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/Level	Standard of eligibility to attend each level
J0	Designed for students who have no (or limited) prior learning experience in Japanese and want to learn Japanese expressions, and vocabulary for every day, such as for shopping or ordering at restaurant etc. Students will learn Hiragana and Katakana while learning Japanese expressions for every day. This course would fit for the students who will stay in Japan for half a year and is interested in what kind of language Japanese is like, or fit for the students who will stay in Japan for a year and wish to start to learn Japanese from Hiragana and Katakana and other fundamental Japanese, before moving to J1 level.
J1・J1S	Designed for students who have no prior learning experience in Japanese at school etc., but can read / write Hiragana and Katakana, or for students who have prior experience, but only a limited knowledge, or for students who have studied at school but not mastered basic conjugations of verbs and adjectives or particles yet and be willing to master them. ＊Reading and writing ability of Hiragana and Katakana is required for J1 level students. Passing Hiragana test at Japanese Language Placement Test is required to take J1 classes.
J2・J2S	Designed for students who mastered basic conjugation of verbs and adjectives and acquire a vocabulary of 500 words, and can talk or write in Japanese using them. And for students who can have conversation in the classroom, state hobby, like and dislike etc. in Japanese, also for students who understand the essay in Japanese with Hiragana, Katakana and basic Kanji.
J3・J3S	Designed for students who have already mastered basic sentence structure and about 1,000 vocabulary in Japanese and can communicate in Japanese for a simple daily occasion, or for the students who can understand and express what they want to say in Japanese at certain level if it is slow.
J4	Designed for students who have mastered the beginner level and can deal with well-known topics in Japanese while still having difficulty in communicating with native Japanese speakers with ordinal speed or writing essays in Japanese with 800 characters using mix writing (Kana and Kanji) etc.
J5	Designed for students who can deal with everyday situations in Japanese properly and accurately, and for the students who can write essay in Japanese with 1,000 characters with mix writing (Kanji and Kana) using a dictionary although having not studied writing papers or report in Japanese.
J6	Designed for students who can understand newspapers or news articles on the internet almost without using dictionary, also for students who can write essay in Japanese with 1,500 characters about the topic that they are interested in and can give their opinion on a general topic in appropriate Japanese.
J7	Designed for students who can understand not only newspapers and novels, but also specialized papers and books in Japanese without using a dictionary, and for students who can write a report of about 2,000 characters, also for students who can discuss academic matters and make presentations in 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 using 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 Course	Level of Japanese required	Content
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 Course	Level of Japanese required	Content
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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