Award-Winning Japanese Tutors
serving Myrtle Beach, SC

I currently work for an afterschool enrichment program (Best Brains) tutoring elementary English and math, and I have 4+ years of experience as a private ESL tutor for both children and adults. I am working toward my Masters of Science in Secondary English Education and ESL at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. I graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative World Literature and Japanese, and from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Master of Arts in Japanese Language and Literature. I began tutoring while I was in high school, assisting with algebra homework. In college, I volunteered as a kindergarten reading assistant through a program called Start Making a Reader Today. I later volunteered while in graduate school at a local high school tutoring students in beginner Japanese. I have also been employed by the University of Wisconsin as a Teaching Assistant, and taught in Religious Studies and East Asian Studies. In all cases, it has been a pleasure watching students progress in their academics and to see them grow as young scholars. I especially enjoy teaching language arts because of the feeling of connection that language can bring. My favorite part of teaching is seeing the smiling face of someone the moment that they finally "get" something they've been struggling with and watching their confidence boost. In my free time, I host a small book club, pen pal with friends around the world, and try my hand at new recipes.

Linguistics training gives Andrew a structural advantage when teaching Japanese — he understands how languages build meaning differently, which matters when explaining why particles replace prepositions or why verbs land at the end of every sentence. His background in Korean and German means he's personally navigated multiple grammar systems far removed from English, and he applies that comparative instinct to make Japanese word order and conjugation feel logical rather than arbitrary.

Hi! It's Wataru. I am originally from Japan and have been living in New York since 2000. I had a career as an industrial newspaper pressman/editor in Tokyo so that I know newspaper level strict grammar and manner of business speech. I watch anime and I can talk about Japanese subculture with you if you like. I have been teaching Japanese language in person and online. I have taught from beginners to JLPT N3 certificate prep students. I've taught American, Canadian, English, Indian, German, Australian, Mexican, and so on. Teaching is one of my way to feel the joy of supporting people. I'll help you master the language and dive into Japanese culture and subculture. Once you start to think in Japanese, you will notice that your way of communication changes. English is good for business, law, and science while Japanese is more about sharing feelings. The waiters in Japan may be reluctant to serve your table, but my students prepare well to make them feel at ease and they have fantastic travel in Japan.

I am motivated in addressing the disparities in educational equity here in the Twin Cities, particularly for students of color and students of differing socio-economic backgrounds. I work to build strong relationships with students to determine the strengths and knowledge they bring to the table.

Most students stall in Japanese once they move past hiragana and katakana into kanji recognition and grammatical particles like は versus が. Wahala minors in Japanese at Indiana University Bloomington and treats the language as a system to decode — connecting sentence structure, verb conjugation patterns, and cultural context so that reading and conversation reinforce each other.

A drama degree might not scream Japanese fluency, but John's literary work — he's a section editor for the Los Angeles Review of Books and literary manager for two theater companies — means he's deeply attuned to how language shapes meaning, tone, and register. That sensitivity to nuance transfers directly to navigating Japanese's layered politeness levels and context-dependent sentence endings. Rated 5.0 by students.

Having taught himself Japanese alongside his formal studies in public policy and education, James knows firsthand where English speakers get tripped up — especially with particles, basic verb conjugation, and the leap from hiragana to katakana. His education background means he's trained to spot where understanding breaks down and adjust his explanations on the fly, which is exactly what beginners need when nothing about Japanese grammar maps onto what they already know.

Mechanical engineering at the University of Dayton doesn't obviously connect to Japanese, but Nicholas's systematic problem-solving mindset lends itself well to breaking down kanji radicals, verb conjugation groups, and particle logic into repeatable patterns. He's also genuinely social and talkative — a trait that matters more than you'd think when practicing conversational Japanese, where comfort with speaking aloud is half the battle.

I would like to work with people who want to advance their Japanese knowledge and capabilities. I have lived for 18 years in Japan and can guide someone through the intricacies of the language. I have certified top level proficiency on the Japan Foundation Japanese Proficiency Test.

Rachel's International Relations coursework exposes her to multiple language systems and cross-cultural communication, which she channels into teaching Japanese fundamentals like hiragana recognition, basic particle usage, and everyday vocabulary. Her relaxed, adaptive style — reflected in a 5.0 rating — is especially useful for beginners who tense up when faced with an entirely new writing system and unfamiliar grammar order.

I'm a candidate for a B.S. in Business Administration at Northeastern University. In addition to tutoring, I enjoy playing the tuba and learning about transportation engineering/planning. I'm also fully Japanese and can read, write, and speak the language. As someone who scored 1530 on the SAT and 800 on the Math II subject test, I'd love to assist you in preparing for college!

Zhaleh is actively studying Japanese at Carnegie Mellon University, which means she's navigating the same kanji memorization strategies, grammar particle distinctions, and reading comprehension challenges her students face. She breaks down tricky structures like て-form conjugations and は vs. が usage in ways that make the logic behind the language click.