Japanese Language Program (Online)
Click Here for September Workshop: Japanese for Travelers
Fall 2023 sessions are open for registration! – Please see details below.
The Japanese Language Program at JASDFW offers beginning level Japanese classes to help learners build foundations of learning the Japanese language. The focus is on conversational Japanese and classes will cover familiar topics regularly encountered in daily life and friendly social situations. The goal is for learners to have a basic understanding of how the language is used in different social circumstances while learning some essential Japanese language structures and cultural values.
The program also offers several workshops throughout the year that focuses on specific themes (travel tips, tv shows, etc) or particular structure of the language (the use of です, particles, the writing characters, etc).
These Japanese classes will be conducted via Zoom. Attendees must have a device with audio and video capabilities, as well as an internet connection. The Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth reserves the right to cancel the class if it does not meet the minimum attendance number. Please contact us at ikuko@jasdfw.org if you have questions about this workshop and language classes.
Costs (8-week courses below)
workshops are separate price
Member: $160
Non-member: $210
Membership Bundle*: $190 (Save $15!)
*Includes JASDFW regular individual/family membership
2023 CLASS SESSIONS |
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Japanese Fundamentals 1: Getting Started (Online)
Register Here for Japanese 1
This course is for beginners who are looking for a general understanding of the Japanese language and to practice some common expressions used in personal conversations. The course will touch a little bit of everything of the good-to-know basics as learners begin their Japanese learning journey. Prior knowledge of Japanese characters (Hiragana, Katakana, & Kanji) is not required to take this course. Students will be able to:
- Understand and use familiar and very basic expressions and phrases.
- Understand and use a variety of greetings useful in daily conversations.
- Understand how to introduce him/herself and share some simple personal details (basic background, likes/dislikes, talents and skills, etc.)
- Understand some basic Japanese sentence structures and how to create some simple sentences.
- Understand the roles of particles in Japanese, and become familiar with some basic particles.
- Recognize Hiragana and understand how it is different from Katakana, and Kanji.
Japanese Fundamentals 2: Sentence Structures (Online)
CLASS FULL: Contact ikuko@jasdfw.org if you would like to be informed when spring registration opens
This course is for beginning level learners who have little to some knowledge of basic Japanese. The course goes deeper into understanding the basic Japanese sentence structures, especially noun and adjective sentences, while also practicing some common expressions used in personal conversations related to family, pets, occupations, and desires. This course also introduces a variety of basic particles that are essential to creating simple sentences. The course is designed as a continuation of Fundamentals 1, but completing Fundamentals 1 is not required to join this course. Prior knowledge of Japanese characters (Hiragana, Katakana, & Kanji) is not required to take this course. Students will be able to:
- Understand and use familiar and basic expressions and phrases.
- Understand and use a variety of greetings useful in daily conversations.
- Practice sharing personal details (occupation, family, hobbies, etc. )
- Review and practice some basic particles (はwa, がga, をwo, もmo, とto, のno, にni, でde, etc)
- Understand Japanese sentence structures of noun and adjective sentences.
- Understand basic counters.
- Learn how to ask questions.
- Recognize Hiragana and understand how it is different from Katakana and Kanji.
Japanese Fundamentals 3: Understanding Verbs (Online)
Japanese Fundamentals 3Coming in Spring 2024
Instructor: Ikuko Fujiwara
This course is designed for beginning level to lower-intermediate learners who understands the hiragana system and have some basic understanding of the Japanese language. The course focuses on learning basic structures of verbs and verb sentences while also practicing common expressions useful to describe daily activities and future plans. The course will also introduce useful conjunctive particles and continue reviewing and practicing basic particles from previous classes. The course is designed as a continuation of Fundamentals 2, but completing Fundamentals 2 is not required to join this course. Prior knowledge of hiragana and katakana, however, is required. Students will be able to:
- Understand and use familiar and basic expressions and phrases.
- Understand and use a variety of greetings useful in daily conversations.
- Practice sharing daily activities, future plans, and past events
- Learn 15 essential particles, and conjunctive particles
- Understand basic sentence structures, particularly verb sentences and create original simple sentences.
- Learn and practice asking questions about when, where, who, what and why (いつ、どこで、だれが、なにを、なぜ）.
Language Programs Manager and Instructor
Ikuko Fujiwara
ikuko@jasdfw.org
Her academic and professional background is in TESOL and Composition which began with earning a Master’s degree in TESOL from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Her career has been devoted to instruction and supporting student success while promoting diversity and inclusion in educational spaces. She has experience teaching Japanese, ESOL, and college composition at various colleges in the United States. She is committed to creating inclusive and meaningful learning spaces where people engage in cross-cultural/intercultural understanding and learn to use language in empowering ways.
Additional Instructors
Grace Chalker
Texas born and raised, Grace graduated from the University of North Texas with degrees in Linguistics and Japanese. She spent a year studying abroad at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto where she fell in love with Japan’s history and culture. Upon graduating, Grace taught Japanese for over four years. She has assisted students with AP Japanese and JLPT test prep and led an 18-day study abroad trip in Japan in 2018. During the 2019-2021 school years, Grace worked as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) at junior high schools in Japan. She continued her Japanese studies and passed the JLPT N2 exam. She is excited to show students how fun learning a second language can be!
Keiko Yokoyama
Her 20+ years of professional experience include teaching a variety of subjects at a Japanese school, providing one-on-one English language support to Japanese students to succeed in their local school learning, and tutoring non-native Japanese students in the Japanese language. Her dedication and attentive support to each student represents the fulfillment of the mission of language education in an increasingly globalized world, while serving the community as a bridge for cross-cultural communication.
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