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Course Levels and Curriculum
FIRST-TIME BEGINNERS TO INTERMEDIATE
Entry Level (Level 1)
Time Period: 2 Months (8 weeks)
Goal: To be able to ask simple questions
Writing Skills: Hiragana
Expressions: Asking names of people and items, directions, greetings, counting 1-10, basic verbs (eat, drink, see, read, etc.)
After you’ve completed Level 1, you will have learned all of the basic skills you need to form a strong foundation.
You will already be able to participate in short, simple conversations.
Elementary (Level 2)
Time Period: 2 Months (8 weeks) / A cumulative total (4 Months)
Goal: To be able to ask simple questions
Writing Skills: Hiragana and Katakana
Expressions: Asking the time, quantifiers, verbs (daily conversation level), adjectives (daily conversation level: big, small, hot, cold, like, dislike, etc.), desire (want/would like, want to/would like to)
Once you’ve completed Level 2, you will have the primary language skills to be able to say what you want to say and understand what is said to you in familiar situations.
Beginner-1 (Level 3)
Time Period: 2 Months (8 weeks) / A cumulative total 6 months
Goal: To be able to carry on a daily conversation, and read and understand written Japanese
Expressions: Making invitations (Would you like to do…?), asking a favor (Would you do…?), giving permission (You can do…), prohibiting (You can not do…), talking about experience (I have done…), learning the difference between polite expressions and colloquial expressions
Once Level 3 is complete, you will have successfully learned many additional expressions. You will now be able to communicate sophisticatedly, having mastered comprehensive basic Japanese conversation skills.
Beginner-2 (Level 4)
Time Period: 2 Months (8 weeks) / A cumulative total 8 months
Goal: To be able to fluently carry on a daily conversation, as well as read and understand written Japanese
Expressions: Talking about possibilities (I can do…), asking for and giving directions (If you go…, when you reach…), give and receive (I give, I receive, someone gives me…), talking about hypothetical situations (If…, Potentially…), explaining one's situation and giving a reason (Because…)
Once you’ve completed Level 4, you will have successfully learned the proper use of the Japanese “polite style” and “plain style” ways of speaking. The “polite style” of communicating is used in more formal situations and the “plain style” is used when you’re talking to your close friends, colleagues and family members.
Low-intermediate (Level 5)
Time Period: 2 Months (8 weeks) / A cumulative total 10 months
Goal: To be able to explain things and express feelings in detail, as well as read and understand long passages, understand Japanese animations and TV drama series’, and handle complex dialogue
Expressions: Describing two concurrent events (While…, …), talking about things you do in advance (I will prepare/do…), talking about a future event (I will…, am going to…), giving advice/a warning (You should…, You had better…), presuming (I/It might…, I/It could…)
Once you have completed Level 5, you will be able to speak and understand the Japanese language across a wide range of complex situations both in class and in everyday life.
Intermediate-1 (Level 6)
Time Period: 2 Months (8 weeks) / A cumulative total 12 months)
Expressions: Talking about conditions (If you do…), showing reluctance (Someone makes me do…, I am forced to do…), making an attempt (I try to do…, I will see if…), talking about immoderation (You do…too much, It is too…)
Once you have completed Level 6, you will have successfully learned to handle complex language in many situations, you will be able to understand detailed reasoning, and will have the ability to communicate with a rich and sophisticated Japanese vocabulary.
Intermediate-2 (Level 7)
Time Period: 2 Months (8 weeks) / A cumulative total 14 months
Expressions: Describing levels of difficulty (It is easy to do…, It is difficult to do…), telling someone what you heard from someone else (someone said that…, I heard that…), causative verbs for ordering someone to do something, letting someone do something (I get/have someone to do/do…), using honorifics "Sonkeigo (honorifics), Kenjougo (showing modesty), Teineigo (polite expressions)"
Once you’ve completed Level 7, you will have successfully learned Keigo (honorific expressions), which is a form of Japanese communication that is used to show the speaker's respect for the listener. This type of expression is most commonly used in business situations in Japan.
Intermediate-3 (Level 8-I, II)
Period: 4 Months (8 weeks x 2 terms)
Level 8 gives ample support to learners who have language skills that are sufficient enough to understand and explore the Japanese culture and unique customs. This curriculum will give you a deeper understanding of Japan and its culture, and will allow you to develop your comprehensive Japanese language skills further – ultimately achieving full mastery of intermediate level Japanese.
Advanced-1 (Level 9-I, II, III)
Period: 6 Months (8 weeks x 3 terms)
Level 9 allows you to further explore Japanese culture and speak freely to enhance your communication abilities at an advanced level. In addition, you will also learn negotiable conversation skills to be used in everyday situations. Practice lessons include reading pieces approximately 500-800 characters in length, followed by detailed reviews, comments, communications, essay critiques, story sharing, articles and follow up writing on various topics.
Advanced Level
We are currently not offering a course for people whose Japanese proficiency is advanced enough to pass JLPT N2 and to try JLPT N1.
