Class Levels
Hiragana and Katakana - Beginning Preparatory Course
The Japanese Hiragana and Katakana & Beginning 0-I series offers the beginning student of Japanese the opportunity to master quickly and efficiently the reading and writing of the two Japanese syllabaries Hiragana and Katakana. The class also focuses on the development of basic conversational skills.
Beginning Series (I-IV)
Pre-Advanced Course (I-V) - Upper level of Intermediate course
The pre-advanced classes (or Intermeidate upper level) are designed for those who have finished intermediate level (Beg-Middle) or equivalent. Mastered reading/writing of Hiragana/Katakana and knowledge of at least 500 kanji are required. The classes use a selected textbook and other materials provided. The class is conducted entirely in Japanese
The textbook for the Pre-Advanced course is Japanese for Busy People (JBP), Volume III, Rev. 3rd edition.
Advanced Courses
The Advanced Course is geared towards students who have a solid foundation in both conversational and written Japanese. This class focuses on the development of accurate and extended discourse as well as on the expansion of kanji knowledge in the reading of some Japanese newspaper/book articles. Study materials are drawn from primary Japanese sources, and the class is conducted entirely in Japanese.
As a supplement material, the students can purchase the following textbook and grammar workbook:
1) The textbook for the Advanced course will be 上級への扉
2) 新完全マスター文法 日本語能力試験 N3/N2/N1, New Kanzen Master JLPT N3/N2/N1 文法、読解<
style="margin: 1em 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, "Bitstream Vera Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> 3) 時代を読み解く上級日本語 第3版 (Advaced V and above)
Various materials: newspaper, short stories, onnline stories, etc.
The students also practice properly engaging in conversation of Japanese.
JLPT Level N2/N1 Preparatory (Pre-Advanced V/Advanced)
Shodo - Japanese Calligraphy
Shodo is Japanese traditional art of calligraphy using a brush (fude) and charcoal ink (sumi) on paper, wood plaques, and fabric. It includes Japanese Kanji and hiragana. Shodo originated in the techniques used for letter writing with its unique form of expression and developed into an art genre. This hands-on class will introduce the techniques of shodo. The Shodo - Japanese Calligraphy class is open to all levels of students. JASGA's instructor is Certified, Japanese Calligraphy license holder issued by Japan.
JLPT Prep Courses
The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) preparatory class is preparatory course for JLPT which is an internationally accredited language examination designed to evaluate and certify the language proficiency of non-native speakers of Japanese. JLPT is offered once a year on the first Sunday of December. Refer to: Students should refer to the course textbooks to determine the most appropriate class for their level. Refer to: http://www.jlpt.jp/e/about/index.html or http://www.aatj.org/jlpt.
JLPT Level N4 & N5 Preparatory Course
This class is a comprehensive preparatory course for N4 and N5; the examinee should choose the level that best matches his or her ability and training.
Textbook: 新しい「日本語能力試験」ガイドブック概要版と問題例集 N4,N5編 (New Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Guidebook: An Executive Summary and Sample Questions for N4 and N5)
JLPT Level N4/N3 Preparatory Course
This class is a comprehensive preparatory course for the N2 and N3 exam; the examinee should choose the level that best matches his or her ability and training.
Textbook: 新しい「日本語能力試験」ガイドブック概要版と問題例集 N3,N4編 (New Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Guidebook: An Executive Summary and Sample Questions for N1, N2 and N3)
JLPT N1 & N2 Preparatory Course
This class is a comprehensive preparatory course for the N1 and N2 exam; the examinee should choose the level that best matches his or her ability and training.
Textbook: 新しい「日本語能力試験」ガイドブック概要版と問題例集 N1,N2,N3編 (New Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Guidebook: An Executive Summary and Sample Questions for N1 & N2)
Hiragana and Katakana Workshop: These mini-workshops offer the beginning student of Japanese the opportunity to master quickly and efficiently the reading of the two Japanese syllabaries, hiragana and katakana. It is these two writing systems, in combination with the more complex kanji (ideograms which represent meaning), which constitute the written Japanese language.
Hiragana was developed from the cursive style of kanji in the beginning of the Heian era (794-1185). Its function is to represent sound rather than meaning, and it is used to write native Japanese words as well as verb inflections, adjectival endings, etc.
Katakana was developed in the Nara period (710-794)) by either simplifying the kanji imported from China or by squaring off its cursive style. It is used to represent foreign names and words imported into the Japanese language, for onomatopoeic and mimetic words, certain slang expressions, telegrams, technical terms, and so forth.