A Look at GENKI 3rd Edition

Eri Banno

Eri Banno is a professor emeritus at Okayama University,and has previously taught Japanese at Nanzan University and Kansai Gaidai University. She earned her Ed.D. in education at Temple University.Her publications include the co-authored works 80 Communication Games for Japanese Language Teachers, Kanji Look and Learn and GENKI Japanese Readers (The Japan Times Publishing).

Yoko Ikeda

Yoko Ikeda is a professor at Ibaraki University,and has previously taught Japanese at Eastern New Mexico University, Pennsylvania State University,and Kansai Gaidai University. She earned her M.A. in comparative literature at Pennsylvania State University. Her publications include the coauthored Kanji Look and Learn and GENKI Japanese Readers (The Japan Times Publishing).

Yutaka Ohno

Yutaka Ohno is a professor emeritus at Ritsumeikan University’s Graduate School of Language Education and Information Science (LEIS), and has previously taught Japanese at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Kansai Gaidai University, and Nagoya University. He earned his M.A. in linguistics at Sophia University, and enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Chikako Shinagawa

Chikako Shinagawa is a lecturer emeritus at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has previously taught Japanese at the University of California, Irvine, and Kansai Gaidai University. She earned her M.A. in Japanese at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her publications include the co-authored Kanji Look and Learn and GENKI Japanese Readers (The Japan Times Publishing).

Kyoko Tokashiki

Kyoko Tokashiki is a professor at Kansai Gaidai University, and has previously taught Japanese at Connecticut College and Ohio State University. She earned her M.A. in Japanese linguistics at Ohio State University. Her publications include the coauthored Kanji Look and Learn (The Japan Times Publishing).

Listed below are some of the universities/colleges that use GENKI as the main textbook for their Japanese courses.

United States and Canada

American University
Appalachian State University
Baylor University
Boston University
Bucknell University
California State University
Carson-Newman College
Claremont Colleges
Cornell University
Dickinson College
Duke University
Florida International University
Florida State University
GEOS Language Academy, Montreal
Honolulu Comminity College
Irvine Valley College
Johns Hopkins University
Michigan State University
North Carolina State University
Oklahoma State University
Pennsylvania State University
Rutgers University
San Diego State University
San Francisco State University
San Jose State University
Shasta College
Southern Oregon University
St. Thomas University
Stanford University
SUNY Binghamton University
Temple University
The College of New Jersey
Tufts University
University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Arkansas at Monticello
University of California
University of Cincinnati
University of Delaware
University of Denver
University of Georgia
University of Houston
University of Illinois
University of Memphis
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of Mississippi
University of Missouri
University of New Brunswick
University of New Hampshire
University of San Francisco
University of Southern Mississippi
University of Toronto
University of Victoria
University of Wisconsin
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Mount Royal University
Simon Fraser University
University of British Columbia
University of Calgary
University of Winnipeg
Vancouver Island University

Australia and New Zealand

Australian Catholic University – Strathfield
Griffith University
La Trobe University
Macquarie University
Massey University
Monash University
RMIT University
Trinity College
University of Canberra
University of Melbourne
University of Sydney
University of Western Sydney
Auckland University
University of Otago
Victoria University of Wellington

Europe

Copenhagen Business School
Ecole Centrale de Nantes
International School of Duesseldorf
Istituto Linguistico e Culturale IL MULINO
Justus-Liebig-Universitaet Giessen
Lulea Tekniska Universitet
Lund University
Newcastle University
Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Oslo Handelsgymnasium
Rotterdam University
The Cheltenham Ladies College
Turku University
Universitaet Bonn
Universitaet Frankfrt
University Mainz
University of Bologna
University of Bristol
University of Gothenburg
University of Oslo
University of Stockholm

Southeast Asia

University of Transport and Communications (Viet Nam)

Japan

Hitotsubashi University
Hokkaido University of Education, Hakodate
Josai International University
Kanda University of International Studies
Kansai Gaidai University
Kyoto Sangyo University
Kyushu University
Nagoya University of Foreign Studies
Nanzan University
Niigata University
Oita University
Osaka University
The University of Tokyo
Tokyo International University
Yokohama National University
Tokyo Gakugei University

■ Targeted Learners

Q: Who is GENKI designed for?

A: GENKI is designed for beginning learners of Japanese. As the textbooks are divided into two volumes, students who have completed roughly 100 hours of study can start with GENKI 2. Since grammar explanations, vocabulary translations and exercise instructions are given in English, users are expected to have an adequate understanding of English.

Q: Can GENKI be used for self-study?

A: The grammar explanations have been written in plain English with minimal jargon so that students can prepare for lessons on their own. Because of this straightforward design, solo learners should have no difficulty in using GENKI for their Japanese studies. Also, as a new change for the third edition, the audio material can be downloaded and played on mobile devices. We encourage solo learners to actively use this material to increase their opportunity to hear Japanese spoken.

Q: Is GENKI suitable for use in high school classes?

A: Although GENKI was developed with university students in mind, it is also being used with success at high schools in the USA. High school instructors can use GENKI effectively by adapting their teaching methods to match GENKI with their curriculum, utilizing supplementary resources or incorporating other creative ideas.

■ Time Requirements

Q: How much class time is needed to complete all 23 lessons of GENKI?

A: Generally speaking, in each lesson 6 hours should be allotted to the Dialogue and Grammar section, and 3 hours to Reading and Writing, so completion of all 23 lessons should take approximately 200 hours of class time.
At many universities GENKI coursework is paced at 4 or 5 hours a week for 30 to 32 weeks in a year, so GENKI 1 is used for the first year, and GENKI 2 for the second.

Q: Can GENKI still be used if the suggested amount of class time is not available?

A: As mentioned above, the standard allotment of class time in each lesson is 6 hours for Dialogue and Grammar, and 3 hours for Reading and Writing. However, instructors who have less time available can tinker with the lesson structure to make it fit their class schedule. For example, they could have the students study the grammar points at home, and start the class off with the exercises. Other ideas include skipping certain exercises or focusing solely on Dialogue and Grammar. Instructors are free to adapt the content and their teaching methods to go with the curriculum.

■ Content

Q: How many kanji are studied in GENKI?

A: A total of 317 kanji are studied in the Reading and Writing sections: 145 in GENKI 1 and 172 in GENKI 2. (See Kanji Introduced in the Reading and Writing Section.)

Q: How many vocabulary terms are studied in GENKI?

A: Approximately 1,700 terms are covered throughout all 23 lessons. In order that students can immediately put the grammar and expressions they learned into use in real situations, the vocabulary selections are predominantly words frequently used in everyday life. For the third edition, the vocabulary terms were reviewed and updated according to this approach.

Q: Should “Dialogue and Grammar” and “Reading and Writing” be studied at the same pace?

A: Since the grammar points studied in the Dialogue and Grammar section also appear in Reading and Writing section, the latter should be studied after going over the Dialogue and Grammar section of the same lesson. However, since both sections are independent of each other in terms of content, it is possible to study Reading and Writing at a pace slower than that of Dialogue and Grammar.

Q: Please tell me what the audio material contains, and how to use it.　

A: The audio of the textbooks includes Dialogue, Vocabulary, Practice, and the recordings of the readings of the Reading and Writing section. The audio of the workbooks contains recordings of the Listening Comprehension exercises. These audio files can be downloaded and played on mobile devices by using an app called OTO Navi–Sound Navigator, an app for listening to audio material of books from The Japan Times Publishing. →OTO Navi–Sound Navigator

■ Miscellaneous Questions

Q: What sort of teaching materials should be used after completing GENKI?

A: GENKI introduces all the basic grammar of beginning Japanese (see Syllabus of the Dialogue and Grammar section), so after completion, the students should advance to an intermediate-level text, such as Quartet: Intermediate Japanese Across the Four Language Skills.

Q: Are there any supplemental resources that you recommend?

A: Kanji Look and Learn is a kanji study resource that makes it fun to learn beginning-level kanji based on mnemonic illustrations. It presents 512 kanji, including all 317 covered by the GENKI series.
For those who want to boost their understanding of Japanese grammar, we recommend A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, which covers 200 grammatical expressions/patterns, their meanings, how to make sentences with them, and how they differ in usage from similar expressions, while offering numerous example sentences to make learning easier. For details on these resources, visit Japan Times Book Club.