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Course Levels

In order to provide training at each student’s level of proficiency, Rikkyo University offers a Japanese Language Education Program consisting of nine levels from J0 (basic) to J8 (advanced). The level of courses that each student takes is determined by the results of the placement test that he or she takes each semester before the beginning of classes.

Levels J0, J1, J1S, J2, J2S, J3, and J3S are treated as one set, and students must take all classes offered at these levels. J1, J2, and J3 courses meet five times a week, while J0, J1S, J2S, and J3S courses meet three times a week. J0, J1, and J1S courses are conducted mostly in English, but as the classes proceed, the number of explanations provided in Japanese increases. Note that students in J1S, J2S, and J3S learn the content of the J1, J2, and J3 courses during three sessions per week. Otherwise, the content is exactly the same as in J1, J2, and J3.

We offer courses including Japanese Language and Japanese Culture, Japanese Language and Japanese Society, Seminar on Japanese Language and Culture 1, Seminar on Japanese Language and Culture 2, and Seminar on Japanese Language and Culture 3, which are not language courses but courses for learning content, giving the students the opportunity to learn about the Japanese language , various cultural and social aspects of the Japanese language . The Japanese Language and Japanese Culture and Japanese Language and Japanese Society courses are conducted in English and simple Japanese,so students in J0, J1, J1S, J2, J2S, J3, J3S can take these courses. We have prepared courses for students who do not have the Japanese language proficiency to take courses designed for Japanese nationals: Seminar on Japanese Language and Culture 1 (for J2 students), Seminar on Japanese Language and Culture 2 (for J3 students), and Seminar on Japanese Language and Culture 3 (for J4 and J5 students). These courses enable students to study content such as Japanese anime, manga and novels, using their own respective language skills.
In addition, we offer Kanji classes for students in J4 or higher levels. The course objectives are to deepen students' knowledge with regard to the meaning of Kanji characters and usage of Kanji vocabulary, and to acquire the ability to read and write Kanji; with the overall objective of expanding students' Kanji vocabulary.

Furthermore, at the Niiza campus, we have instituted an integrated course in Intermediate Japanese 4-6, where J4, J5, and J6 students study together in the same classroom, regardless of level.

Level of Japanese Required
Course/LevelStandard of eligibility to attend each level
J0 Designed for students who have no prior learning experience in Japanese and want to learn everyday Japanese expressions and vocabulary.
*This course is completed in half a semester, so is not for students who want to continue to learn Japanese.
J1・J1S Designed for students who have no prior learning experience in Japanese but can read/write hiragana and katakana or those who have prior experience but only a limited knowledge (have not yet mastered basic conjugations of verbs and adjectives or have a vocabulary of less than 500 words, etc.).
J2・J2S Designed for students who have a very basic knowledge of Japanese (basic conjugations of verbs and adjectives and a vocabulary of 500 words).
J3・J3S Designed for students who have already mastered the first half of fundamental sentence structure and a fundamental vocabulary (about 1000 words).
J4 Designed for students who can communicate with friends, or who can deal with well-known topics in Japanese. Students have mastered the fundamental sentence structures and a fundamental vocabulary (about 2000 words).
J5 Designed for students who can deal with everyday situations in Japanese.
J6 Designed for students with average daily Japanese comprehension. Students can read magazines or newspapers using a dictionary, and can write their opinions in appropriate Japanese.
J7 Designed for students who can express their opinions on politics, economics, international affairs, and other topics in high-level Japanese. Students can read magazines or newspapers without using a dictionary, and write their opinions in appropriate, sophisticated Japanese.
J8 Designed for students who have mastered a high level of grammar, kanji and vocabulary and who are also able to study or perform research in Japanese.

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Summary of J8 Courses
Academic Japanese: Writing Research Papers Students receive practical instruction in organization of academic papers, rules for writing, use of phrases, etc.
Academic Japanese: Reading Research Papers Students learn the writing style of Japanese academic papers while reading academic papers from a variety of fields.
Language and Society in Japan Students learn about the unique characteristics of the Japanese language, such as emotional adjectives or numerical classifiers.
Japanese Society and Culture Students learn about contemporary Japanese society and culture.
Japanese for Careers A Students learn about interviews, writing job applications, and other aspects of Japanese language and business etiquette required to find a job.
Japanese for Careers B Students receive practical instruction about the Japanese language portions of employment exams.
Business Japanese: Listening and Discussion A Students learn the conversational skills required for the workplace, such as honorific/humble language and treatment expressions.
Business Japanese: Listening and Discussion B Students learn the Japanese required for more sophisticated business situations, such as negotiations and handling of complaints.
Business Japanese: Reading and Writing Students learn to read and write business documents such as business letters and reports.

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Content Courses
Name of CourseLevel of Japanese requiredContent
Japanese Language & Japanese Culture J0, J1, J1S, J2, J2S, J3, J3S The purpose of this class is to deepen students' understanding of Japanese language and culture by learning the cultural and historical backgrounds/examples as well as Japanese words and expressions.
Japanese Language & Japanese Society J0, J1, J1S, J2, J2S, J3, J3S The purpose of this class is to deepen students' understanding of Japanese language and society by learning the social and historical backgrounds/examples as well as Japanese words and expressions.
Seminar 1 J2、J2S This course enables students to deepen their understanding of Japanese society and culture through the study of Japanese anime and songs. Classes are conducted in Level J2 Japanese.
Seminar 2 J3、J3S This course enables students to deepen their understanding of Japanese society and culture through Japanese-language movies and manga. Classes are conducted in Level J3 Japanese.
Seminar 3 J4、J5 This course enables students to deepen their understanding of Japanese society and culture through Japanese novels and poetry. Classes are conducted in Level J4 Japanese.

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Kanji Classes
Name of CourseLevel of Japanese requiredContent
Kanji J4 or higher level The target material for the course is the Rikkyo Kanji Certification Examination(RKCE)(Stages B1-B6, IA-IG, AA-AG). For Stages B6-B4, students will learn the JLPT N5 level kanji(total number of kanji:209). For Stages B3-B1, students will learn the JLPT N4 level kanji(total number of kanji: 241). For Stages IA-IG, students will learn the JLPT N3 or N2 level kanji(total number of kanji: 775). For Stages AA-AG, students will learn the JLPT N1 level kanji(total number of kanji: 852). Students will study kanji in line with the individual areas of interest decided by each student.

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