Japanese

Japanese is one of the most important languages in the world today for all aspects of trade, finance and banking.  It will be of use to anybody involved in technology, engineering and communications.  Bearing in mind the increasing popularity of Japan as a tourist destination, our courses provide information about Japanese customs and manners as well as introducing learners to some basic kanji (written characters).

Beginners (level 1)

This is for learners with little or no prior knowledge of Japanese.  You will learn basic skills to enable you to make yourself understood and to find out information in everyday situations.

Course Content

Term One: Introducing yourself, shopping (including asking prices); ordering in a restaurant; asking dates and times (eg. When is your birthday? What time does the meeting start?); talking about routine, Hiragana introduction.

Term Two: Talking about what you like and what you can do. Talking about your itinerary and locations, (eg. Where is the supermarket? It is in front of the station). Describing things using adjectives (my car is big, the film is interesting).  Writing a simple letter and making arrangements including invitations and agreeing a date/place; Katakana introduction.

Textbook:  Japanese for Busy People l, 3rd edition, Kana version.

Post-beginners (level 2)

This course is for those who can manage in everyday situations using the present tense, and who already possess some knowledge of Hiragana and Katakana  You will probably have reached level A1 in the European Language Portfolio or completed a beginners course.

Course Content

Topics include:  making requests, asking permission; hotel and restaurant reservations; describing the characteristics of a person or place, giving opinions and making comparisons.  Reading and writing short paragraphs. 145 Kanji will be covered throughout the course.

Textbooks:  An integrated course in Elementary Japanese Genki 1.  Japanese for Busy People ll, 3rd edition, Units 1 and 2.

Intermediate (level 3)

This level is for those who are already knowledgeable in Hiragana, Katakana and basic Kanjis.  It is also suitable for those who have completed the post beginners course.  Your level in the European Language Portfolio will be around A2 or equivalent to a good grade GSCE.

Course Content

Expressing a sequence of events; describing a change in state (eg. Marie has got better at speaking Japanese) and talking about the future. Explaining and complaining about your symptoms and health conditions (eg. I have a bit of a fever); taling about what to do in the event of a disaster.  Intransitive and transitive verbs are also covered.

Textbook:  Japanese for Busy People ll, 3rd edition, Units 3 to 5.

Advanced (level 4)

Is for learners who can understand the main points of everyday spoken and written material and are quite confident in the past and future tenses.  Your level in the European Language Portfolio will be around B1.

Course Content

This level aims to develop communications skills and vocabulary (using Kanji) and as well as developing cultural knowledge. We will cover: tourism, pop-culture, social affairs, working in Japan, honorific expressions and traditional arts.  In order to improve communication skills we will as a group discuss current topics, and read emails and advertisements.