Japanese for groups, from kana and kanji to formal correspondence

What Japanese asks of an English speaker

Try two questions from the course

Both are taken unchanged from the Japanese lessons, with the explanation learners see after answering.

What each level covers

1. A1 Read and type hiragana and katakana, recognize common signs written in kanji, fill in simple forms, and write short greetings and invitations in kana.

   10 skills at A1

   • Recognize foundational hiragana, katakana, and Japanese numerals
   • Produce foundational kana in familiar words
   • Recognize familiar words and basic phrases in short written texts
   • Understand basic spoken phrases when delivered slowly and clearly
   • Complete simple forms with personal information
   • Write very short simple personal messages
   • Understand simple written instructions supported by context
   • Recognize basic information in signs, notices, and schedules
   • Follow very simple spoken announcements
   • Exchange basic information in simple written interactions

2. A2 Follow the Japanese festival notice’s particles distinguishing the event’s location from its date, and read the shop reply’s contrast between an unavailable item and the color offered as an alternative.

   8 skills at A2

   • Understand short simple personal messages
   • Follow basic spoken information about everyday matters
   • Read simple public information and service texts
   • Write short everyday messages for practical purposes
   • Describe routine matters in simple connected writing
   • Handle simple written transactions
   • Understand simple directions and instructions
   • Extract key details from short factual texts

3. B1 Address Ms. Tanaka with the recipient honorific after her name and maintain the Japanese polite verb style while thanking her and confirming attendance at Friday’s welcome party.

   8 skills at B1

   • Understand the main points of clear texts on familiar matters
   • Understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters
   • Write connected texts on familiar topics
   • Express opinions, plans, and experiences in writing
   • Manage routine written correspondence
   • Understand straightforward narratives and descriptions
   • Follow straightforward presentations and media on familiar topics
   • Summarize factual information from straightforward texts

4. B2 Complete a polite Japanese discussion reply that agrees with a proposal’s purpose, identifies a timing problem and proposes a small trial; combine increased use and higher maintenance costs without dropping either finding.

   8 skills at B2

   • Read articles and reports that present arguments and viewpoints
   • Understand extended speech and presentations with clear structure
   • Write clear detailed texts on a range of subjects
   • Write reasoned arguments supporting a point of view
   • Participate effectively in written discussions
   • Understand specialized texts in familiar fields
   • Identify stance, tone, and implication in spoken discourse
   • Synthesize information from multiple written sources

5. C1 Turn the familiar Japanese instruction to resend a file into a formal business request with the lesson’s polite preface and indirect request formula, and contrast the casual photo request to a friend with the formal version for a client.

   8 skills at C1

   • Understand long complex texts across a range of domains
   • Understand extended speech with implicit meaning and complex structure
   • Write well-structured detailed texts on complex subjects
   • Adapt style, register, and conventions to purpose and audience
   • Manage complex written interactions fluently and appropriately
   • Understand implicit meaning, nuance, and rhetorical effect in written texts
   • Take effective notes from complex spoken input
   • Evaluate and synthesize information from complex written sources

6. C2 Edit the Japanese claim about a change causing an outcome from certainty to likelihood, combine a cost increase with a concession that adoption is worthwhile, and change a company’s data-deletion sentence to the passive while retaining the named actor and yesterday’s timing.

   8 skills at C2

   • Understand virtually all forms of written language
   • Understand virtually all forms of spoken language
   • Produce polished, effective texts for demanding purposes
   • Compose nuanced persuasive arguments
   • Handle demanding written exchanges with precision and flexibility
   • Interpret subtle pragmatic and cultural references
   • Critically synthesize diverse written and spoken sources
   • Edit and transform texts while preserving nuance and effect