Is this book about Japanese Slang worth getting?

Japanese Slang by [Maki Hayasaka](https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Maki+Hayasaka&text=Maki+Hayasaka&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books)

[https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Slang-Maki-Hayasaka/dp/170493611X](https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Slang-Maki-Hayasaka/dp/170493611X)

The description states ” the slang described here is a natural part of everyday speech “. Is this true?

5 comments
  1. I really wish there was a Japanese edition of this Streetwise series. They have interesting dialogues with recordings, instead of just lists of words without context:

    https://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-Mandarin-Chinese-MP3-Disc/dp/0071474897

    [https://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-Russian-Audio-CD-Understand/dp/0071474862](https://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-Russian-Audio-CD-Understand/dp/0071474862)

    [https://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-Spanish-Book-1CD-Understand/dp/0071460861](https://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-Spanish-Book-1CD-Understand/dp/0071460861)

    [https://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-French-Book-Understand-STREETWISE/dp/0071478744](https://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-French-Book-Understand-STREETWISE/dp/0071478744)

    [https://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-German-Speak-Understand-Colloquial/dp/0844225142](https://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-German-Speak-Understand-Colloquial/dp/0844225142)

  2. Judging by the small number of reviews on that book, I imagine noone here has read it so wouldn’t be able to tell you if it’s worth it or not.

    That said, since slang is constantly evolving, I think you would be better off checking out Japanese Twitter posts and YouTube comments to learn slang. You’ll learn it quicker that way just from seeing what real people use.

  3. Is there a colloquial version of Japanese in the same way there is a colloquial version of French (argot) or Spanish that everyone uses like in real life and on TV shows, but not used in textbooks?

  4. >The description states ” the slang described here is a natural part of everyday speech “. Is this true?

    There are some hardcore words in that preview that are definitely NOT part of everyday speech, in any language.

    I never bothered to learn any slang or swear words as the spoken language is tough enough as it is. As a guest of Japan, I tried hard to show a high level of respect to everyone I met, even children and the ocasional gangster.

  5. I downloaded the free sample which lets you read up to “F”.

    It’s basically a random mix of commonly used ones, very obscure ones and obsolete ones that will only bring you awkwardness.
    It’s a good read for comedy purposes perhaps, but not really for learning. You’re better off learning from watching J-Dramas or TV shows

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