The Kanzen Master series is designed to help learners improve their abilities and the aim of this textbook is to help students increase their knowledge of Japanese vocabulary. The book is entirely written in Japanese including the answers, questions, and explanations to all the activities; for this reason it is only suitable for people who have reached the level in their studies where they can confidently read in Japanese. It is perfect for studying alone as it requires the student to memorize an extensive amount of vocabulary. The book is also very detailed and the information is divided into sixteen main sections with a practice test found at the end. Each main section is further divided into subsections and under each one you can find subsections with topics such as ‘Family, Friends and Acquaintances’ or ‘Personal Character.’ The first nine sections are like the ones mentioned above and each subsection introduces vocabulary, key phrases and example sentences. This is then followed by a test section comprised of a short text with blanks which need to be filled in, matching exercises, and a short section imitating the kinds of questions found in the Japanese Language Proficiency exam.
"This book is not to be taken lightly and it takes a considerable amount of time to study, the vocabulary lists are extensive, however the simple organizational technique of putting related words together is very helpful."
The second half of the textbook includes seven main sections which are more challenging. They cover topics such as nouns and adjectives as well as comprehensive sections contrasting similar descriptive words and time markers (just to name a few). Each subsection has a list of words, example sentences, and a lengthy amount of test questions. At the back of the textbook there is a small booklet with the correct answers for all of the exercises. This book is not to be taken lightly and it takes a considerable amount of time to study, the vocabulary lists are extensive, however the simple organizational technique of putting related words together is very helpful.
I feel that it is best to work with this textbook a specific way. I would recommend moving along section by section, and then make sure to properly work the vocabulary list and maybe a day or two later try working with the question section that follows. As this method is quite mentally taxing there are several other methods which can be used such as incorporating the vocabulary into your own short piece of writing or using flashcards, but it must be kept in mind that the question sections need to be completed as they will help you become accustomed to the kind of exam questions you may get as well as help you develop your general understanding of Japanese.
This book is really great as it covers so much information, not only does it focus on vocabulary but kanji and grammar as well; it also puts many words into context to aid understanding. It is a perfect book to study on your own and it will take a great amount of time to complete. If you manage to achieve this goal, you will find that your knowledge of Japanese will improve and you will gain confidence to take the exam.
