Japanese Course: Beginners Level 1

Begin your journey into the dynamic world of Japanese language and culture with our with our  Japanese language courses online!

Whether your interest comes from Japanese film, anime, food, travel, or simple curiosity about the language itself, this beginner-friendly course offers a clear and supportive introduction to Japanese for complete beginners.

This beginner-friendly course is designed for complete beginners and offers a clear, supportive introduction to Japanese — no prior experience required. You’ll start learning practical, everyday Japanese from the very first classes, building confidence step by step.

Japanese is often more approachable than people expect. Spoken Japanese has no grammatical gender, no tones that change word meaning, and clear, consistent pronunciation. Once you become familiar with basic sentence structure, you’ll be surprised how quickly you can start communicating.

Alongside speaking and listening, you’ll be introduced to Hiragana, the foundational Japanese writing system. You’ll learn to recognise and pronounce common characters while using simple vocabulary and basic sentence patterns to communicate in everyday situations. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to hold simple conversations in Japanese with confidence.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this Japanese: Beginners Level 1 course, you should be able to:

• Greet people and introduce yourself and others
• Ask and answer simple questions about personal information
• Use numbers, including for time, dates, money, age, and phone numbers
• Talk about daily routines, family, friends, and personal belongings
• Ask for directions and understand simple responses
• Shop and order food using basic Japanese expressions
• Make simple travel and accommodation arrangements
• Demonstrate introductory understanding of Japanese culture, geography, and customs
• Identify and pronounce the characters of the Hiragana alphabet

Course content

What will be covered in this Japanese: Beginners Level 1 course?

Topics

• Greetings and introductions
• Japanese culture and customs
• Daily routines and personal information
• Locations and directions
• Asking and responding to simple questions
• Numbers and the Hiragana alphabet
• Shopping, travel, and accommodation
• Family and friends

Grammar

• Simple sentence structure
• Identifying and pronouncing Hiragana characters

Intended audience

Who is this Japanese: Beginners Level 1 course for?

• Complete beginners with no prior experience learning Japanese
• Learners interested in Japanese language, culture, or travel
• People curious about learning a new writing system in a supportive environment
• Anyone wanting a practical introduction to spoken Japanese

Course venue

Online via Zoom

• Zoom details will be emailed to you with your enrolment confirmation
• A device with a stable internet connection is required
• We recommend using a computer rather than a mobile phone or tablet

Course materials

What to bring to class

• Notebook and pen
• Course textbook (see below)

Textbook

Please purchase the course textbook, which is used for Learn Japanese: Beginners Course and Learn Japanese: Level 2 Course.

Japanese for Busy People 1 (4th Edition, Romanized Version)
ISBN: 9781568366197

We recommend purchasing your textbook after your course has been confirmed (usually within three working days of the proposed start). The textbook is not included in the enrolment fee.

Certificate of completion

Achievement Recognition

Upon successful completion of the course with at least 80% attendance, you will receive a Certificate of Attendance, recognising your participation and commitment to learning Japanese.

Additional information

• Course delivery: Fully online through interactive virtual classrooms
• Certificate: A Certificate of Attendance is provided to students who successfully complete the course

What's next?

What other Japanese classes do we offer?

After completing this course, you may wish to continue with Japanese Course: Beginners Level 2, where you’ll expand your vocabulary, sentence structures, and confidence using Japanese in everyday situations.

Enrol in both Japanese Course: Beginners Level 1 and Beginners Level 2 and save 10% using the promo code GROUP10 at checkout. Please visit our discounts page for full details.