Let's Learn Hiragana: First Book of Japanese Writing | Paperback

If you're thinking about learning to write the Japanese script this is simply the best place to start. The book is exactly the way a self-teach-book like this should be. Learning the 46 basic characters is broken down into 5 easy-to-manage sections each conatining a handful of the characters; showing you exactly how to use them and then a comprenhesive review exercise involving all that you have learnt so far. Each section clearly details exactly how to draw the character step-by-step and then the latter parts of the book details how to then use these characters to write words and eventually sentences. If you're looking to learn to speak Japanese this ISN'T the book for you. It doesn't teach you how to speak the language, but that is not what it sets out to do, it sets out to teach you the first of the Japanese "alphabets" and the author does this perfectly. Once I finish this book there is not a doubt in my mind that I will buy her next book to learn the next alphabet and the next… more »

If you're thinking about learning to write the Japanese script this is simply the best place to start. The book is exactly the way a self-teach-book like this should be. Learning the 46 basic characters is broken down into 5 easy-to-manage sections each conatining a handful of the characters; showing you exactly how to use them and then a comprenhesive review exercise involving all that you have learnt so far. Each section clearly details exactly how to draw the character step-by-step and then the latter parts of the book details how to then use these characters to write words and eventually sentences. If you're looking to learn to speak Japanese this ISN'T the book for you. It doesn't teach you how to speak the language, but that is not what it sets out to do, it sets out to teach you the first of the Japanese "alphabets" and the author does this perfectly. Once I finish this book there is not a doubt in my mind that I will buy her next book to learn the next alphabet and the next after that. This book is everything you could possibly hope for and I recommend it wholeheartedley without question to anyone looking to learn Japanese, as a brilliant first step in what can appear to be a very daunting and overwhelming langauge.