Bunpou = 文法 = 文 (sentence) + 法 (method) = the method of sentences = grammar!

Ok, so Bunpou Book #1 isn't a book at all. The thing I love about the PDFs JapanesePod101 publishes is that they get super advanced. It makes sense: they have a PDF for every audio lesson, and they have hundreds and hundreds of audio lessons… which means hundreds and hundreds of grammar study PDFs.

Each one has a transcript of the audio in kanji, kana, formal romanization, and English, plus vocabulary lists, example sentences, grammar explanations, and references for further study.

Here is a sample of one of their lesson PDFs:

(Sorry if it's a bit difficult; I don't have any of the lower-level ones sitting around.)

My main issue with using JapanesePod101 as a grammar study tool is probably the lack of concise, attached practice material (which is useful for when taking lessons with a teacher).

I think that this makes it, perhaps, a better grammar self-study tool once you've already completed a couple of standard grammar textbooks, the kind with workbooks and example after example.

The next recommended grammar tool is also more of a self-study tool than it is a practice tool…

Tae Kim's Guide to Japanese Grammar

In all honesty, I haven't read all of Tae Kim's A Guide to Japanese Grammar, but I've heard so many good things that I thought I would list it here as a grammar resource.

This behemoth grammar guide (over 450 pages!) is meant to teach you Japanese “as it's really spoken," as opposed to the over-polite Japanese that most grammar books stick you with for the first one or two volumes of study.

Tae Kim does a really awesome job of explaining Japanese grammar, which can be horribly complicated if you have the wrong teacher.

The best part? It's free. The entire thing is available online for no cost. Or, you can buy a printed or Kindle version via Amazon.

The Genki Series

Genki has a special place in my heart. This one's pure nostalgia. It was my first encounter with the Japanese language. I kept my workbooks for a very long time. Looking through them, you could sense the thrill with which I was filling in the answer to each question. Every answer written out completely, each character so neat, each stroke made with care, caution. I was opening the gates to a new world, a world where I sit for five minutes contemplating the history of the word 'teaspoon,' because Japanese has a word for teaspoon that has the character for tea (茶) in it! What does tea have to do with a teaspoon? And how did it cross all those miles to mean that for such geographically distant people?!

Ok, I'll stop. If you're reading this, you're probably already plenty fascinated by Japanese.

If you do decide to go with the Genki series, you'll be looking at these books:

1. Genki I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese
   • Genki I Workbook
   • Genki I Answer Key
2. Genki II: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese
   • Genki II Workbook

(These links are to White Rabbit Japan, as they consistently stock these and other Japanese textbooks. However, these are sometimes available on Amazon, as well.)

Take a look at some reviews. Or better, flip through them at a college bookstore (they probably won't have these textbooks at a regular bookstore, unless you're in Japan). Compare them with some other grammar books. Maybe compare them with…

The Minna no Nihongo Series

When I first used Minna no Nihongo, I thought it sucked. I was at an international Japanese language academy in Tokyo, and there was no English in the books! But then I came across the English versions of Minna no Nihongo, and they actually looked pretty helpful. Add to that the fact that the books were completely redone a couple of years ago. Supposedly, a lot of Japanese teachers were complaining about a lot of the language not being appropriate or relevant for students. I've heard that things are much better with version two.

(By the way, if you're planning on studying at a Japanese language school in Japan, I would bet money that they're using these books. If you're studying at a school in the US, I think you're more likely to run into the Genki series. Really, though, it's all up to your teacher, I suppose.)

Take a look:

1. Minna no Nihongo Shokyu 1 (Beginner) Second Edition – Complete Set
   • Included in this special set are:
     1. Minna no Nihongo Shokyu 1 Honsatsu
     2. Translation & Grammatical Notes
     3. Minna no Nihongo Shokyu 1 Second Edition Hyojun Mondai-shu (Workbook)
     4. Minna no Nihongo Sentence Pattern Workbook 1 - Second Edition
     5. Minna no Nihongo Kanji Workbook 1 - Second Edition
2. Minna no Nihongo Shokyu 2 (Beginner) Second Edition
   1. Minna no Nihongo Shokyu 2 Honsatsu
   2. Translation & Grammatical Notes for Minna no Nihongo Shokyu 2 Second Edition English (available in 6 languages)
   3. Minna no Nihongo Shokyu 2 Second Edition Hyojun Mondai-shu (Workbook)
   4. Minna no Nihongo Shokyu 2 Sentence Pattern Workbook - Second Edition

(Again, these links are to White Rabbit Japan. Sometimes I see them on Amazon, also.)

I would put these in the reference section, but really they are a supplement to the grammar study curriculum you choose. Since we don't have a classroom, we'll often need a different way of explaining a grammar concept in order for us to understand it, and these books are really useful for that, thanks to their ordered, detailed indexes.

I'm a grammar nerd, so I love these books. They're pretty much my favorite books in the world.

• A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
• A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar
• A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar

(These links are for White Rabbit Japan, but sometimes you can find them on Amazon, too.)

This mastery plan is all about saving time, and there are a lot of grammar books that will cost you more time than you need to spend. That's why I recommend starting with a grammar book series. If it only has one volume, if they sell it at Barnes and Noble or another major chain, if it has a fun twist (e.g. learn grammar by reading manga), then be very careful. These books may teach you some useful stuff, but you'll probably end up restudying that same stuff when you're forced to switch to a different grammar book series, one that progresses to intermediate and advanced levels.

Honestly, it doesn't really matter, if you ask me. All of the resources that I've listed here are packed with practical grammar instruction that you will need in order to communicate in Japanese. So, really, any of these are probably okay. Take a look at each one, read reviews, then make your own decision. The most important thing, as always, is that you don't quit studying right after you start. So pick whichever one seems most interesting to you.

Don't take too much time deciding, though, because that's all that's left to do before moving on to the very last section of Phase #1!

Phase #1 Progress

Completed:

• Mindset Prep
• Vocab Prep
• Listening Prep
• Reference Prep
• Grammar Prep

Pending:

• Speaking Prep