Course listing
Mastering Kana

This is an introductory course on the two basic phonetic characters of Japanese (Kana)—Katakana (ex. ア、イ、ウ) and Hiragana (ex. あ、い、う)--as well as basic vocabulary. These two types of scripts are fundamental when you start learning Japanese. This course will teach you how to read and write all Kana.  It is suitable for beginners as well as those who already know Japanese but need help remembering Kana.

April Class Started

• Dates: Saturdays, April 21 – May 19 (5 meetings)
• Time: 9:30am – 11:30am (2 hours)

June Class Open!

• Dates: Saturdays, June 2 – June 30 (5 meetings)
• Time: 9:30am – 11:30am (2 hours)

General Information

• Total hours: 10 hours
• Fee: $150.00 (Class material included)
• Age: 18 years old and up
• Class size: 16 people
• JF Standard (Goal)*: A1    　　

*See FAQ

 Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Goal  

At the end of the course, the successful learners will:

• Have knowledge of both of the Japanese Kana writing systems, including their history
• Be able to read a menu in Japanese
• Be able to read and write  Japanese Kana (both Hiragana and Katakana)
• Be able to make an appropriate greetings for time of day and to show gratitude

Download the self-check list to see if this is the right course for you.  No assessment test is required for this course.

Everyday Japanese: Making friends

Learn how to introduce yourself, to talk about your family and your daily life, and to invite friends in Japanese. At the end of this course, you will be able to talk about yourself and carry on a simple conversation with Japanese people. This course also introduces basic knowledge of Kanji and the most useful Kanji for everyday life.

Thursday Class Started

• Dates: Thursdays, April 26 – June 21 (8 meetings) No meeting on May 31
• Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm  (2 hours)

Saturday Class Started

• Dates: Saturdays, April 21 – June 23 (8 meetings) No meeting on May 12 & 26
• Time: 12:00pm – 2:00pm  (2 hours)

General Information

• Total hours: 16 hours
• Fee: $240.00 (Class material included; textbook purchase is optional**)
• Age: 18 years old and up
• Class size: 16 people
• JF Standard (Goal)*: A1    

Prerequisites

You must be comfortable reading Hiragana and Katakana without any pronunciation guides such as Roma-ji.

Goal            

At the end of the course, the successful learners will:

• Have basic knowledge of Kanji and understand the meaning of the most useful kanji for everyday life
• Be able to introduce themselves
• Be able to talk about their family and daily life, and ask simple questions about other people’s schedules
• Be able to invite their Japanese friends to go out

Download the self-check list and assessment test to see if this is the right course for you.

*See FAQ

**In this course, we use a set of original textbooks published by the Japan Foundation: Marugoto: Japanese Language and Culture.  We will cover half of the contents of these books in this course.  We recommend you purchase them (a set of three books; $50 total) at the first class, but if you prefer, we provide copies of all relevant material at no extra charge.

Marugoto: Japanese Language and Culture

A set includes three books (Activities, Comprehension, and Vocabulary), and five CDs.   The textbooks have lots of pictures with words and sentences in Roma-ji and Kana and some exercises.  It is useful for review, preparation and self-study.

Everyday Japanese: shopping & dining

Cancelled

Learn how to shop and dine in Japan. Using practical materials from daily life in Japan such as Japanese travel magazines, websites, menus and floor plans of department stores, you will be able to communicate with Japanese people at shops and restaurants.

• Dates: Wednesdays, May 2 – June 20 (8 meetings)
• Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm  (2 hours)
• Total hours: 16 hours
• Fee: $240.00 (Class material included)
• Age: 18 years old and up
• Class size: 16 people
• JF Standard (Goal)*: A1

*See FAQ

Prerequisites

You must comfortably be able to read and write Hiragana and Katakana without any pronunciation guides such as Roma-ji in order to understand the class materials in Japanese, have basic knowledge about Kanji such as stroke order and common radicals, and you must be able to talk about yourself and your family and your daily life in Japanese. 

Goal  

At the end of the course, the successful learners will:

• Have knowledge of shopping and dining customs in Japan
• Have knowledge of useful/ necessary vocabulary and expressions for shopping and dining in Japan
• Be able to buy what they want at a shop in Japan
• Be able to order their food at restaurants in Japan
• Be able to choose foods they want to order by looking at a menu in Japanese

Download the self-check list and assessment test to see if this is the right course for you.

Business Japanese

Started

This course focuses on developing professional skills.  Learn useful expressions for business settings, such as for job hunting and writing a business report. One of the most challenging subjects for learners, Keigo (honorific words and expressions) in business situations, is covered. At the end of the course, you will be able to communicate with Japanese native speakers in business situations and have knowledge of Japanese business.  During the course, we may have a guest speaker who will provide Japanese job-related information.

• Dates: Saturdays, April 21 – June 23 (8 meetings) No meeting on May 12 & May 26
• Time: 2:30pm – 4:30pm (2 hours)
• Total hours: 16 hours
• Fee: $240.00 (Class material included)
• Age: 18 years old and up
• Class size: 16 people
• JF Standard (Goal)*: B1

*See FAQ

Prerequisites

You must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills at A2  levels as described in the self-check list for this course.

Goal              

At the end of the course, the successful learners will:

• Be able to write a short memo for business purposes
• Be able to gather necessary information on job websites
• Be able to communicate with Japanese native speakers in business situations such as asking for permission and making a request
• Be able to receive and make a phone call in a business situation
• Have knowledge of Japanese business culture
• Have knowledge of Japanese resumes

Download the self-check list and assessment test to see if this is the right course for you.