About the course
Intermediate Japanese
Participants are expected to have mastered core communicative functions such as greeting and self-introductions, buying items and asking about prices, describing people and objects, telling the time, and talking about frequency and time duration.
In the first five lessons, particular attention is given to Japanese particles such as wo, ga, ni, (h)e, to, kara, yori, made and de. These particles play a crucial role in meaning-making in Japanese, and gaining greater control over them significantly improves communicative accuracy, flexibility, and confidence in everyday interactions in Japan.
In the latter five lessons, the focus shifts more explicitly to grammatical form, with special emphasis on verb conjugation, particularly the -te form. Japanese doesn’t have tenses like English. Instead, it uses aspect and context. That’s why -te form like たべている can mean: - I’m eating - I’ve eaten - I’m in the state of having eaten. Understanding how the -te formfunctions across different contexts enables learners to connect actions, express intentions, make requests, and manage discourse more naturally, thereby enhancing overall language proficiency.
Prerequisite: Ability to read hiragana and katakana, and familiarity with basic verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
Textbook: There is no official textbook.
Course taught in: 10 lessons
Price: 15,000 JPY
Days taught: Thu 18:15
Language: Japanese
Seats available: 13
Class List
| Week 1 | Get along with your classmatesGreeting and introductions / Asking about personal information / Talking about routines and habits |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Describing and comparing thingsDescribing and buying things/ Making comparisons |
| Week 3 | Sharing experiencesTalking about past events and personal experiences |
| Week 4 | Making decisions and expressing intentionsTalking about plans, preferences, and goals |
| Week 5 | Talking about feelings and hopesExpressing emotions/ Describing future hopes and wishes |
| Week 6 | Tidy-Up Day (review and catch-up)Talking about rules and obligations/ Giving and justifying opinions |
| Week 7 | Giving instructions and adviceAdvising, suggesting, and giving directions |
| Week 8 | Social interactionsInviting/ Refusing/ Accepting/ Thanking |
| Week 9 | Apologizing/ Congratulating |
| Week 10 | Final Discussions & Review |
Course Instructor
Akiko Mizushima
Her teaching focuses on how Japanese actually works in interaction — not only what learners can say, but how meaning is shaped, negotiated, and adjusted in real contexts. Classes are designed to remain flexible and responsive, allowing learners to explore grammar, vocabulary, and usage as tools for thinking and social participation, rather than as fixed rules to memorize.