This is a concise guide to learning beginner Japanese and includes an accompanying audio CD

This pocket book is intended for people who want to learn the basics of the Japanese language quickly. Whenever you have a few minutes—waiting in a hotel lobby, riding on a train, or whatever—open this book and you can learn phrases you'll use again and again during your stay in Japan. The book is divided into twenty-one chapters, each covering a specific topic. Each chapter includes the following three sections:

• Words & Expressions: This section introduces words and expressions needed in specific situations. Vocabulary is presented systematically for quick and easy understanding.
• Expressions in Context: This shows how to use in context the words and expressions given in the preceding section. Gives you confidence in using new words in original sentences.
• Additional Words & Expressions: This section enables you to create many new sentences using the patterns just learned. There's no need to memorize all the words or phrases presented here: concentrate on just those you want to use.

To use this book, start by reading the first three chapters of the book. These introduce many of the most commonly used words and phrases and familiarize you with the basic sentence structures. After Chapter 3, go straight to any chapter that interests you. If you want to know what to say on the phone, read Chapter 14: if you have to take a train, a few minutes with Chapter 6 should enable you to reach your destination quickly and conveniently. Although this book contains over three hundred carefully selected words and expressions, there is very little grammar included and there is no need for hours of rote memorization. All that is required is a few minutes of your time.