Japanese language courses

Since time immemorial, Western culture has been influenced by Japan and Japanese traditions. Japan has long been a trendsetter in mainstream culture, with its literature, cinema, anime and cuisine, and the country is a crucial player in the world economy. With 122 million native speakers, Japanese is the ninth most important language in the world.

Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji 

The Japanese writing system is often seen as one of the biggest challenges when learning Japanese. The system consists of three alphabets: Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. The two phonetic alphabets, Hiragana and Katakana (together about 100 characters), can usually be memorised in a short period of time.

Mastering Kanji (adopted Chinese characters) may be more challenging. However, during the Japanese courses at UvA Talen, students will be introduced to some useful methods to learn the Kanji characters through self-study.

Speaking and grammar

It is essential to learn about Japanese culture if you want to become proficient in Japanese because speech varies depending on the situation and the person you are talking to. During the Japanese courses at UvA Talen, you will be introduced to Japanese society and customs so as to be able to understand (part of) the detailed rules of speaking Japanese.

Compared to many European languages, basic Japanese grammar is relatively simple.

Japanese courses at four levels

UvA Talen offers Japanese courses at four levels: from Japanese Beginners, for those who are completely new to the language, to Japanese level 4, for those who can already read simple dialogue and short texts written in Hiragana, Katakana, and basic Kanji.

By the end of Japanese level 4, you will have reached a level equivalent to N5 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).