Learn Japanese Beginners Part 2

Are you already familiar with Hiragana? Do you know how to make simple Japanese sentences, describe everyday objects or talk about weekend plans?

In part 2, you’ll be introduced to Katakana – another component of the Japanese writing system. You’ll cover more topics useful for everyday interactions, like ordering food in a restaurant or making a phone call. You’ll also learn to make plans and schedule a visit. More aspects of Japanese culture will also be explored.

Over the 10 weeks, you’ll participate in activities and work in small groups to practise.

Who is it for?

You should have studied Japanese for approximately 20 hours. You may have already completed part 1 or an equivalent course. See our eligibility section for more details.

Timetable

This course takes place one evening a week for 10 weeks.

Benefits

• Ideal if you are a beginner who already knows the basics
• Led by a qualified and professional tutor.

Japanese Beginners Part 2 is a very exciting next step. You’ll learn to communicate in more conversational or colloquial Japanese. You will be able to describe everyday life and past events using adjectives and the plain form of verbs.

Topics covered

• communication in context: eating out, ordering food, making a phone call
• visiting people and inviting guests making plans and scheduling
• Japanese culture in context: at a tempura restaurant, invitations
• reading and writing Hiragana and Katakana.

Grammatical structures

• te form + kudasai
• adjectives
• conjugating verbs is key to understand Japanese grammar quickly. This includes the plain form to communicate with friends in Japanese.

You will be awarded an official City St George’s, University of London certificate on completion of the course if you attend over 70 per cent of the classes. The course is not formally accredited or assessed.

Assessment

You may be informally assessed to evaluate your learning and progress.

Teaching

Learning is designed to be fun and interactive. We use a mix of classroom activities to check your understanding, including classroom discussion, pair and group work and roleplay. We’ll discuss grammar in context and pronunciation and intonation.

You will be given weekly homework to practise what you have learned in class.

You should have studied Japanese for around 20 hours.

It is the right level if you can:

• describe things and locations
• talk about shopping and your weekend
• ask and tell the time and telephone numbers
• understand a little about Hiragana
• use some interrogative nouns (nani, doko, itsu, dare).

Japanese Beginners (Part 3) may suit you better if you have had around 40 hours of formal study.

English requirements

You will need a good level of spoken and written English to enrol on this course.