Japanese Onomatopoeia

Japanese is full of words that sound like what they mean. There is one word for rain that starts with a few scattered drops, another for a steady, quiet drizzle, and a third for a downpour you can hear from indoors. There are words for a door slammed shut, a body too tired to move, a sly grin, and a laugh you can't hold in. Native speakers use these sound and feeling words constantly, in conversation, manga, anime, and advertising, yet most textbooks barely mention them.Japanese Onomatopoeia 1 teaches 39 of the most useful in 11 themed chapters. Words that compete with each other are taught side by side, so you learn which one fits the scene.Each chapter includes:A short fox-and-tanuki manga that puts the chapter's words into a real sceneA lesson for every expression, with example sentences, full furigana, English translations, and notes on when to use itComparisons that show how similar words differSentence patterns for building your own examplesA short reading, first with support and then without furiganaPractice exercises with an answer key, including a translation of every line of the mangaAudio and extras at no extra charge. Scan the QR codes to hear native-speaker audio for every lesson, reading, and manga scene. A code in the back unlocks all 182 sentences in the Makoto+ Japanese Explorer app, with word-by-word breakdowns and audio. The same code gets you bonus downloads.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, and Quiet Chuckles and Loud Laughter.Who it is for: learners who can read hiragana and know basic verb forms, from upper beginner to intermediate.Part of From the Desk of Makoto, a series that collects the best articles from Makoto, our magazine for Japanese learners, revised and expanded into books. From Makoto Press and TheJapanShop.com, teaching Japanese since 2002.