Introduction to Japanese
Introduction to Japanese is a live online course built for students who have always wanted to learn Japanese but don't know where to start — no prior experience required.
Starts Fri, Jun 12
12:00 AM UTC · 1h
6 sessions
Yasunori
Outcomes, not lecture notes.
Read and write in hiragana and katakana, the two foundational Japanese phonetic alphabets
Count and use numbers in Japanese for everyday contexts like shopping and telling time
Form simple original sentences using basic Japanese vocabulary and sentence structure
Ask questions and make requests about familiar, everyday situations — including asking for directions
Understand and use common expressions related to personal information, family, local geography, and weather
Listen to and comprehend frequently used Japanese phrases in real conversational contexts
Navigate basic real-world scenarios like shopping interactions with appropriate vocabulary and phrasing
Meet Yasunori.
Yasunori
I am a graduate of Nihon University College of Art in Japan and I majored in film. I've done a lot of TV/video works in Japan as a director/producer and visited about 15 countries throughout my career. It was interesting to meet different cultures in those places. I moved to the U.S.A. 8 years ago (I lived in Illinois first and moved to NYC 6 years ago.) and while working as a TV/video director, I started teaching Japanese, mainly conversation. I taught some learners by one-to-one in-person in Illinois and have taught in classes both in-person and online in NYC. I'm glad to help people who are interested in Japan and Japanese. The goal and purpose depend on each person, so I try my best to adjust lessons to each person's needs.
Introduction to Japanese is a live online course built for students who have always wanted to learn Japanese but don't know where to start — no prior experience required. From day one, students begin cracking the code of two entirely new writing systems, hiragana and katakana, while building real listening and speaking skills in parallel. Lessons move through practical, everyday topics — counting, shopping, asking for directions, talking about family and weather — so students are always learning language they can actually use. By the end of the course, students won't just recognize Japanese; they'll be able to form their own sentences and questions from scratch. Whether the motivation is travel, anime, culture, or a future career, this course gives students a genuine, confident foundation in one of the world's most fascinating languages.
Live Q&A
Cameras / mics optional
Recordings
Available within 1 hour, kept 90 days
Materials
No special materials required
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free with a Varsity Tutors membership
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Introduction to Japanese