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Complete Beginner Japanese - Online Class to be announced. The class size is 3-6 students per class.
🇯🇵 Complete Beginner Japanese – Online Class
For learners in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Napa & the Bay Area
📅 Course Dates
To be announced
Format: Online (Zoom), small group (3–6 students)
Schedule: Weekly live sessions
👥 Who This Course Is For
This course is designed for absolute beginners—students with no prior experience or just minimal exposure to the Japanese language. Whether you’re learning for travel, cultural connection, or personal enrichment, this course provides a warm, welcoming, and structured environment to begin your Japanese journey.
If you're based in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, or Napa, you can join us from the comfort of your home and build a solid foundation with expert instruction and interactive support.
📖 What You’ll Learn
In this course, students are introduced to the fundamental building blocks of Japanese through a blend of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. You’ll begin to:
Develop proper pronunciation and intonation
Learn key vocabulary and basic grammar structures
Introduce yourself and have simple conversations
Understand and write in hiragana and katakana
Gain confidence in daily situations like greetings, ordering food, or shopping
Lessons are dynamic and culturally informed, with a strong focus on communication, cultural awareness, and real-life application.
🌍 Themes and Topics Include:
Polite expressions and introductions
Everyday vocabulary for food, travel, and shopping
Writing and reading hiragana and katakana
Cultural etiquette and basic customs in Japan
Speaking practice through pair work and role-play
💬 What to Expect
Each class includes:
Interactive live instruction with native guidance
Vocabulary and grammar practice through examples
Speaking and listening activities with partners
Cultural notes and short video or audio materials
Homework to reinforce concepts between sessions
✅ By the End of the Course, You’ll Be Able To:
Read and write hiragana, and begin using katakana
Communicate in basic daily situations using full sentences
Recognize beginner-level grammar patterns and vocabulary
Understand how Japanese structure and politeness levels work
Move confidently into a higher beginner course
📘 Required Textbook
Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese Vol. 1 (3rd Edition)
We recommend purchasing your copy before the first class.
👩🏫 About the Instructor
Mari, originally from Gunma Prefecture, Japan, is a certified Japanese language instructor with over six years of experience teaching both adults and children in classroom and online settings. She holds a degree in French Literaturefrom Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo and pursued further studies in International Economics in Toronto.
Mari brings a broad international perspective from her professional life in Tokyo, Toronto, Singapore, and Boston, before settling in the Bay Area in 2005. Her teaching style is known for being warm, adaptive, and student-focused. She creates lessons that are both engaging and approachable—building confidence from day one.
💡 Important Notes
This course runs via Zoom.
A minimum of three students is required for the class to run the full six weeks.
If only two students enroll, the course will still run but will be shortened to five weeks.
🏫 About the School
This course is offered by Polyglottist Language Academy, based in Berkeley and serving students throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including Oakland, San Jose, San Francisco, and Napa—both in person and online.
🇯🇵 Complete Beginner Japanese – Online Class
For learners in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Napa & the Bay Area
📅 Course Dates
To be announced
Format: Online (Zoom), small group (3–6 students)
Schedule: Weekly live sessions
👥 Who This Course Is For
This course is designed for absolute beginners—students with no prior experience or just minimal exposure to the Japanese language. Whether you’re learning for travel, cultural connection, or personal enrichment, this course provides a warm, welcoming, and structured environment to begin your Japanese journey.
If you're based in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, or Napa, you can join us from the comfort of your home and build a solid foundation with expert instruction and interactive support.
📖 What You’ll Learn
In this course, students are introduced to the fundamental building blocks of Japanese through a blend of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. You’ll begin to:
Develop proper pronunciation and intonation
Learn key vocabulary and basic grammar structures
Introduce yourself and have simple conversations
Understand and write in hiragana and katakana
Gain confidence in daily situations like greetings, ordering food, or shopping
Lessons are dynamic and culturally informed, with a strong focus on communication, cultural awareness, and real-life application.
🌍 Themes and Topics Include:
Polite expressions and introductions
Everyday vocabulary for food, travel, and shopping
Writing and reading hiragana and katakana
Cultural etiquette and basic customs in Japan
Speaking practice through pair work and role-play
💬 What to Expect
Each class includes:
Interactive live instruction with native guidance
Vocabulary and grammar practice through examples
Speaking and listening activities with partners
Cultural notes and short video or audio materials
Homework to reinforce concepts between sessions
✅ By the End of the Course, You’ll Be Able To:
Read and write hiragana, and begin using katakana
Communicate in basic daily situations using full sentences
Recognize beginner-level grammar patterns and vocabulary
Understand how Japanese structure and politeness levels work
Move confidently into a higher beginner course
📘 Required Textbook
Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese Vol. 1 (3rd Edition)
We recommend purchasing your copy before the first class.
👩🏫 About the Instructor
Mari, originally from Gunma Prefecture, Japan, is a certified Japanese language instructor with over six years of experience teaching both adults and children in classroom and online settings. She holds a degree in French Literaturefrom Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo and pursued further studies in International Economics in Toronto.
Mari brings a broad international perspective from her professional life in Tokyo, Toronto, Singapore, and Boston, before settling in the Bay Area in 2005. Her teaching style is known for being warm, adaptive, and student-focused. She creates lessons that are both engaging and approachable—building confidence from day one.
💡 Important Notes
This course runs via Zoom.
A minimum of three students is required for the class to run the full six weeks.
If only two students enroll, the course will still run but will be shortened to five weeks.
🏫 About the School
This course is offered by Polyglottist Language Academy, based in Berkeley and serving students throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including Oakland, San Jose, San Francisco, and Napa—both in person and online.