Reading Japanese

Reading Japanese by Eleanor Harz Jorden is a textbook for learning the Japanese language, first published in 1976. The book focuses on a systematic approach to reading Japanese text, with emphasis on kanji characters and vocabulary building. The text progresses from basic characters to complex reading passages through structured lessons and exercises. Each chapter contains detailed explanations of grammar points, cultural notes, and practice materials designed to build reading comprehension skills. The pedagogy draws from Jorden's experience teaching Japanese at Cornell University and reflects mid-20th century language learning methodologies. Her approach prioritizes reading proficiency over conversational skills and emphasizes memorization of kanji in context rather than in isolation. This foundational text exemplifies the shift in Japanese language education toward pragmatic literacy skills and remains relevant for its clear structural breakdown of written Japanese. The systematic organization and thorough explanations have influenced subsequent textbooks in the field of Japanese language instruction.

Readers note that Reading Japanese is thorough and methodical in teaching kanji through systematic patterns rather than rote memorization. Students appreciate the clear organization and frequency-based approach to character learning. Likes: - Builds from basic principles to complex characters - Emphasis on radicals and component analysis - Practice exercises reinforce learning - Useful reference tables and indexes Dislikes: - Outdated examples and vocabulary from 1970s - No audio component - Dense academic presentation style - Some find pace too slow Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (42 ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (29 reviews) Reader comments highlight the book works best as a structured classroom text rather than self-study guide. Several reviews mention it requires significant time commitment but delivers results through its systematic method. Multiple readers noted the book helped them recognize patterns in kanji formation, though some found the formal textbook format challenging to work through independently.

Japanese: The Spoken Language by Eleanor Harz Jorden. This textbook series uses the same structured approach to Japanese pronunciation and grammar patterns as Reading Japanese, with equal emphasis on formal and informal speech.

Basic Japanese Grammar by Eriko Sato. The grammatical concepts follow a progression similar to Reading Japanese, moving from basic particles to complex sentence structures.

A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar by Seiichi Makino, Michio Tsutsui. The explanations of grammar points complement Reading Japanese with detailed usage examples and language patterns.

An Introduction to Modern Japanese by Richard Bowring and Haruko Uryu Laurie. The text breaks down complex Japanese writing and grammar systems into manageable units, following a methodology comparable to Reading Japanese.

Reading Japanese Financial Newspapers by Ken Takahashi and Shigeru Yamamoto. This text builds upon foundational reading skills with specialized vocabulary and authentic materials, serving as a next step after Reading Japanese.

🔖 Eleanor Harz Jorden was a pioneer in Japanese language education and developed the "Japanese: The Spoken Language" series while working at Cornell University. 📚 The book was one of the first major textbooks to teach Japanese using romanization (rōmaji) before introducing kanji and kana writing systems. 🎓 Published in 1976, it influenced how Japanese was taught in American universities for decades and helped establish modern methods of teaching Asian languages to English speakers. 🗣️ The author insisted on teaching spoken Japanese first, challenging the traditional approach of starting with written characters—a methodology that was revolutionary at the time. 🌏 Jorden's work was partly funded by the U.S. government during the post-WWII period when there was increased interest in Asian language education for diplomatic and strategic purposes.