Japanese

There are more than 125 million native speakers of Japanese and, despite the language's apparent complexity, its popularity as a second language is growing (particularly in China, South Korea and Australia).

A knowledge of Japanese can be very useful in all aspects of international trade, finance and banking. Japan is also a popular and fascinating holiday destination, and Japanese culture - from J-pop to J-horror - is now present globally with scores of non-native speakers enjoying Japanese music, films, TV, literature and, of course, comic books.

Japanese Beginners (Level 1)

This is for you if you have no prior knowledge of Japanese (or so little that you effectively want to start again from scratch). You will learn basic skills to enable you to make yourself understood and to find out information in everyday situations.

Japanese Post-beginners (Level 2)

You can already manage basic situations using the present tense, and you have some knowledge of Hiragana and Katakana. You can already manage everyday situations using the present tense. You have reached the A1 level in the ELP self-assessment grid and/or completed the Beginners (level 1) Course.

Japanese Intermediate (Level 3)

You are already knowledgeable in Hiragana, Katakana, and basic Kanjis. You have reached the A2 level in the ELP self-assessment grid (equivalent to a good grade at GSCE) and/or completed the Post-beginners (level 2) Course.

Japanese Upper-intermediate (Level 4)

This course is for learners who are able to understand Japanese text written in Kana and Kanji with some support. You should be familiar with at least 300 kanji. You are confident when speaking about yourself and can talk about something that you are interested in. You have reached a B1.1 level in the ELP self-assessment grid(equivalent to an A-Level grade F to C) and/or completed the Intermediate (level 3) Course.

Japanese Advanced (Level 5)

This course is for learners who are able to understand Japanese text written in Kana and Kanji with some support. You should be familiar with at least 500 kanji. You are confident when speaking about yourself and can talk about something that you are interested in.

You have reached the equivalent of a full level B1 on the ELP self-assessment grid (equivalent to an A-Level grade B to A) and/or completed the Upper-Intermediate (level 4) course.