Elementary Japanese I

Description of Course Goals and Curriculum

This course gives students an introduction to Japanese reading, writing, and speaking. In this class, students learn pronunciation of Japanese words and sounds, simple kanji (Japanese characters), the hiragana and katakana alphabets, and basic vocabulary.

Learning From Classroom Instruction

There are multiple professors, each of which have a certain specialty. For example, Professor Shibata helps students hone their pronunciation in class by having students repeat certain words and checking their pronunciation. The professors give overviews of the homework and new course material, and then frequently break students into smaller groups so they can practice speaking in Japanese with their classmates. To get the most out of class, students should try to exclusively use Japanese and avoid slipping into English (this also counts toward participation). Furthermore, students should try to speak mainly in Japanese in their smaller groups, instead of using English with their partners.

Learning For and From Assignments

Students will have to fill out written assignments from their textbooks and will also have pronunciation exercises, where they record their voices and the professors give feedback on their pronunciation, intonation, etc. Exams tend to be time crunches, so it is important to practice writing quickly with the hiragana and katakana alphabets. Homework tends to be somewhat tedious and difficult but very helpful in preparation for the exams. Generally, students will be vert well-prepared for tests as long as they thoroughly study all the necessary vocabulary and grammar points that the professors list.

External Resources

The professors are a great resource; they’re all super approachable and have lots of office hours slots. Students should also definitely try to go to the Japanese table as often as possible to practice speaking Japanese with other JPN101 students and with higher-level Japanese students as well. The following are online/electronic resources that are all incredibly helpful in JPN101 and higher-level Japanese courses: Jisho.com: a thorough online Japanese language dictionary Weblio.com: a Japanese online dictionary that also gives example sentences, so you can figure out the proper usage of grammar/vocab points Japanese (Renzo Inc.): Japanese dictionary app that allows you to write out Kanji using your finger Https://japanesetest4you.com: site with grammar explanations and usages Wanikani.com: kanji learning application Quizlet.com: flashcard creating website for memorizing grammar/kanji

What Students Should Know About This Course For Purposes Of Course Selection

Students don’t need any background in Japanese to take this course, as it is an introduction to Japanese speaking, reading, and writing. This course is a requirement for anyone who has not taken Japanese before and wants to continue learning Japanese at Princeton in the future. This course will also help fill the language requirement.