Phrase books.

[Daichi]

I've only recently started learning Japanese, and would like to pass on some advice concerning Phrase books.

These books are ideal for people who only want to pick a little spoken Japanese, but I've found that if you are serious about learning the language, in particular if you are learning written Japanese (or if you intend to later) then you should avoid such books.

Almost all phrase books you are likely to come across will write the Japanese in a kind of phonetic English/European, rather than in Romaji. eg. dess instead of desu.
When it comes to learning the kana, such phonetic spelling will only make things more difficult.

I thought I should mention this so that other newbies can steer clear of the trap I oh so narrowly missed!

[Kates]

Nothing's wrong with owning a phrase book. =/ I have several and have studied Japanese for over four years. Though I can get by in daily conversations, there is still a LOT I don't know, and phrase books (espeically if you are IN Japan, and especailly-especially if you are travelling) can really help save your butt in some situations.

Remember that language learning in a classroom is mostly about grammar, not about daily survival in that environment. I think a phrase book is a good thing for any student of Japanese... especially those studying in the country itself.

[Daichi]

Interesting.

Well, as I said I'm a newbie so maybe my opinions of learning the language will change when I'm a bit further down the road.
Perhaps people should pick up a phrase book and see if it works for them. I'm not sure it suits me personally though.

Okay everyone, disregard my previous post! Try out different methods for learning and decide what suits you.