many different examples for the use of the word.

Also included are charts that show the whole scheme of Japanese grammar, conjugation charts of the three regular verb forms, of kuru and suru, of adjectives, and adjectival nouns.

There are several appendixes dealing with kanji, kana, numbers and counters, punctuations marks, and common onomatopoeic expressions and the grammar that governs their use. These are those words that mimic natural sounds (goro-goro), mimic human or animal sounds (kusu-kusu), describe actions (noro-noro), or describe psychological states (biku-biku). This is the first time that I have seen a collection of these words. What fun it is to add these to my vocabulary! I encourage you to find the book and take a look.

☆ See all reviews by Mary Riendeau.