Hop, Step, and Jump for Beginner Japanese 1 (Ippo Nihongo Sanpo)

This book is for people who want to start learning Japanese at the most basic level, and can be used even if you have not yet mastered hiragana and katakana. The first 10 of the 20 chapters come with Romaji (Roman letters) just above all the vocabulary and sentences, so you will naturally learn hiragana/katakana as you progress through them.

The book contains basic sentence patterns based on everyday situations so that you can take what you have learned and use it in real life immediately. It's aimed at the most basic level learners, and so teaches fundamentals such as how to count, dates and times, popular dishes and sports. It also teaches you fundamental grammar along with basic verbs and adjectives. The easy-to-understand illustrations will help you grasp the meanings and the situations in which the language can be used.

The book comes with a CD containing scenario-based conversations for each chapter. Listen, read, practice, and do the simple exercises that will help you remember what you've learnt. Whilst this book is good for working on with a Japanese friend or teacher, you'll also get a lot of benefit from it through self-study. See images to the left for examples of the format and layout used.