Many Japanese think English is a difficult language. So why not make that linguistic grind enjoyable? That’s exactly what this odd little book does.
A few years ago, Kotaku introduced English Words That Don’t Appear on Tests (here and here). It’s a wonderful English book filled with silly drawings and words and sentences that probably don’t appear in daily conversation.
三省堂書店名古屋高島屋店さんでこんなにも面を取って文庫版の紹介してくださってました！感激！ pic.twitter.com/BkQViGJqLf
— ボイメンの試験に出ない英単語 (@shikennidenai_e) April 14, 2016
「出ない順 試験に出ない英単語」
飛鳥新社
文庫サブによるとnipple推しが激しいらしいです（笑）つ、使えない！思わずツッコミを入れたくなるご存知試験に出ない英単語文庫で発売中です！
明正堂アトレ上野店 pic.twitter.com/ByH8xAAJWv— 鬼瓦レッド (@syenzaramasuma1) April 11, 2016
There is a new version of the book going on sale. It’s also been the basis of a new sketch on boy band show Boimen Magic.
The book’s Twitter @NISE_TOEIC has been uploading sample images, some of which can be seen below.
[Image: NISE_TOIEC]
[Image: NISE_TOIEC]
[Image: NISE_TOIEC]
[Image: NISE_TOIEC]
[Image: NISE_TOIEC]
[Image: NISE_TOIEC]
[Image: NISE_TOIEC]
[Image: NISE_TOIEC]
[Image: NISE_TOIEC]
[Image: NISE_TOIEC]
Considering how bland and dry most English textbooks are in Japan, these books have been a breath of fresh air. I’m not convinced they will teach Japanese people English, but at least they’re wry and will hopefully help convince people that you can have fun with the language, especially when you know words like “fart”.
Comments
6 responses to “The Return Of Japan’s Strangest English Textbook”
Now I’m not saying the man in a bra is Nicholas Cage, but…
I don’t know. Most of my conversations contain somethings like this.
It’s not just in Japan that English is considered a hard language to learn, it is a terrible language to learn unless you are a native speaker, even then many people struggle with it.
Yup English is just a mess. One might complain about the different “genders” of different animals and things in Spanish, or the der, die das thing in German but all of English is like that, completely arbitrary with ridiculous rules and countless exceptions to those rules.
As my grade 3 teacher so aptly put it, “The English language is stupid”. Absolutely is it difficult to learn and speak it, however i also think that there are many good resources out there to assist native speakers and those who are learning it as a second/third language =)
Well played Japan!
Magical girls do sound like a credible threat to a city 😛
Inexplicable level one billion achieved.