I've been really enjoying George's sense of humor on his videos and so I went ahead and got the first JFZ book a couple of weeks back. So far I'm REALLY enjoying it. As someone who has already learned all the Kana, it feels a little weird trying to read the "progressive" style...but my wife is learning from it too and knows nothing, she is learning a lot where before the book she couldn't remember any of the kana at all that she studied on Duolingo. So two thumbs up from me on this book series so far. :)
This is such a good review! Thank you! I've been waiting for the next edition of Book 2 , which I've had for a while as I went thru Book 1, because I'd heard about the typos. George is apparently hard at work on finishing the edition but I think it will be a while. Now w your review I'm diving in! If I hadn't already bought the book I'd use your affiliate link. Maybe for Book 3, since you'll likely be done before I will!
One thing I like about the “from Zero” series is that George goes out of his way to answer all of the things that a total newcomer to a language that’s not in the Roman alphabet will ask about. George is also a Japanese teacher, right? So I think his angle is, he’s writing about everything that students have asked him and he’s thinking back to when he knew nothing about Japanese at all. Like…he even explained that 。is the Japanese way of writing periods. Maybe this sounds insignificant to everyone else? But put yourself in my shoes: I’m someone who’s overwhelmed by all the weird non-English symbols as it is. It helps to have someone walk alongside me, hold my hand, and assure me that it’ll be okay and this isn’t as scary as it looks.
Bruh I wanna thank you so freaking much for this video because I was really confused about what to buy cuz I know all hiragana and katakana, some Kanji (even how to write them in correct stroke order), I know basic grammar and I know how to type many sentences already due to all my Duolingo/Busuu practice so I didn't know if I should get BOOK 1 but I decided to go for this one, I really don't wanna waste time with BOOK 1 cuz it seems very very basic and easy/slow paced to me, I hope I don't regret of course lmao. I am gonna get it here in Portugal for 27€. THANK YOU!!!
I'm halfway through book 4 and, though I love the series, the typos - and just plain errors - get more and more irritating. If you're struggling with certain aspects of Japanese, those typos and errors can make things even more confusing, and if you understand the grammar, the errors are frustrating anyway. Plus, if you're like me, and need to understand the grammar behind what you're learning, you'll need to look elsewhere. I can remember being really frustrated when we were introduced to すき - it takes GA, but it's not a verb, though it's translated as one. What was going on?? Luckily, I discovered Cure Dolly's videos which are very grammar-centric and filled in the gaps for me. No one source is ever going to work 100% for everyone, but I'm really glad I chose George's books to ease me into Japanese.
@@franc4152 I'm not bad at the grammar, but I'm absolutely hopeless with vocabulary, so I still consider myself a beginner. Book 4 teaches kanji, which are a pain, so I'm concentrating on those (using WaniKani) at the moment. I'm also going back over Book 3 to make sure I've remembered the grammar from that. I've tried listening to podcasts (I really like Nihongo con Teppei) and some of the time I understand most of what he's talking about, but often it's just one word in 10. It's all good practice though. If I could learn the vocab, I'd consider myself an upper beginner at the moment, but I just don't have the discipline.
Having typos is never excusable with language learning books. He should have fixed it as soon as possible and hasn't it's been years and they still have these issues. Also reports say some Japanese is completely wrong. So beware.
As someone who’s fairly confident reading hiragana, would you recommend the Genki textbooks or should I go for the first JFZ? I’m more thinking about learning grammar/vocab, I’m just wondering if the first book has some important information on structuring sentences and that kind of thing, I just don’t know whether or not the first book would be useless to me since I can read hiragana pretty confidently?
I think you need a lot of input. Learning books give you the foundation of the language, but then you need to get a lot of input, being it in written or audio form (preferably both).
I heard it’s very slow paced compared to others. I started Japanese early back then and learnt a few things here and there, and I’m wondering which I should start off
Thank you, I very much needed this, I’ve been debating which one I should get Genki, or from Zero. I have learned hiragana and Katakana pretty well, so which one you say is best with that
I already kinda knew kana when I started book 2 but it was great practice for katakana as it's kinda hard to remember how to write (for me anyway). So I'd recommend it for that!
Thank you for this review. I just started learning Japanese 3 weeks ago. I started with Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana, from tuttle. I need to find the next step. Genki or Japanese from zero, what would be the best for a self-study? I know I'm very late to this vid.
I have a question. I did not start from the book “Japanese from Zero 1” but I started from “Japanese Kana from Zero.” I have completed the entire book, so I already learned Hirigana and katakana. If I were to start learning kanji with this series, which book should I start off with?
I just finished book 2 as well. 100% agree with all your points. I quiet enjoyed it. Starting book 3 today, are you planning on continuing the the JFZ series ?
I got the Genki 1 book and it’s been useful so far but I’m thinking about getting this book instead of the Genki 2 book, do you think it is a good idea?
I think if you completed Genki 1 and know it well, you should consider jumping straight to book 3. I think you can check the table of contents on amazon for each book :)
Since I already learned Hiragana, Katakana and a few Kanji I try to decide which Book I can use for selfstudy. There seems to be those two large groups where one prefer Genki and the others the Japanese from Zero Books. Since I am not a talented language learner I think those Japanese from Zero Books would be more helpful for me and not too overwelming - Right?
@Kevin Abroad I only knew a few bits of grammar (Particles like ha, no, ni, wo). But since grammar is for me like rocket-science even in my native language I think I need an easy approach to this. Like building up the vocabs and the grammar together. From short and easy sentences to longer ones. Thats what I figure out with an app.
@@senapus1241 I think then JFZ could be good! Some people criticise it for the progressive approach of how it teaches the writing system but I enjoyed that because I knew the kana but I wasn't good at writing them. But for the grammar, if you don't know much, I think you'll find it useful
@Kevin Abroad Yes, when you already know the Kana it seems a bit a strange to start all over again with romaji, but since I tend to wrote down vocabs in Hiragana and romanji I notice that I write the Kanas really sloppy. So it's okay to practise them again along the way. Also since english isn't my native language either it good the have all the explanations simple and easy. Thanks for helping me.
I actually agree haha. Going through JFZ series and then using Genki as a refresher but also as a way to go a little deeper can be a great idea I think.
When I took online Japanese lessons, the teacher used genki quite a bit. But I haven't used it fully from scratch so I can't really decide for you. What I can say is that JFZ is way easier because the pace is slower. Genki is a little more intense and I don't know how good it is for self study if you don't have a teacher. But Andy from tokini Andy goes through the 2 genki books on his videos. That might help :)
That's an illegal copy then. The author only sells the book as ebook or physical format. If you're able to buy the ebook, please consider doing so on amazon :).
Fair! I didn't really learn kana thanks to the books. I already could read a write virtually all of them before I started with the series. But it help to reinforce everything
The first book is made so you learn a couple of hiragana in each chapter and the japanese words are written in romaji (our latin alphabet) except for the japanese you have learned in previous lessons. At the end of book 1 you will have learned all the hiragana and in book 2 it's the same thing but with katakana. A lot of other books begins with romaji and just switch to hiragana and katakana a couple of chapters in.
I've been really enjoying George's sense of humor on his videos and so I went ahead and got the first JFZ book a couple of weeks back. So far I'm REALLY enjoying it. As someone who has already learned all the Kana, it feels a little weird trying to read the "progressive" style...but my wife is learning from it too and knows nothing, she is learning a lot where before the book she couldn't remember any of the kana at all that she studied on Duolingo. So two thumbs up from me on this book series so far. :)
This is such a good review! Thank you! I've been waiting for the next edition of Book 2 , which I've had for a while as I went thru Book 1, because I'd heard about the typos. George is apparently hard at work on finishing the edition but I think it will be a while. Now w your review I'm diving in! If I hadn't already bought the book I'd use your affiliate link. Maybe for Book 3, since you'll likely be done before I will!
I'm glad you found it useful! :)
One thing I like about the “from Zero” series is that George goes out of his way to answer all of the things that a total newcomer to a language that’s not in the Roman alphabet will ask about. George is also a Japanese teacher, right? So I think his angle is, he’s writing about everything that students have asked him and he’s thinking back to when he knew nothing about Japanese at all.
Like…he even explained that 。is the Japanese way of writing periods. Maybe this sounds insignificant to everyone else? But put yourself in my shoes: I’m someone who’s overwhelmed by all the weird non-English symbols as it is. It helps to have someone walk alongside me, hold my hand, and assure me that it’ll be okay and this isn’t as scary as it looks.
I completely see what you mean!
You’re really informative! I’m starting book 1 very shortly! I subscribed and I’m looking forward to your progress in this series!
I haven't started book 3 yet but I will get into it very soon. Can't wait!
Bruh I wanna thank you so freaking much for this video because I was really confused about what to buy cuz I know all hiragana and katakana, some Kanji (even how to write them in correct stroke order), I know basic grammar and I know how to type many sentences already due to all my Duolingo/Busuu practice so I didn't know if I should get BOOK 1 but I decided to go for this one, I really don't wanna waste time with BOOK 1 cuz it seems very very basic and easy/slow paced to me, I hope I don't regret of course lmao. I am gonna get it here in Portugal for 27€.
THANK YOU!!!
You're welcome! I'm very happy if it helped you
I'm halfway through book 4 and, though I love the series, the typos - and just plain errors - get more and more irritating. If you're struggling with certain aspects of Japanese, those typos and errors can make things even more confusing, and if you understand the grammar, the errors are frustrating anyway. Plus, if you're like me, and need to understand the grammar behind what you're learning, you'll need to look elsewhere. I can remember being really frustrated when we were introduced to すき - it takes GA, but it's not a verb, though it's translated as one. What was going on?? Luckily, I discovered Cure Dolly's videos which are very grammar-centric and filled in the gaps for me. No one source is ever going to work 100% for everyone, but I'm really glad I chose George's books to ease me into Japanese.
I certainly understand your frustration regarding the typos!
Can i ask?... since you are in book 4, would you say you are a beginner, able to understand most of the times, or about to be fluent ?
@@franc4152 If I may answer, of course dashdashdot feel free to weigh in, you get to about N4 level with JFZ. Meaning you're early intermediate :).
@@franc4152 I'm not bad at the grammar, but I'm absolutely hopeless with vocabulary, so I still consider myself a beginner. Book 4 teaches kanji, which are a pain, so I'm concentrating on those (using WaniKani) at the moment. I'm also going back over Book 3 to make sure I've remembered the grammar from that. I've tried listening to podcasts (I really like Nihongo con Teppei) and some of the time I understand most of what he's talking about, but often it's just one word in 10. It's all good practice though. If I could learn the vocab, I'd consider myself an upper beginner at the moment, but I just don't have the discipline.
@@KevinAbroad thanks for the fast reply and the vid ;)
Your efforts are appreciated.. thank you 🌼
Having typos is never excusable with language learning books. He should have fixed it as soon as possible and hasn't it's been years and they still have these issues. Also reports say some Japanese is completely wrong. So beware.
As someone who’s fairly confident reading hiragana, would you recommend the Genki textbooks or should I go for the first JFZ? I’m more thinking about learning grammar/vocab, I’m just wondering if the first book has some important information on structuring sentences and that kind of thing, I just don’t know whether or not the first book would be useless to me since I can read hiragana pretty confidently?
Nice review. Completely agree.
George is a genius!
Do you think if I finished all five books, can I keep up with basic everyday convos kind of?
No idea! I've only completed the first 2 books
I think you need a lot of input. Learning books give you the foundation of the language, but then you need to get a lot of input, being it in written or audio form (preferably both).
I heard it’s very slow paced compared to others. I started Japanese early back then and learnt a few things here and there, and I’m wondering which I should start off
Yes Japanese From Zero is quite slow. But I think it's good because Japanese can get overwhelming real quick
Thank you, I very much needed this, I’ve been debating which one I should get Genki, or from Zero. I have learned hiragana and Katakana pretty well, so which one you say is best with that
I already kinda knew kana when I started book 2 but it was great practice for katakana as it's kinda hard to remember how to write (for me anyway). So I'd recommend it for that!
Thank you for this review. I just started learning Japanese 3 weeks ago. I started with Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana, from tuttle. I need to find the next step. Genki or Japanese from zero, what would be the best for a self-study?
I know I'm very late to this vid.
I think for self study definitely Japanese From Zero!
@@KevinAbroad Thank you. Their is so much material out there, I just wanna get a solid foundation for this journey. Thank you again.
I have a question. I did not start from the book “Japanese from Zero 1” but I started from “Japanese Kana from Zero.” I have completed the entire book, so I already learned Hirigana and katakana. If I were to start learning kanji with this series, which book should I start off with?
Book 3 starts covering the kanji :)
@@KevinAbroad Ok thank you!
I just finished book 2 as well. 100% agree with all your points. I quiet enjoyed it. Starting book 3 today, are you planning on continuing the the JFZ series ?
Yes, I'm planning on going through all the books :D
hey please how much it tooks for u to finish with each book i mean how much months u spent to finish the first and the secound book:D
@@hamidaitseghir7704 I finished all their books in like 3 Months. I was pretty addicted to studying Japanese and was doing a lesson a day. 😅
What is the best Genki book or learn Japanese from scratch?
I got the Genki 1 book and it’s been useful so far but I’m thinking about getting this book instead of the Genki 2 book, do you think it is a good idea?
I think if you completed Genki 1 and know it well, you should consider jumping straight to book 3. I think you can check the table of contents on amazon for each book :)
Since I already learned Hiragana, Katakana and a few Kanji I try to decide which Book I can use for selfstudy. There seems to be those two large groups where one prefer Genki and the others the Japanese from Zero Books. Since I am not a talented language learner I think those Japanese from Zero Books would be more helpful for me and not too overwelming - Right?
I would make the decision based on how much grammar you know. Did you learn any or did you mainly focus on writing?
@Kevin Abroad I only knew a few bits of grammar (Particles like ha, no, ni, wo). But since grammar is for me like rocket-science even in my native language I think I need an easy approach to this. Like building up the vocabs and the grammar together. From short and easy sentences to longer ones. Thats what I figure out with an app.
@@senapus1241 I think then JFZ could be good! Some people criticise it for the progressive approach of how it teaches the writing system but I enjoyed that because I knew the kana but I wasn't good at writing them.
But for the grammar, if you don't know much, I think you'll find it useful
@Kevin Abroad Yes, when you already know the Kana it seems a bit a strange to start all over again with romaji, but since I tend to wrote down vocabs in Hiragana and romanji I notice that I write the Kanas really sloppy. So it's okay to practise them again along the way. Also since english isn't my native language either it good the have all the explanations simple and easy. Thanks for helping me.
@@senapus1241 You're welcome! I hope you enjoy the books if you decide to buy them
If you do JFZ first, Genki is WAY easier to get through. I feel like Genki tries to throw the entire kitchen sink at you right away.
I actually agree haha. Going through JFZ series and then using Genki as a refresher but also as a way to go a little deeper can be a great idea I think.
So i did jpfz 1 and can already read all the kana. Should I just jump to jpfz3 to start with kanji or go to genki or just go do jpfz2 ?
You could skip book 2 but you'd have to learn the grammar covered in it imo
So should i just get genki than? Or just get jpfz2 what would u do personally?
When I took online Japanese lessons, the teacher used genki quite a bit. But I haven't used it fully from scratch so I can't really decide for you. What I can say is that JFZ is way easier because the pace is slower. Genki is a little more intense and I don't know how good it is for self study if you don't have a teacher. But Andy from tokini Andy goes through the 2 genki books on his videos. That might help :)
Is there any chance to find the book in pdf? It's not available to buy in Iraq + websites don't ship into here.
The author also sells the book in an ebook format but no PDF. If you find the book in PDF it would be an illegal copy as far as I know
@@KevinAbroad i found the first and third book in pdf format...
That's an illegal copy then. The author only sells the book as ebook or physical format. If you're able to buy the ebook, please consider doing so on amazon :).
I love the book series. But I personally think it takes way too much time teach hiragana and katakana.
Fair! I didn't really learn kana thanks to the books. I already could read a write virtually all of them before I started with the series. But it help to reinforce everything
I can't read hiragana and katakana well should i get japanese from zero?? Or there is other books for beginners???
If you can't read either, start with book 1 then. It teaches you hiragana :)
The first book is made so you learn a couple of hiragana in each chapter and the japanese words are written in romaji (our latin alphabet) except for the japanese you have learned in previous lessons. At the end of book 1 you will have learned all the hiragana and in book 2 it's the same thing but with katakana.
A lot of other books begins with romaji and just switch to hiragana and katakana a couple of chapters in.
nice review dog
Lol