Japanese - Beginner level - Part A of the 1st term

Teacher(s)

Oguma Rie (coordinator);

Language

English

Prerequisites

None

Main themes

This course aims to help students develop a foundation in the four skills of Japanese language; listening, speaking, reading and writing. It focuses on listening and speaking in class, while reading and writing are mainly learned at home.

• Learn basic grammatical structures for simple conversations, such as introducing themselves and expressing likes and dislikes.
• Develop a repertoire of vocabulary which will allow students to talk about themselves and topics of personal relevance.
• Learn expressions to use in daily situations such as ordering at a restaurant, shopping, etc.
• Learn pronunciation from the teacher of Japanese native speaker.
• Discover 3 Japanese writing systems; Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

introduce oneself, including information of one's family, age, study, job and hobby. talk about the topics of daily conversation, such as greetings and schedules. describe things using adjectives and describe one’s routine using verbs. ask simple questions on prices in shopping, the way to the destination, etc.

read and write all the Hiragana and Katakana letters and recognize basic Kanjis.

Content

The course is designed for an initiation to Japanese language. Students will learn useful expressions for basic conversation, grammatical concepts as well as writing symbols such as Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. The course also aims to provide students Japanese cultural explanation as well as linguistic knowledge.

Teaching methods

The course focuses mainly on acquiring oral communication skills. Students will participate in many speaking activities and interactions with other students.

Evaluation methods

• Final exam, which consists of listening and writing, including controls of writing Japanese letters.
• Performance of assignments and active participation are also considered in the grade.

Other information

Enrollment of this course requires the teacher’s authorization !

Online resources

1. UCLouvan Moodle page is available to help students review the contents of the classes.
2. Free Apps for learning Japanese Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji:
 https://minato-jf.jp/Home/JapaneseApplication
3. Free self-study Japanese online courses:  https://minato-jf.jp/Home/Index
4. Free website for learning Japanese pronunciation:  https://japanese-pronunciation.com/
5. Free Online Japanese Accent Dictionary:  https://www.gavo.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ojad/fre/pages/home

Faculty or entity

> ILV