Short course
Japanese: Lower Intermediate Conversation
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Dates and time:
13/04/2027 - 15/06/202719:00 - 21:00
Study format:
In-person weekly
Fees:
£315.00
Join us to take your Japanese conversational skills to the next level.
This course focuses on enhancing listening comprehension and speaking skills, accuracy and fluency to improve your conversational proficiency across various everyday contexts.
Through multimedia resources, real-life activities, engaging discussions, and feedback, you'll refine your grammar, expand your vocabulary and gain more confidence in initiating and maintaining a conversation.
Participants will practice communication skills in simple personal, recreational and public settings.
Is this the right level course for you?
To benefit from the course, participants should have done one of the following:
- Completed our Japanese: Lower Intermediate level courses (Part 1 and Part 2); or
- Studied Japanese for approximately two years or achieved a GCSE (Grade A/A*); or
- Achieved or are near A2 Level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages in Japanese.
New students, who have not completed 'Part 1' and 'Part 2', whose proficiency in the language is appropriate for the course level are very welcome.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Course starts 13 April 2027
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Tuesdays, 7.00-9.00pm.
The weekly schedule below is intended to give an indication of the main topic(s) likely to be covered in each session. Please note that these may sometimes change according to the tutor’s discretion to reflect the interests of course participants.
Week 1: Start a conversation and engage in lively communication
Week 2: State your feelings, explain the reason
Week 3: Current affairs: newspaper articles
Week 4: Japanese and Western societies: compare and contrast
Week 5: Enquiring whether someone knows about a particular issue
Week 6: Your experiences in Tokyo and Osaka
Week 7: Opinions about new technologies
Week 8: Informal talk (casual style Japanese grammar)
Week 9: Expressing ideas logically and objectively
Week 10: Class choice: revision, karaoke, language game, etc
Key grammar points
– Sentence structure and word order
– TA-form
– Verb forms and conjugations
– Modifying clauses
Key functions
– Introducing one’s cultural and work background
– Expressing opinions and thoughts
– Describing actions or behaviours
– Discussing skills or limitations (e.g., language, tasks, activities)
– Expressing changes in habits, skills, or physical state
Course aims
Develop and consolidate learners’ conversational skills in everyday situations to communicate ideas and engage in conversations with confidence.
Course objectives
- Develop confidence in spoken communication through participation in real-life class activities.
- Consolidate learners’ ability to understand spoken language in varied everyday contexts.
- Develop learners’ vocabulary and grammar for practical, everyday contexts, and consolidate the application of key grammatical structures in spoken communication.
- Improve pronunciation, intonation, and stress patterns for clear and accurate communication
- Explore the use of appropriate language in everyday social settings (e.g. formal/informal) and etiquette.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be better prepared to:
- understand short, clear speech on everyday topics and respond appropriately.
- engage in simple conversations on familiar topics, such as personal information, daily routines, work and leisure activities.
- ask and answer questions to exchange information on familiar contexts.
- use basic conversational strategies, such as asking for clarification or repetition when needed.
Level and demands
This course is pitched at A2 Level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Find out more about our language levels.
Teaching methods
You will learn through practical activities that encourage the use of the target language. Sessions typically integrate meaningful scenarios, pair and small‑group work, and collaborative problem‑solving in a supportive and friendly environment. The activities bring together speaking, listening, reading, and writing, enabling you to apply the language purposefully in real‑world situations.
The course is designed to build your spoken and listening abilities while deepening your understanding of cultural nuances, etiquette, and everyday usage. We will work with new grammatical structures through meaningful, communicative tasks, and you will continue developing your reading and writing skills both in class and independently through self‑study.
Assessment methods
Formative assessment will be integrated into a range of classroom activities, including guided role‑plays, scenario-based pair and group work, and progressively less structured conversations and tasks. Learners will be encouraged to participate in these activities, using the target language to respond to realistic situations, and will benefit from ongoing tutor feedback to support development.
Mai Oyama
Digital badge
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.
After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add this badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee | £315.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses
Textbooks
No textbook required. All course materials will be provided by the course tutor.
Recommended reading
Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course.
Library facilities
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Library, part of the Bodleian Libraries, for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are also welcome to use the Library for reference.
- More information about the Library can be found on the Bodleian Libraries website.
- This guide for Weekly Class students also provides further information.
Course reading
- Online dictionary / Collins
- Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Japanese Grammar, Premium Second Edition (NTC FOREIGN LANGUAGE) / Eriko Sato
Module code: O26P585XJW
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page.
