Easy and Fun Katakana Basic Japanese Writing for Loanwords and Emphasis 1st Edition by Kiyomi Ogawa ISBN 9781611720488 1611720486

Preface Some Japanese learners do not place a high importance on learning katakana characters.To be honest, even as a teacher of the language I didn’t fully appreciate their value atfirst. But when I began to observe my surroundings with a more critical eye, I noticedthe incredible number of katakana terms in use. It is not an exaggeration to say thatpractically every word on many restaurant and café menus is written in katakana.Originally, katakana was used only for gairaigo—words imported into the languagefrom other countries—but it is now heavily used in magazines and advertisements dueto its inherent “cool factor.” Since katakana is used mostly for nouns, understandingit can help you grasp the general idea of a sentence even if you can’t fully decipherthe grammar. And compared to kanji, katakana characters are much easier to write.The issue that most foreigners have with katakana has to do with pronunciation.Although most katakana words have their origins in other languages, the way they arepronounced in Japanese is usually quite different. This is partly because the Japaneselanguage is relatively flat, without much rising or falling intonation. So don’t getdiscouraged if it takes you a few seconds to understand a freshly encountered katakanaword! The problem is exacerbated by the sizable number of katakana words whosemeanings have drifted away from those they held in their original languages.In this book, I have included many illustrations so that you can know the meaningsof words at a glance and get a visual sense of how katakana is used in everydayJapanese life. You will also become familiar with a number of popular wasei-eigoterms, some of which seem like English words but won’t be recognized as such inEnglish-speaking countries.Mastering katakana will make reading Japanese more enjoyable! Kiyomi Ogawa