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Department of the Languages and Cultures of Japan and Korea

Basic Japanese 1

Course Code:
155900874
Unit value:
1
Year of study:
Any
Taught in:
Full Year

Prerequisites

None

For complete beginners you are asked to see Course convenor Mrs Kashiwagi (Rm 380) to have a short meeting for group placements during her office hours. You can find her office hours on the door of Rm 380. You are also required to fill in a registration form which can be downloaded here.

Objectives and learning outcomes of the course

At the end of the course, a student should be able to demonstrate…

  1. knowledge and understanding of basic Japanese grammar
  2. knowledge and understanding of essential Japanese vocabulary
  3. knowledge and understanding of the appropriateness of basic Japanese structures and expressions in a given context
  4. the ability to understand short passages in written Japanese on everyday topics
  5. the ability to produce short passages in written Japanese on everyday topics
  6. the ability to understand spoken Japanese and to engage in short spoken discourse on everyday topics

Workload

Total of 22 weeks teaching with 3 hours classroom contact per week.

Scope and syllabus

The course for beginners provides an introduction to Japanese language with both practical written and spoken Japanese. The three types of script, Hiragana, Katakana and 200 Chinese characters will be introduced.

The course provides students with a basic knowledge of Japanese and practice of using Japanese in limited everyday situations. It will allow students to interact with Japanese speakers in Japanese within the level covered in the course with some help.

Method of assessment

One three-hour written exam (80%), taken in May/June and continuous assessment (20%) comprising of assignments, class performance, weekly quizzes, and termly tests.

Suggested reading

From Monday of Week 1 of your study, you will be using the hiragana script (not romanization). Our Japanese lectors will of course be giving you guidance about using and writing Japanese scripts in Week 1, but you would benefit from familiarizing yourself with the script before coming to class. Please read this letter to new students for more information on Hiragana Preparation.

Additional Reading
  • Minna no Nihongo 1 Supplementary material: Workbook