Beginner Course
We offer three terms for the Beginner Course: Beginner A, Beginner B, and Beginner C. Upon completion of the full Beginner Course, students will be able to hold simple daily conversations and recognise both hiragana and katakana.
We also encourage students to practise writing characters and provide guidance on how to do so effectively. By the end of the three Beginner classes, students will have learned approximately 380 words.
A
B
C
- Classroom expressions
- Greetings
- Self-introduction
- I am [nationality/profession]
- Also / Too
- Numbers
- Time
- This, that, that over there, which
- N’s N (possessive structure)
- This~, that~, that~ (near listener)
- Role-play: Shopping
- Here, there, over there, where
Review: Ko-so-a-do words (as needed) - Phone numbers
- Verb predicate sentences (non-past)
Time vocabulary (morning, noon, evening) - Verb predicate sentences (past) - Time vocabulary (today, tomorrow, yesterday)
- Verb (ます-form) at [place]
Hiragana
Hiragana: Voiced and semi-voiced sounds
Hiragana: Contracted sounds and geminate consonants
Hiragana: Long vowels
- Have you already ～ed?
No, not yet. / I will ～ from now. - Won’t you ～? / Let’s ～
- I will ～ at [time].
- From [time 1] to [time 2].
- Days of the week
- Go/come/return to ～
- Go from ～ to …
- Year/Month/Day ～ / Week ～ / Month ～ / Year ～
- Go to ～ by [means of transportation]
- ～ with [person]
- ～ using [tool/language]
- Adjectives I
Grouping, affirmative and negative sentences - Adjectives II (past tense)
- Adjectives III (noun modification)
Katakana
Katakana: Voiced and semi-voiced sounds
Katakana: Contracted sounds and geminate consonants
Katakana: Long vowels
- Connecting adjective sentences (using そして, が)
- ～ is good at / bad at
～ likes / dislikes
～ understands / doesn’t understand
Adverbs of degree - Because (reason) ～から
- I want N
- I want to V N
- Go/come/return to a place to V
- Something / nothing
- います / あります
There is/are [objects] at [place]
There is/are [people] at [place] - Position words
There is/are [objects] at [place] (N’s N)
There is/are [people] at [place] (N’s N) - Is ～ at [place]?
- Possession: います / あります
Family terms
Adverbs expressing quantity/count - Counters: people / one thing / ～ sheets / ～ machines
- Comparison
- Superlative
Pre-Intermediate
We offer three terms for the Pre-Intermediate course: Pre-Intermediate A, B, and C.
In this level, students build on the foundations from the Beginner course and learn to handle more complex daily conversations and read and understand basic written texts.
The course places greater focus on grammar, vocabulary expansion, and sentence structure, helping students communicate with increased accuracy and confidence. By the end of the three Pre-Intermediate classes, students will have learned approximately 170 words.
A
B
C
- Duration
How long? - Frequency
~ times per week/day/hour, etc. - Units of Money
- It takes (time) / It costs (money)
- How to ~
(e.g., how to write, how to go) - Verb Group Classification
- Te-form of Verbs
Please do ~ (e.g., V-te kudasai ) - Shall I ~ ? / Shall we ~ ?
(e.g., Shall I help you?) - "Be ~ing" – Ongoing Action
e.g., Tanaka-san is studying now. - "Be ~ing" – Habitual Action
e.g., Tanaka-san jogs every evening. - "Be ~ing" – Resultant State
e.g., Tanaka-san lives in Melbourne. - Have you eaten already?
– No, I haven’t eaten yet. - You may ~ / It's okay to ~
(Permission) - You must not ~ / It's not allowed to ~
(Prohibition)
- V-te, V-te
(Sequential actions)
How do you get there? → e.g., Take the train, then walk. - V-te kara V-masu
(Do ~ after doing ~) - ~ wa … ga + adjective
Elephants have long trunks. → "[As for] the elephant, its trunk is long." - Adjective Conjugation (Connecting adjectives)
i-adjective → -kute
na-adjective / noun → -de (e.g., "cheap and delicious" / "quiet and clean") - Negative Form (nai-form)
Please don’t ~ → V-nai de kudasai - You must ~
→ V-nakereba narimasen - You don’t have to ~ / It’s okay not to ~
→ V-nakute mo ii desu - Dictionary Form
Can do N → N ga dekimasu
Can do V → V koto ga dekimasu - V koto ga + adjective
Doing ~ is [adjective] → e.g., "Speaking Japanese is fun." - Hobbies
My hobby is N / V-ing → e.g., "My hobby is reading." - Before N / Before doing V
→ e.g., "Before dinner" / "Before going to bed" - Become + adjective/noun
i-adjective → ~ku narimasu
na-adjective / noun → ~ni narimasu
→ e.g., "It became cold." / "She became a teacher." - Ta-form
Have done ~ before → V-ta koto ga arimasu - V-tari, V-tari
Do things like ~ and ~ → e.g., "On weekends, I go shopping, watch movies, etc."
- Plain Form (Verbs)
– Using informal/plain verb forms in sentences - Plain Form (Adjectives & Nouns)
– Using plain forms of adjectives and nouns - Plain Form in Conversation
– Practicing casual speech in dialogue - Plain Form + to omoimasu
– I think that ~ - Plain Form + to iimasu
– Someone says that ~ / It is said that ~ - Comprehensive Review
– General review of grammar and vocabulary - Travel Conversations
– Practical expressions and dialogues for travel situations
Intermediate Course
We offer five terms for the Intermediate course: Intermediate A, B, C, D, and E.
Upon completion, students will be able to read passages and engage in longer, more in-depth conversations in daily life. This level also enhances students' ability to express themselves clearly and understand a wider range of spoken and written Japanese.
A
B
C
D
E
- "If "and "When"
- Forming modifying clauses
- Describing the actions of giving and receiving services
- Making hypothetical statement
- Expressing ideas that run contrary to expectation
- Expressing potentiality
- Describing simultaneous actions
- Giving more than two reasons
- Transitive／Intransitive verbs
- Indicating an action or event with regret, or which has been completed
- Describing actions done or to be done in preparation for the future
- Volitional form
- Expressing volition "I am thinking about..."
- Present Perfect
- Expressing intention
- Making strong suggestions
- Makins a guess or a prediction
- Expressing suppositions
- Prohibitive form
- Imperative form
- In the way... ／Same as...
- After...
- Indicating means or attendant circumstances
- Making conditional statements
- Expressing purpose
- Describing change: changes coming into effect
- Expressing that someone continuously makes efforts to do something
- Passive structures
- Giving a reason
- Forming indirect questions
- Try doing something
- Honorific expressions /giving and receiving
- Expressing causes of or reasons for situations or outcomes
- Expressing aim of the items
- Expressing amounts the speaker estimates
- Expressing very large amounts of something
- Conveying information gained elsewhere
- Going somewhere to do something and coming back
Advanced Course
We offer five terms for the Advanced course: Advanced A, B, C, D, and E.
Upon completion, students will be able to express their own opinions not only in daily conversations but also on social and abstract topics. This course aims to build fluency and confidence, allowing for more natural and sophisticated communication.
A
B
C
D
E
- Indicate that somethig is too much
- Indicate that somethig is easy/difficult
- Describing the change in condition or state, gerund
- Expressing selection or decision
- Adverbs (turned from adjectives)
- Describing a hypothetical situation
- Even though...
- Indicate the temporal positon - Is about to/ is being now/ has just finished
- Indicate the temporal positon - It happedned recently
- Hearsay report
- It looks like...
- Causative verbs
- Causative verb sentences- would you please let me do...?
- Honorific Expressions
- Polite request
- Metaphorical expression
- Gerund-nominalizing verbs
- A is called B
- B, which is called 'A'
- What/When/How/Whoever...., No matter how...
- Making hypothetical statement
- Descrbing the meanings
- Describing the contents
- Saying/telling/advicing/requesting someone to do something
- It looks like...
- Causative verb sentences- would you please let me do...? 2
- Making decision/ Describing one's habit
- Describing the plan, rules, decisions which made by others.
- Expressing a wish; I want some to ...
- Assumption
- Hearsay report
- Suffix "no"
- Completion/Regret (Casual form)
- Causative-passive sentences
- Suffix "de aru"
- Suspended form
- Describing the feeling/ desire of third person
- Changing a sentence/phrase into a subject or object
- Reflexive pronoun
- Assumption/advice
- Describing the location
- About to do ...
- Assmption
- The use of particle "no"
- Assumption
- B, which is called 'A'
- Plan to do something
- Only... nothing but...
- Showing examples
- Expressing the change
- Expressing the movement
- Express duty or obligation
- Just/only...
- Suffix "kana"
- Emphasising an expected feeling or negative feeling.
- Expressing feeling of surprise and admiration
- Causative/Causative-passive sentences
- When it comes to...
JIC General course and JLPT Level Comparison
| JLPT N5 | |
| Beginner A | |
| Beginner B | |
| Beginner C | |
| Pre-Intermediate A | |
| Pre-Intermediate B | |
| Pre-Intermediate C | |
| Intermediate A | |
| JLPT N4 | |
| Intermediate B | |
| Intermediate C | |
| Intermediate D | |
| Intermediate E | |
| Advanced A | |
| Advanced B | |
| JLPT N3 | |
| Advanced C | |
| Advanced D | |
| Advanced E | |
| Super Advanced A | |
| Super Advanced B | |
| Super Advanced C | |
| Super Advanced D | |
| Super Advanced E | |
JLPT Class
JLPT N1 – N5 support courses are available
What is JLPT?
The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) has been offered by the Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (formerly Association of International Education, Japan) since 1984.
The JLPT has five levels: N1, N2, N3, N4 and N5. The easiest level is N5 and the most difficult level is N1.
N4 and N5 measure the level of understanding of basic Japanese mainly learned in class. N1and N2 measure the level of understanding of Japanese used in a broad range of scenes in actual everyday life. N3 is a bridging level between N1/N2 and N4/N5.
JIC JLPT support course cover reading, listening, grammar and vocabulary / Kanji.
VCE Support Class
VCE Japanese support course Level: Year 11 - Year 12
We have long history for supporting VCE Japanese. This course is covers SAC support, oral exam support. A teacher uses Japanese and English in a class room.
Intensive Course for Travellers
The course is comprised of interactive exercises designed to assist you in a wide variety of possible travel-related situations.
You will also learn basic Japanese culture and manners, which will help to prepare you and get more from your holiday.
Students will learn common phrases and expressions useful for travelling around Japan. For our last lesson, we will introduce the cities of your destination and their unique cultures.
Overview
- Introducing yourself
- Asking for location of goods
- Asking for price
- Acceptance/refusal
- Asking for a table
- Ordering food
- Asking for toilets/conveniences
- Giving preferences
- Giving compliments/opinions
- Catching public transport
- Giving destination (taxi)
- Asking for time/destination (at the station/bus terminal)
- Buying train tickets
- Asking where’s the nearest…
Kids Class
Our Kids Japanese Classes are designed to teach the language through rhymes, pictures, games, songs, role-plays and cultural activities. Our lessons are aimed to trigger their curiosity and enhance their learning. Come and meet our fantastic teachers who are experienced in teaching young learners in a way that makes studying exciting and fun!
‘The direct method’ is not necessarily used in Private Lessons. Please note we offer support classes for VCE and JLPT students. Other courses include Kids’ Japanese Language, Travel, Culture and On-line classses. Off- campus lessons and courses are available to organisations and businesses. Please contact the office for more information.
