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I am the proud possessor of the complete run of Mangajin (pun for "magazine") from #1-#70 (1988-1997).

Mangajin was the brainchild of Vaughan P. Simmons, whom I had conversations with at several meetings of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) and corresponded with for a dozen years.  I have utmost respect for him as someone who had the vision and fortitude to make a truly effective pedagogical tool for learning Japanese a reality.

I dare say that I learned more Japanese language from Mangajin than from any other single source — just as I learned more Mandarin from Guóyǔ rìbào 國語日報 (Mandarin Daily), the Republic of China newspaper that had furigana-like bopomofo rubi phonetic annotations for all hanzi, than from any other single source.

Mangajin was a monthly English-language magazine for students of Japanese language and culture by Mangajin, Inc. It was distinct from many other magazines of its type in that it unabashedly embraced Japanese popular culture, as a learning tool and a route towards rapid acclimation into Japanese society. Each issue featured selections from various popular manga translated into English with detailed cultural and linguistic commentary.

It was a unique language learning tool in that the manga that it excerpted showed the use of the language in various types of informal conversations. It would feature a few pages of manga with explanations of the grammar used and when that grammar/vocabulary combination might be appropriate. By contrast, most Japanese language textbooks for early students focus on formal versions of the language appropriate for business discussions.

The magazine ceased publication in December 1997 (issue 70) due to financial hardship. The name is a combination of the Japanese words for "comic" (漫画, manga) and "person" (人, jin).

(Wikipedia)

My Mangajin are like a treasure worth their weight in gold.

Selected readings

• "Dialectology of Japanese reflexive exclamations" (1/8/17) — esp. this comment
• "How to learn to read and write Chinese" (8/13/19) — with useful bibliography
• "How to learn Mandarin" (7/17/18)
• "Topolect literature" (4/25/25) — esp. the comments
• "Striving to revive the flagging sinographic cosmopolis" (4/26/25)

April 27, 2025 @ 8:12 am · Filed by Victor Mair under Language and literature, Language teaching and learning, Linguistics in the comics, Pedagogy

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