Eriko Sato, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Japan Center and the founding director of the Pre-College Japanese Language Program at The University of New York at Stony Brook. She is the author of Contemporary Japanese and Japanese For Dummies.

Say sayonara to your fears of speaking Japanese!

Interested in learning to speak Japanese but feel intimidated by the complex characters and pronunciations? No need to worry! Even if your only experience is ordering sushi, Japanese Demystified will have you saying konnichiwa to your new language skills in no time.

Beginning with a review of Japanese writing systems, basic pronunciation, and everyday expressions, this book covers key grammar fundamentals such as particles, nouns, verb forms, and honorifics. You'll build your Japanese vocabulary with essential words and phrases and quickly master this challenging language. Test yourself at the end of every chapter for reinforcement that you're fast on your way to speaking, writing, and understanding Japanese.

This fast and easy guide features:

Clear and straightforward explanations of Japanese grammar fundamentals

Numerous examples of simple and complex sentence structures

Japanese hiragana, katakana, and kanji with phonetic transliterations for all Japanese words

Helpful writing and speaking exercises that bring the Japanese language to life

Coverage of everyday topics as well as conversational expressions

Quizzes at the end of each chapter to reinforce new material

Simple enough for a beginner, but challenging enough for a more experienced student, Japanese Demystified is your shortcut to mastering this complex language.