Japanese Language Program
Course Descriptions

Just Getting Started (Pre 101-1)
Students learn:

  • Basic expressions for:

    • Greetings

    • Self-introduction

    • Communicating with front desk clerks at hotels

    • Communicating with salesclerks

    • Communicating with taxi drivers, bus drivers, etc.

    • Buying over-the-counter medication

101-1 | Japanese for Busy People Vol 1 (4th Ed.) | Lessons 1-3
Students learn:

  • Japanese Phonetic Symbols: Master the basics of Hiragana

  • Greeting and Self-Introduction Expressions: Acquire common expressions for greetings and self-introductions

  • Numbers 1 through 10: Learn numbers from 1 to 10

  • Demonstrative and Interrogative Pronouns: Understand demonstrative pronouns and interrogative pronouns (who, whose, what, what time, how much)

Goals:

  • Achieve proficiency in recognizing and using Hiragana

  • Gain insight into Japanese culture

  • Comprehend the distinctions between Japanese and English syntax

101-2 | Japanese for Busy People Vol 1 (4th Ed.) | Lessons 4-7
Students learn:

  • Japanese Loan Words: Learn Katakana symbols used for loan words

  • Large Numbers: Understand numbers greater than 10

  • Counters: Familiarize yourself with counters for solid items, floppy items, and rod-like or cylindrical items

  • Interrogative Pronouns: Grasp interrogative pronouns such as "how much," "where," "when," and "with whom"

  • Verbs of Movement: Learn verbs for "go," "come," and "return"

  • Vocabulary for Destinations: Expand your vocabulary related to destinations

  • Particles に: Understand the use of the particle に for direction and time reference

  • Japanese Currency: Familiarize yourself with Japanese currency

  • Days of the Week and Month: Learn the days of the week and days of the month

Goals:

  • Able to recognize Katakana symbols proficiently

  • Can identify and understand vocabulary related to transportation and destinations

  • Capable of communicating effectively with salesclerks

  • Can recognize and understand the prices of merchandise

  • Destination Arrival Inquiries

102 | Japanese for Busy People Vol 1 (4th Ed.) | Lessons 8-11
Students learn:

  • A variety of verbs and their conjugations (affirmative, negative, present, and past tense)

  • Two types of adjectives and conjugations (i-adjective and na-adjective

  • The time reference words and means of transportation

  • The interrogative pronouns (where, with whom, when)

  • Counter for people

Goals:

  • Can talk about daily activities

  • Can talk about activities that one is frequently engaged in

  • Can talk about the plan on weekends

  • Can ask and answer the time, days, or dates for a meeting or a business appointment

  • Can express impressions about experiences

  • Can place an order at Izakaya (Japanese-style bar)

103 | Japanese for Busy People Vol 1 (4th Ed.) | Lessons 12-16
Students learn:

  • The verbs for giving and receiving

  • Describing locations of things and people

  • Words for positions, things near a station, office supplies, etc.

  • The expressions for:

    • Inviting someone

    • Making suggestions

    • Offering to help someone

Goals:

  • Can ask and describe things’ characteristics in adjectives with appropriate conjugation

  • Can recognize basic vocabulary

  • Words for gifts

  • Events

  • Places for rendezvous spots

  • Verbs for offering to do something

  • Develop conversation skills for the following situation:

  • Being Invited to a friend's house and commenting about the food served.

  • Talking about birthday gifts

  • Talking about the weather

  • Inviting someone to an event and scheduling for meeting

  • Accepting an invitation or refusing an invitation

  • Offering to help someone

105 | Japanese for Busy People Vol 1 (4th Ed.) | Lessons 21-24
Students learn:

  • the grammar patterns with the Te-form いますfor:

    • Present progressive

    • Habitual actions

    • Current states

  • Particle も to describe duplication.

  • Particle は for contrasting

  • Negative Te-form　…ないで

  • Gerund Dictionary form + こと

Goals:

  • Can inquire and describe someone’s current activities

  • Can discuss routine activities

  • Can contrast two things using the particle は

  • Can inquire and describer someone’s current state using expressions like つとめています, ついています　and　すんでいます

  • Can effectively communicate health issues to a medical doctor

  • Can ask and answer about the rules in the public space using …ないでください and …てもいいですか

302 | Minna no Nihongo Vol 2 | Chapters 29-31
Students who have finished Minna no Nihongo Vol. 2 Chapters 26-30 or at the equivalent level learn:

  • Transitive verbs and intransitive verbs

  • Transitive verbs ＋　てあります／Transitive Verb＋　ておきます

  • Te-Form + しまいました　to describe something unpredicted things happened

  • Expressing intentions

    • Volitional Form + と思う

    • Dictionary Form + つもりです

Goals:

  • Can differentiate intransitive verbs and transitive verbs

  • Can understand and describe the state of things

  • Can understand and describe that something is done for some reasons

  • Can understand and describe that someone is well prepared for something

  • Can understand and describe someone’s project or plan in the future

303 | Minna no Nihongo Vol 2 | Chapters 32-34
Students who have finished Minna no Nihongo Vol. 2 Chapters 29-31 or at the equivalent level learn:

  • Giving advice　Ta-Formほうがいい　　Negative Plain Formほうがいい

  • Speculation　でしょう　だろう　かもしれない

  • Imperative Forms

  • Expressing “the same way as~” …とおりに

  • Expressing ”without doing…”　…ないで

  • Compare and Contrast 　…てから and …たあとで

Goals:

  • Can offer advice or make a strong suggestion

  • Can understand the expression used in the weather forecast

  • Can express one’s speculation appropriately according to the level of uncertainty

  • Can use the appropriate imperative form according to various circumstances

  • Can give instruction with various grammar patterns

  • Can explain information in chronological order

Intermediate Japanese Across the Four Language Skills | Ch. 2

  • Reading:

    • Read someone’s mails and emails and understand the purposes

  • Conversations:

    • Can make polite requests to teachers using appropriate honorific forms and humble forms

  • Writing:

    • Can write polite thank-you letters to someone who has helped you

  • Listening:

    • Can understand a casual conversation between two friends

    • Can understand a speech about difficulties international students face when it comes to praising someone of higher status