All about Particles

All About Particles is a book by Naoko Chino that allows non native speakers to self study Japanese. In this book sixty nine particles are classified and broken down into some two hundred usages. Each entry is classified by order of frequency, by meaning and by gender (those phrases used by men and those by women). What level does it fit into for a language learner? It would be helpful for JLPT level 3 studying for level 2. It is not recommended for beginners. To give you an idea of a sample entry, a typical entry starts with the particle, a grammar explanation, an example sentence in full Japanese script. Then the same sentence in romaji followed by the meaning of the sentence in English. So each particle gets a five point dissection. The book assumes you know the particles already, that is you have learned them in class and the book is really a reference for your prior study. Pros The book is a great size and lightweight that can easily slip into a coat pocket or bag. Finding your way around the book is easy with a clear table of contents and index (that is in romaji). A stand out point is that sample sentences are in full Japanese script, (kanji, hiragana and katakana). So you can practice your reading, learn new words and see the particle in context. There is a good range of sentences that you can start memorizing and using straight away which will help you to start talking in sentences quickly and get the particle usage correct. Sentence topics show real Japanese culture and typical conversations and cover the weather, work, hobbies and dreams. As particles have more than one meaning the book shows how to use the same particle in a range of ways. As a self study learner if you mine the book from cover to cover you will gain a range of new nouns, verbs, adjectives, set phrases and kanji as a bonus. Cons As mentioned the book does assume a prior knowledge of particles, sentences, grammar and knowledge. There is no guide on how to best use the book so you have to make up your own. There is no CD but the sentences are ripe for you to record yourself and practice. As a learner you have to do all the work based on your own study plan and goals. No CD or exercises so unable to give five stars. Summary A handy reference to particles for the intermediate student in a logical format that helps you to see particles in context that can aid a better understanding and usage. Provides a range of sentences that cover a range of topics.

I recommend this book to anyone studying Japanese. It is a great concise little book, which can be used as a reference or just to read through and get familiar with the usage. Included are many great examples, written in both Kanji and romaji, allowing learners of any level to dig in and get a handle on the ever elusive Japanese particle.

This is a nifty little reference book. I'm just starting the trek to fluency, however, this book is already on my shelf. I tried reading straight through this, but it was futile a cause because I had (and still have) insufficient vocabulary to make sentences that use many of these particles. However, I still thumb through it and pick up particles here and there. For some reason, they stick better that way. Also, while reading sentences in Japanese, you'll start to recognize the particles you've seen while looking through this book. Randomly pick a page and learn the particle on that one.The book also brings our attention to subtleties between similar particles. This helps when trying to generate a tone and attitude.My only quibble is that it uses romaji instead of Furigana over the Kanji since i'm already familiar with the Kana. This doesn't depreciate the value of the book, though. You'll refer to it often when you're disecting or constructing sentences.

Every Japanese learner struggles with particles. Organizing particles is one of the most difficult part of the language, and there are few good resources to help you out. "All About Particles: A Handbook of Japanese Function Words" is the single most useful book I have found on the topic.This is a true reference book. Although it can be read straight through (and I recommend this at least once), it is most useful for looking up difficult particles as you discover them. Placing them in context will help the learning process. Read all in one sitting it is a little overwhelming, but good for an overview of all 70 plus particles.One of the advantages of "All About Particles" is that the examples use various forms of politeness. It also demonstrates interchangeable particles, and which expressions are more daily-use. The text itself is very compact, and travels well. I would recommend this book to any Japanese learner looking to bridge the gap from Advanced Beginner to Intermediate.

This book is an excellent reference for the student of Japanese, and especially for those who do any kind of Japanese-to-English translation. Particles are the most difficult aspect of Japanese to understand, and arguably one of the most important. This book sets itself the task of taking common particles in modern Japanese and explaining to the reader what they do in a sentence, with examples and elementary as well as advanced usages. It accomplishes this task, in my opinion, very well. It's one of the books I keep by my side as I do translation work; All About Particles is more helpful to me than my dictionaries in cases where a particle is confusing me (rightfully so; one can't expect a dictionary to fully explain all particles in such limited space).