Japanese Upper Intermediate - Level 5

Reaching JLPT N2 is a significant achievement — and a level commonly expected by Japanese employers. Across three modules, our Upper Intermediate course will help you develop the skills to communicate at this level, giving you the confidence to interact with ease in both personal and professional settings.

By the end of the course you will have developed a level of fluency to participate in conversations on complex topics, engage in and enjoy a range of Japanese media as you start to feel more at ease.

Who is it for?

To keep up in class you should have reached a good JLPT N3 level – around 240 hours of formal learning plus enough independent study. You could have recently finished our intermediate course, or similar. More can be found in the eligibility section.

Timetable

This course consists of three modules, each taking place once a week for 10 weeks. Collectively the course will run for 30 weeks, accumulating to 60 hours of learning.

Benefits

• Study towards JLPT N2 level
• Engaged students helps build a supportive study group
• Explore modern-day culture through books, film and music.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• easily converse about hobbies and interests
• join conversations discussing familiar everyday topics
• talk about experiences and expectations in a job interview
• converse with friends or colleagues about travel plans, parties or holidays
• with preparation, make a short speech at an occasion such as a leaving do
• follow discussions when participating in meetings at school or work
• generally understand TV shows or movies in standard Japanese
• with preparation, deliver a presentation on a specialised subject
• understand the content of articles in newspapers and magazines
• understand the content of official letters and e-mails written in polite Japanese.

Grammatical structures

Below are a sample of some of the many grammatical structures you will learn throughout the course.

Module one

• 直ちに（ただちに） at once, immediately, directly, in person, automatically-
• 次第（しだい） as soon as, dependent upon
• と考えられる（とかんがえられる） one can think that, it is conceivable that, considered-
• ふうに this way, that way, in such a way, how
• をめぐって concerning, in regard to-

Module two

• につき due to, because of, per, each
• に関わる（にかかわる） to relate to, to have to do with, relating to-
• ろくに～ない not well, not enough, improperly, insufficiently, unsatisfactorily-
• たまえ do-, order somebody to do something
• に決まっている（にきまっている） certainly, I’m sure/certain that, it must be the case that-

Module three

• まい will not, will probably not, intend not to, must not-
• か～ないかのうちに just as, right after, as soon as-
• に応じて（におうじて） depending on, in accordance with-
• 抜きにして / 抜きで（ぬきにして/ ぬきで） without, leaving out, cutting out-
• 以上は（いじょうは） because, since, seeing that-

You will receive a Certificate of Completion from City St George’s, University of London, along with a digital badge for your LinkedIn profile.

To qualify, you must attend at least 70% of classes.

Teaching

Classes are highly interactive and include:

• Small group work and role-play
• Listening to audio materials (e.g. radio clips)
• Reading articles and texts
• Watching video content
• Digital learning tools to support your progress

You’ll also explore Japanese culture, current affairs and traditions alongside language learning.

Every lesson is designed to make learning practical, enjoyable, and social, so you can use Japanese confidently in everyday situations.

It is the right level if you have either:

• completed our Intermediate Japanese (Level 4) course or equivalent
• around 240 hours of formal study, alongside additional independent learning
• good JLPT N3 level.

You should already be able to:

• share your thoughts on familiar topics
• express your feelings, especially about something you particularly care about
• strongly assert your opinion about the outlook for the future
• give a somewhat critical assessment of a familiar person
• precisely explain a troubling situation and express a sentiment felt then
• use around 650 kanji.

Still unsure where to start? Reach out to the team and we can help you to find the right level.

Additional requirements

To enrol onto the Upper Intermediate Japanese course, you must:

• be age 18 or over
• have basic IT skills and a reliable internet connection to access lessons and course materials.

English requirements

You will need a good level of spoken and written English to enrol on this course, although, at this level the classes will mainly be taught in Japanese.