Single eBooks

Every language has phrases that come up every single day. This book collects 101 of the Japanese ones (元気です, よろしくおねがいします, しょうがない, やっぱり, もったいない and many more), each with an example sentence and a plain explanation of when to use it.

Natsume Sōseki, the novelist on the old thousand yen note. A short biography in Japanese with furigana, glossed line by line, with an English translation and native audio.

Tezuka Osamu, who made manga what it is. A short biography in Japanese with furigana, glossed line by line, with an English translation and native audio.

Shibusawa Eiichi, who built roughly five hundred companies. A short biography in Japanese with furigana, glossed line by line, with an English translation and native audio.

Fukuzawa Yukichi, who told Japan to go and learn. A short biography in Japanese with furigana, glossed line by line, with an English translation and native audio.

Yamaha Torakusu, who fixed an organ and started an industry. A short biography in Japanese with furigana, glossed line by line, with an English translation and native audio.

John Manjirō, the shipwrecked fisherman who came home with America. A short biography in Japanese with furigana, glossed line by line, with an English translation and native audio.

Meet Frank, an alien who needs a job, and the obaasan who is not impressed. Fifteen short episodes for beginners, told almost entirely in dialogue, with furigana and native audio.

Frank is an alien, the obaasan is unimpressed, and the two of them talk their way through ten more episodes: a stolen kawaii thing, a shinkansen to Tokyo, and an old man who knows more than he says.

Clay and Yumi's hiragana workbook: all 46 basic hiragana, the sound marks, small ゃ ゅ ょ, long vowels, small っ and the particles, with real words to read in every lesson.

Every Japanese honorific (さん, さま, ちゃん, くん, titles and family terms) and pronoun worth knowing, from everyday わたし and ぼく to the samurai's せっしゃ, and the words you should never call anyone.

Where Japan begins: the Jōmon and Yayoi periods. In Japanese with furigana, glossed line by line, with an English translation and native audio.

The Kofun period's keyhole tombs and the arrival of Buddhism in the Asuka period. In Japanese with furigana, glossed line by line, with an English translation and native audio.

Nara's capital and Heian's court, where Japanese literature begins. In Japanese with furigana, glossed line by line, with an English translation and native audio.

The first samurai government, the Mongol invasions, and the Golden Pavilion. In Japanese with furigana, glossed line by line, with an English translation and native audio.

Sengoku was a century of warring lords, ended by Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu. Edo was the long Tokugawa peace that followed: a closed country, a booming capital, and the culture of townspeople. In Japanese with furigana, glossed line by line, with an English translation and native audio.

The grammar a beginner meets first, in one hundred short lessons: word order, です, particles, questions, adjectives, the て-form, wanting, comparing, giving and receiving, polite speech and more. Each point gets a plain-English explanation and example sentences.

The grammar you need for the JLPT N4, the upper-beginner level, explained simply with example sentences and audio.

The grammar you need for the JLPT N5, explained simply, with example sentences and audio. A solid start on Japanese grammar whether or not you plan to take the test.

Twenty-eight everyday Japanese idioms, learned in context. Each chapter opens with a fox-and-tanuki manga, and every idiom gets a two-page lesson: what it means, the picture behind it, how it changes in a sentence, and example sentences with furigana, translations and vocabulary notes. A short reading and practice with explained answers close each chapter. Seven chapters: Can You Keep a Secret? · Getting Along or Not · A Little Help, Please · Getting Noticed · Wanting, Waiting, and Daydreaming · Tricks and Hidden Intentions · When Things Get Difficult.

The kanji you need for the JLPT N4, with readings, meanings and example sentences, and audio for the examples.

The kanji you need for the JLPT N5, with readings, meanings and example sentences, and audio for the examples. For beginners who have learned hiragana.

Practice reading the N5 kanji in context. The kanji are grouped by theme, and the same kanji and words come back again and again on purpose, until reading them is automatic. The focus is reading, not writing.

Hear the sounds Japanese uses every day. Rain that starts ぽつぽつ, a door that shuts ばたん, a friend who bursts out laughing げらげら. Japanese is full of these sound and feeling words, and textbooks barely touch them. This book teaches 39 of the most useful in 11 themed chapters, with native audio for everything. What you get The complete book as a PDF and ePub, plus a Kobo edition: 11 chapters, 118 pages, furigana throughout 63 MP3 tracks: every word lesson, pattern drill, reading and manga scene, read by a native speaker An Anki deck of 182 sentences, each with its own audio, grouped by chapter A vocabulary cheatsheet for quick review An unlock code for the Makoto+ Japanese Explorer: all 182 sentences on the web and in the app, broken down word by word with audio Inside each chapter. A short fox-and-tanuki manga sets the scene. Each sound word gets its own lesson with example sentences, when to use it, and how it differs from its neighbors. Then pattern practice, a short reading (with and without furigana), exercises, and an answer key that translates every manga line. The chapters. Rainy Days · Summer Heat · Feeling the Cold · Soft and Satisfying Textures · Floppy Shapes and Messy Things · Everyday Actions and Sounds · Running Out of Energy · Surprise and Strong Feelings · Getting Annoyed · Smiles and Smirks · Quiet Chuckles and Loud Laughter Who it is for. Learners who read hiragana and know basic verb forms. Expanded from our Makoto magazine articles, with new examples, readings and manga. Yours to keep and download, no subscription. Delivered through your Japan Shop downloads page the moment you order. From Clay & Yumi, teaching Japanese since 2002.

Reading practice for beginners who know hiragana and katakana, a few dozen kanji and basic grammar. Mostly N5 kanji and vocabulary, with a few useful N4 kanji given furigana, and native audio.

34 beginner sentence patterns (文型), each with at least five example sentences. Words are swapped in and out so you see exactly how each pattern is built, and every example sentence has audio.

100 sentences built from N4 vocabulary and grammar, taken apart word by word. Good for reading, vocabulary, grammar and shadowing practice, with audio for every sentence.

100 sentences built from N5 vocabulary and grammar, taken apart word by word so you understand every piece. Good for reading, vocabulary, grammar and shadowing practice, with audio for every sentence.

Common phrases for the absolute beginner. Each sentence is broken down word by word with plain explanations, then stretched with variations, and Yumi recorded every one.

A first look at haiku for learners: how the 5-7-5 pattern works (it counts moras, not syllables), then 20 famous haiku broken down word by word, each with audio.

The vocabulary you need for the JLPT N4, each word with example sentences. Over 1,200 audio files cover every word and sentence, plus chapter tracks that play the word, the example and the English, made for listening on the go.

All the vocabulary you need for the JLPT N5, each word with example sentences. Over 1,400 audio files cover every word and every sentence, plus chapter tracks to listen to on the go.

The stories behind Japanese words and how to use them today, in seven chapters: Everyday Words, Unexpected Stories · A Taste of Other Languages · Faces and Feelings · Partners and Detours · Behind the Curtain · Words That Keep Time · Games and Music.

The first hundred kanji are the ones you meet every day. This beginner book teaches the 100 most useful JLPT N5 kanji, each with its on and kun readings and a mnemonic.

A practical handbook for karate students who want to understand the Japanese words behind the art: the meaning, pronunciation, kanji and cultural background of more than 300 essential terms.

Clay and Yumi's katakana workbook: all 46 basic katakana, the long-vowel mark, small ッ, the sound marks, small ャ ュ ョ and the extra spellings for foreign sounds, with everyday words, signs and a café menu to read.

Seven short, natural conversations for beginners: meeting a coworker, meeting the boss, a self-introduction, chatting with a neighbor, feeling unwell, weekend plans, and a trip to conveyor-belt sushi. Every line is read by native speakers.

Seven short, natural conversations about meeting people: a first meeting, a good-morning chat, a hot summer afternoon, a snowy winter evening, coffee after work, first impressions of Japan, and plans for the future. Every line is read by native speakers.

Eight short, natural conversations about eating out: making a reservation, getting a table for a friend, meeting a friend who is late, ordering, waiting for food, trying udon, New Year's Eve soba, and a donut shop. Every line is read by native speakers.

Seven short, natural conversations about finding your way: the train station, the library, a house in another block, the ward office by subway, the American consulate, and more. Every line is read by native speakers.

Seven casual conversations between friends: the day after a party, planning a surprise for Mary, the surprise birthday party itself, a new movie about aliens, a shopping trip, a new car, and deciding where to eat. Every line is read by native speakers.

Four conversations at work: a job interview, making copies for a meeting, a product meeting about new snacks, and a meeting about advertising on the radio. You hear how bosses, staff and clients talk to one another. Every line is read by native speakers.

Seven conversations about dating: asking someone out, planning a movie, a polite rejection at a party, meeting for a date, talking on the date, sharing favorite movies, and saying goodnight. Every line is read by native speakers.

Eight everyday conversations, each built around one Japanese idiom: four-character compounds such as 一石二鳥 and 支離滅裂, and proverbs such as 馬の耳に念仏 and 遠くの親戚より近くの他人. Every line is read by native speakers.

Twenty-five haiku by Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, the author of Rashōmon and one of Japan's greatest modern writers, with furigana, multiple English translations, vocabulary breakdowns, grammar notes and cultural analysis.

The most famous woman in the history of haiku. Chiyo-ni (千代尼) was born in 1703 in Kaga province; this book presents her haiku with furigana, English translations, vocabulary and grammar notes.

More haiku by Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694), for beginning to intermediate learners who want to build vocabulary and grammar while discovering the shades of meaning lost in translation.

Haiku by Kobayashi Issa, loved for his poems about small creatures and everyday life, with furigana, translations, vocabulary and grammar.

Haiku by Masaoka Shiki, the poet who modernized haiku, with furigana, translations, vocabulary and grammar.

Haiku by Matsuo Bashō, the most famous of the classical haiku poets, with furigana, translations, vocabulary and grammar, so you can enjoy the poems in the original Japanese.