Some books start teaching you weird things. One book I used had you learning the word for "right angle" in chapter 1. How many times are you going to use the word right angle? "When you turn left at the upcoming intersection, ensure that you make a right-angle turn." I mean, WTF?
But on another note, thanks for the titles. I will definitely check those out.
When you speak Japanese, you don't usually say "Do a right-angle turn"
Your book just wanted to differenciate "Right" (as in "I am right") from "right" (as in "Turn right").
They probably don't teach you direct vocabulary from the start in that book.
Just the typical tourist-friendly phrasebook.
[Whoops,double post!
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For the book, "right angle" really was the vocabulary, I kid you not. I made up the "turning right" sentence myself as a way of causing one to ask themselves when they would use the word "right angle."
I happened to have the book sitting right next to me (This is a college issued book by the way that goes along with their class. Maybe the teacher has a creative way of using these words. ((To get unmotivated kids to drop the course))) here are a few words I find questionable to teach someone in chapter 1 of any language book:
musical instrument (not too bad I guess)
mustard (Again, not too bad)
chrysanthemum (I big WTF for that) (And it was not used as a teaching hiragana/katakana example. ((As the japanese word for that is "kiku")))
cucumber (Of all the fruit they choose to teach, they choose cucumber)
national flag (For all those politcal conversations you will be having in chapter 1)
waterfall (I just think there are more useful words like, "help" or "river")
right angle (mentioned previously)
boiling water (the word for "water" not being in chapter one.)
Anyway, good luck with Minna No Nihongo. You will actually be able to construct meaningful sentences in chapter 1. (Instead of mutter useless vocabulary.)
After minna no nihongo chapter one
*You buy something at the store* "Thank you"
After that college japanese book
*You hear a japanese conversation* "I *think* that person just said "right angle." (Your japanese friends *might* be impressed, if you got it right that is.)