Japanese Lower Intermediate (part 1)

You’ve already learned how to handle a range of everyday scenarios in a formal tone. Part 1 of the lower intermediate syllabus will teach you how to chat in a less formal way, when speaking to close acquaintances and friends.

You’ll also cover a range of new scenarios that you may encounter in Japan, including describing lost items to a station manager, booking theatre tickets; or describing symptoms to a doctor.

You’ll be introduced to another 50 kanji to further your reading and writing abilities.

Who is it for?

Start here if you have completed our full Beyond Beginners (Year 2) syllabus or if you are already communicating at Japanese Language Proficiency Test N5 level (around 120 hours of formal study). You will find further information in the eligibility section.

Timetable

This course takes place once a week for 10 weeks.

Benefits

• This is the first part of the full lower intermediate syllabus, working towards JLPT N4. You’ll get a feel of studying at this level without the commitment of the full year course
• Go beyond basic Japanese to speak to people using different tones and with cultural sensitivity
• Discover more of Japanese modern and ancient culture, with help from your native Japanese tutor.

By the end of this course, you will be able to

• talk about your hobbies
• ask someone to do something for you
• describe items lost at the station
• talk about what you want to do
• book theatre tickets
• explain a company transfer
• describe your symptoms to a doctor
• know how to deal with a parking ticket
• enquire about a ski tour
• understand 50 new kanji.

Grammatical structures including

• Plain form んです。
  A: どうしたんですか。B: お腹がすごく痛いんです。
  A: What's wrong? B: I have terrible stomach ache.
• Vて-form いただけませんか。
  先生、この本を貸していただけませんか。
  Sir, could you lend me this book?
• Interrogative Vた-formら　いいですか。
  パスポートを失くしました。どうしたらいいでしょうか。
  I lost my passport. What should I do now?
• Potential verbs
  漢字が300字書けます。
  I can write 300 Kanji.
• How to use the volitional form
  パブに行って、ビールを飲もう。
  Let’s go to the pub and drink a beer.
• Use of the imperative and prohibitive forms
  あのサインは、「まっすぐ行け。」という意味です。
  That sign means "go straight."
• How to make the conditional form
  信じていれば夢はかないます。
  If you keep believing, your dreams will come true.

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

There will be lots of interaction with your teacher and fellow students. As well as group conversations, you’ll work in pairs to practice your pronunciation and using more informal language.

You will develop your writing skills to be able to write simply about familiar topics such as your family or hometown.

Your tutor will encourage you to develop your own way of learning, that will support your independent study, which this course requires.

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

• you have completed our Japanese Beyond Beginners syllabus, or equivalent elsewhere
• you have studied formally for 120 hours
• you can communicate at JLPT N5 Level.

You should already be able to:

• express your opinion
• use modes of transportation
• understand direct speech and reported speech, including how they differ
• use conditional expression
• understand statements involving receiving or giving actions.

Check out the other Japanese courses we offer.

English requirements

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