Special Themed Seminars

1. Non-kanji background students with no prior knowledge of kanji
2. Ability to read hiragana is desirable.

1. Native speaker of Chinese. (Non-native speakers who have similar kanji knowledge background as native speakers—such as Singaporeans or Malaysians—can also participate in the course.)
2. Having finished the upper intermediate level.

This seminar is for students who are from linguistic backgrounds where Chinese characters are not used and so are new to studying kanji. You will learn about 30 basic kanji characters at the beginner level. By learning kanji composition through pictures, combinations using various parts, and how to read simple words, we will prepare you to be able to use kanji in the future.
Upon the completion of this course, you can proceed to the Center’s General Course Kanji I.

Review of the first half of the beginner’s class (verb sentences, questions words, te-form, etc.) by talking about past and present experiences, hobbies, etc.
This seminar is aimed at those who finished the first half of the beginner’s class and those who are taking Level 1 in the same semester.

Review of the expressions learned during the latter half of the beginner’s class (comparisons, reasons, conditions, etc.), with the 3-day goal of being able to give appropriate advice about choosing stores, restaurants, and travel destinations.
This seminar is aimed at those who finished up to the last half of the beginner’s class and those who are taking Level 2 in the same semester.

This seminar focuses on speaking and listening for intermediate learners who have studied Japanese but have little opportunity to use it or are not confident in listening to Japanese in actual use.

This course is designed for intermediate-level or higher students who wish to learn how to express their own opinions smoothly in Japanese. In addition to learning the Japanese expressions commonly used when expressing opinions, students will practice speaking in a debate format, as well as practicing in familiar situations such as exchanging opinions in a laboratory.

This is a Japanese kanji seminar for native Chinese speakers. As the course will focus on the method of reading two-character kanji phrases in particular, students will learn the principles of Japanese kanji pronunciations (onyomi) and learn how to read even kanji vocabulary encountered for the first time.

This seminar is designed for intermediate and advanced-level students who are already able to communicate in Japanese. This course aims to improve communication for these students by using the basic greeting expression arigatoo as a starting point. In addition to arigatoo, the course also covers related greetings such as sumimasen and yoroshiku. The course will also focus on communication that is typical of Japanese by observing how the language is used in various situations and how native speakers of Japanese view interpersonal relationships. Students will also practice using these expressions in a variety of real-life communication situations. Students will be required to watch assigned video materials (about 5 minutes) before each class as preparation. Details will be announced to the students.

This course is designed for advanced-level learners who are already proficient in using Japanese for communication. With a main focus on Japanese request situations, the course explores various aspects of communication, such as starting conversations, making requests, giving reasons, and ending a conversation, in order to achieve more Japanese-like communication. Through this course, participants will become more aware of the differences in communication styles and ways of thinking between their native language and other languages, enhancing their ability to engage in more effective communication.