Japanese Beyond Beginners (full syllabus)

The complete Japanese beginners to intermediate course will give you a comprehensive and knowledge of basic Japanese, so you can communicate on a simple level with Japanese speakers at business meetings or during a trip to Japan.

Building on your knowledge from the beginners syllabus, you’ll revisit familiar topics and grammar structures to improve your pronunciation and fluency. The emphasis at this level is on practical communication, building your helpful vocabulary to express wishes and opinions.

You’ll learn to use the conditional expression and to understand the difference between direct and reported speech. Your reading and writing skills will also improve as you learn over 100 kanji.

We’ll draw on elements of Japanese culture, watching video clips, listening to audio tracks and translating song lyrics.

Who is it for?

This is the perfect course after you have studied Japanese at beginners level for at least 60 hours, and completed our full Japanese beginners syllabus. See the eligibility section for more details.

Timetable

The course includes 60 hours of learning and is taught across three terms, starting in October and finishing in July.

October – December (part 1)

One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for ten consecutive weeks.

Christmas Break

January – March (part 2)

One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for ten consecutive weeks.

Easter Break

April/May – July (part 3)

One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for ten consecutive weeks.

Benefits

• Learn skills required for obtaining JLPT N5 level of proficiency – ideal if you are preparing to sit the exam in your free time
• Signing up to the full syllabus is cheaper than paying for each module separately
• Our highly dedicated native tutor will support you through your journey, encouraging you to feel confident and relaxed in communicating in simple Japanese

The course is designed to help you build confidence and keep progressing. You will learn all the relevant N5 grammar, vocabulary, including Kanji, and listening comprehension.

By the end of the course you will be able to

• talk about the characteristics of things and people
• use numbers and counters
• use expressions of how often you do something
• talk about what you want to do
• ask someone to do something for you
• understand over 100 kanji
• talk about weekend plans and travel arrangements
• ask permission to do something at someone's house
• forbid someone from doing something
• express ability or possibility
• describe what you have experienced in the past
• use basic conversation in the plain style
• express your opinion
• understand direct speech and reported speech
• express ‘when’
• Use noun modification by sentences
• talk about getting on and off means of transportation
• learn statements involving receiving or giving actions
• start to use conditional expression.

Grammatical structures including

• Verb conjugation / Verb groups / Verb て-form
• N は どうでしたか。
  大学の日本語のべんきょうは、どうでしたか。
  How was studying Japanese at University?
• N はadjective です。
  すこしむずかしかったです。でも、おもしろかったです。
  It was a little bit difficult, however it was interesting.
• Vます-formたいです。 
  すしを　食べたかったです。でも、時間がありませんでした。
  I wanted to eat Sushi, however I didn’t have time to.
• Verb て-formください。
  東京駅で山手線に乗って、秋葉原で中央線に乗り換えて、お茶の水で電車を降りてください。
  Please take the Yamanote Line at Tokyo Station, change to the Chuo Line at Akihabara, and get off at Ochanomizu.
• Verb て-form はいけません。
  ここでタバコをすっては、いけません。
  You must not smoke here.
• Verb て-formいます。
  今、家で日本語のべんきょうをしています。
  Now I am studying Japanese language at home.
• Vない-formなければなりません。
  明日の朝、6時に起きなければなりませんか。
  Do I have to wake up at 6am?
• Vない-formなくてもいいです。
  いいえ、タクシーで行きますから、6時に起きなくてもいいです。
  No, I am going by taxi, so you do not need to wake up at 6am.
• V dictionary form ことができます。
  漢字を200字書くことができますか。
  Can you write 200 Kanji?
• V dictionary form 時間 / 約束 / 用事
  友だちに会う時間がありません。
  I do not have time to meet friends.
• How to use とき
  寝るときに「おやすみなさい」と言います。
  When you go to bed, you say “Good night”.
• Verb て-form＋あげます / もらいます / くれます
  友だちに本を貸してもらいました。
  I borrowed some books from a friend.
• Plain past form ら、~
  雨がふったら、家でDVDをみましょう。
  If it rains, let’s watch a DVD at home.
• Verb て-formも、~
  雨がふっても、海に釣りに行きます。
  Even if it rains, I am going sea fishing.

You will be awarded an official City, 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.

Assessment

You won’t need to sit an exam at the end of the course, but you will be required to complete around two hours of homework each week.

Teaching

Alongside learning directly from the tutor, you’ll study in pairs and carry out short role-play exercises of everyday situations, including pronunciation practice. You’ll develop your listening skills too – using oral conversations, film and TV clips. These are played at natural speed, to help you prepare for interactions with native speakers. You’ll also improve your reading and writing skills, through learning new kanji.

You’ll have access to our digital learning platform, Moodle, which hosts lesson content and other learning materials, so you can learn independently as well as in class.

It is the right level if one of the following applies:

• you have completed our Japanese Beginners syllabus, or equivalent elsewhere
• you have studied formally for 60 hours.

You should already be able to:

• write and read Hiragana and Katakana
• describe things and locations
• ask and tell the time and tell telephone numbers
• use basic greetings when visiting people and receiving guests
• talk about where you live
• speak about what you are doing now.

Check out our full range of Japanese courses.

English requirements

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