Kodansha’s Katakana Workbook A Step-by-Step Approach to Basic Japanese Writing

Kodansha’s Katakana Workbook is an all-new, streamlined workbook designed for beginner-level students who want to learn katakana, the Japanese script used for writing loanwords, as efficiently as possible. It presents each katakana character not in the traditional order, but in a unique new one that makes it easy to read and write actual, everyday words from the very first lesson.

• Stroke-order diagrams for each character
• Ample space to practice writing
• 117 pull-out flashcards
• Free downloadable audio for more than 330 words presented in the book
• Fun exercises in every lesson
• Illustrations for all the basic characters

What is katakana?
Katakana, along with hiragana, is a syllabary, or a set of symbols for writing syllables—the basic building blocks of the Japanese language. Japanese also uses kanji, or Chinese characters, so that any Japanese text usually contains all three scripts.

Kanji, hiragana, and katakana each have different roles in Japanese. The role of katakana is primarily to transcribe loanwords (words borrowed from other languages), a great many of which come from English.

Katakana is also used to write foreign names, onomatopoeic words, and the names of certain plants and animals. Finally, katakana is sometimes used simply for emphasis, similar to the way italics are used in English.

What will this book do for me?
With Kodansha’s Katakana Workbook, you’ll learn how to correctly read and write all the katakana characters. At the same time, you’ll also learn more than 330 useful words and expressions. With the free audio files downloadable from kodansha-intl.com, you’ll get a good sense of how English loanwords are pronounced in Japanese. And with the knowledge of katakana you gain from this book, you’ll be able to begin reading words everywhere around you in Japan—in signs and advertisements, as well as in manga, magazines, and other media.