General Course

Class for Japanese beginners. Students study the basic structure and vocabulary of Japanese, and aim to become able to do simple communication. The lifestyle of international students and foreign researchers is considered in the materials used in class, and what students learn will connect to their everyday lives in Japan.

[Notes]

1. In Level 1, knowledge of hiragana is not required at the start of the course. However, to efficiently progress in subsequent learning, we strongly recommend becoming proficient in hiragana (at least reading). As hiragana is not covered in the class, please utilize resources such as the Center's web content to self-master hiragana as a rough guide within two weeks after the start of the course. Additionally, the optional class 'Application Practice' provides support for hiragana proficiency during the initial several weeks."
2. This class does not primarily focus on teaching characters, especially kanji. Students who are interested in kanji or who wish to proceed to more advanced classes should sign up for the Kanji class, for example, 'Kanji 1' in the Specific Japanese of the General Course, or 'Kanji First Step' in the Special Themed Seminar.
3. Due to the students’ learning stage, explanations will be provided in English, but please be aware that this course is not intended to explain all the content solely in English. Actively listening to and speaking Japanese in class will help improve your Japanese proficiency. If you want to review or ask questions about the course content in English, taking the optional course 'Textbook Tutorials' may be helpful.

Class for upper-level beginners in Japanese. Students study grammar and vocabulary suitable for this level and aim to become able to do more complicated communication than in Level 1. The lifestyle of international students and foreign researchers is considered in the materials used in class, and what students learn will connect to their everyday lives in Japan.

[Notes]

1. In Level 2, the class is designed for students who are expected to be able to read hiragana and katakana. 
2. This class does not teach kanji characters. Students who are interested in kanji or who wish to proceed to more advanced classes should sign up for the Kanji class.
3. Because of the students’ learning stage, explanations will be provided in English, but please be aware that this course is not intended to explain all the content solely in English. Actual listening to and speaking Japanese in class will help improve your Japanese proficiency.
4. For those who want to review and further practice the material learned in the base course, we recommend taking the optional class 'Application Practice.' Additionally, if you're interested in simple reading comprehension primarily based on hiragana and discussing topics related to it, we recommend the optional class 'Read & Talk.'

Kanji for beginners starting from zero. This class is for students who have never studied kanji before. To cultivate an eye for looking at kanji, students will learn how to see their shapes, structures, ideographic elements, radicals (bushu), and origin. They will also learn the basic kanji characters (approx. 150). In this way, students will aim to become able to guess the meanings of kanji that they encounter for the first time and to become able to study more kanji characters on their own.

[Notes]

1. This course is designed for learners who have not studied kanji before. This course is not suitable for learners with a background in kanji, particularly those who have knowledge of the characters used in Chinese, and they will not be allowed to enroll even if they are beginners in Japanese.
2. You can enroll in this course even if your Japanese language level is beginner at the time of enrollment. However, the class will generally follow the learning progression of the General Course Comprehensive: Level 1, with some Japanese language used during the lessons.

The next step for kanji learners. This class is for students who already know about 150 to 200 kanji characters and want to increase the number of kanji that they can use. We help students learn 400 to 500 new kanji characters, focusing on their shape, meaning, and usage. Through learning kanji, students will also aim to acquire more Japanese vocabulary.

[Notes]

1. Students eligible to take this class must fulfill both qualifications:
    a) Those who understand about 150+ kanji characters (for example, about 60%+ of Basic Kanji Book vol. I (Bonjinsha)).
    b) Those who have enough Japanese ability to understand lectures held in basic Japanese.
2. If your level is deemed unsuitable during the first class, we may advise you to withdraw from the course.

Class to learn how to conduct natural conversations in Japanese and to learn expressions useful for communicating with Japanese people in various aspects of daily life, including requests, getting permission, and asking questions. Students will practice speaking Japanese, but the class is NOT intended for free conversation. The curriculum also includes listening comprehension exercises necessary for practicing conversation. The class is for intermediate learners (Comprehensive Japanese Level 3 or above) who can grasp various situations by listening to and reading about them in Japanese.

[Note]

Even if the Japanese language proficiency level specified in the requirements is met, we may advise changing classes or decline enrollment if the practical language skills (speaking and listening) are not at a suitable level for the learning activities.

This class aims to enable students to speak and interact in a way that is closer to native speakers with advanced Japanese expressions and conversation in various aspects of everyday life, including requests, getting permission, and explaining reasons. In addition, students consider the difference between their knowledge of Japanese and the actual Japanese used in conversation, and they practice speaking using more natural expressions. While students practice speaking Japanese, the class is NOT intended for free conversation. Students must have intermediate to advanced knowledge of Japanese (Comprehensive Japanese Level 4 or above) and be able to express their opinions in Japanese.

[Note]

Even if the Japanese language proficiency level specified in the requirements is met, we may advise changing classes or decline enrollment if the practical language skills (speaking and listening) are not at a suitable level for the learning activities.

This class is for students who wish to study what kind of Japanese is used and how it is used in business. During class, students experience Japanese business situations virtually by watching videos and reading texts about business situations. They study expressions used in business, keego(respect language), explicit speaking, concise writing, etc.

[Notes]

1. A prerequisite for enrollment in this course is a Japanese language proficiency level equivalent to Level 4 or higher of the General Course (Intermediate to Advanced level, approximately JLPT N2 or above), along with a basic understanding of keego. A simple test will be conducted during the first class.
2. Although the target of this class is students who are considering working for companies in Japan, tutorials on the correction of “entry sheets” (job applications) will not be offered in class.

This class aims to enable students to speak and interact in a way that is native-like, using advanced Japanese expressions and engaging in conversations across various aspects of everyday life, including making requests, seeking permission, and explaining reasons. In addition, students consider the difference between their knowledge of Japanese and the actual Japanese used in conversation, and they practice speaking using more natural expressions. While students practice speaking Japanese, the class is NOT intended for free conversation. Participants are expected to possess advanced knowledge of Japanese (at least Comprehensive Japanese Level 5 or above) and should be capable of expressing their opinions sufficiently in Japanese.

[Note]

Even if the Japanese language proficiency level specified in the requirements is met, we may advise changing classes or decline enrollment if the practical language skills (speaking and listening) are not at a suitable level for the learning activities.