Beginner Japanese Language Course

Introductory Part (approximately 10 hours, first 5 lessons of the textbook)

• Introduction to Japanese writing systems (2 alphabets and kanji)
• Learning the "hiragana" alphabet (main alphabet)
• Introduction to the phonetic structure of the Japanese language
• Introduction to the features of the Japanese lexical system ("wago," "kango," "gairaigo")

Lesson 6 (approximately 6 hours)

• Nouns
• Personal and interrogative pronouns
• Simple unextended sentences with nominal predicates (affirmative/negative)
• Interrogative sentences, alternative questions
• Beginning of the study of the second alphabet ("katakana," first 3 rows), used for writing loanwords
• Beginning of kanji study (12 characters: 一、人、方、日、文、本、先、生、何、私、学、語)
• Short dialogues (introductions, self-presentation), MNN p 6-7, listening p 2

Lesson 7 (approximately 6 hours)

• Demonstrative pronouns これ、それ、あれ、どれ
• Nominative case が
• Particle も
• Kanji: 13 characters (二、三、土、大、山、木、中、四、田、年、室、教、部)
• Continuation of the study of the second alphabet ("katakana," next 3 rows)
• Listening p 4, MNN p 9–13

Lesson 8 (approximately 6 hours)

• Genitive case の
• Demonstrative pronouns この、その、あの、どの
• Demonstrative pronouns of place ここ、そこ、あそこ、どこ
• Conjunctive particle と
• Word formation in Japanese, suffixes たち、がた、人
• Completion of the study of the second alphabet ("katakana," final rows)
• Kanji: 14 characters (七、八、九、十、火、今、六、友、五、図、英、書、留、館)
• Listening p 6–7, MNN p 14–19, p 22, p 24–29

Lesson 9 (approximately 6 hours)

• Adjectives
• Interrogative pronoun どんな
• Coordinating conjunction が
• Numerals, counting up to 1000
• Kanji: 15 characters (小さい、千、月、水、白い、百、毎、近、明、東、京、青、茶、高い、新)

Lesson 10 (approximately 9 hours)

• Verbs, verb conjugation, verb stems
• Present-future tense of verbs
• Directional case へ
• Dative case に
• Temporal nominal postpositions 前、後
• Time reckoning: 午前、午後, time 時, days of the week 曜日
• Particles から、まで (from... to...)
• Kanji: 16 characters (午、行、休、金、始、前、後、食、飼、時、起、堂、終、間、曜)
• Listening p 8–11, MNN p 30–45

Skills upon completion of the course

• Ability to use (read and write) both alphabets and approximately 70 kanji
• Ability to form extended sentences using verbs in the present-future tense
• Dialogue for introductions, presenting oneself and others
• Orientation in time and space