Join us to take your conversational skills to the next level. Participants will practice communication skills in simple personal, recreational, and public settings. To benefit from the course, participants should have done one of the following:
1. Studied Japanese for approximately two years or achieved a GCSE (Grade A/A*).
2. Completed Parts 1 and 2 of our Japanese: Lower Intermediate level.
3. Achieved or are near A2 Level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages."
Course starts: 21 Apr 2026
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, activities, engaging discussions, and feedback, you'll refine your grammar, expand your vocabulary and gain more confidence in initiating and maintaining conversations.
Our open-access courses cater for mixed-ability groups, fostering a collaborative environment where students work together to achieve their learning goals. The weekly course schedule below provides an overview of the main topics likely to be covered in each session. Please note that these may sometimes change at 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
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
No Course book required. All course materials will be provided by the course tutor.
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.
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee | £300.00 |
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. See details of our concessionary fees for short courses.
Rie is a qualified and experienced Japanese language teacher based in Oxford. Her teaching experience spans various age groups and diverse backgrounds. With a deep appreciation of both language and culture, Rie brings warmth and clarity to her teaching. Outside the classroom, she enjoys sharing her love of Japanese cuisine.
Enhance learners’ conversational skills in everyday situations to communicate ideas and engage in conversations with confidence.
Course objectives:
1. Enhance learners' ability to understand spoken language in varied everyday contexts.
2. Encourage learners to use varied and practical vocabulary and grammar structures to express themselves in simple everyday conversations.
3. Improve pronunciation and intonation for clear and accurate communication.
4. Explore the use of appropriate language in everyday social settings (e.g. formal/informal) and etiquette.
Our language courses promote collaborative learning, encouraging peer interaction and real-life activities. You will learn through participating in engaging activities and tasks in the target language. These are likely to include listening tasks, role-plays, pair- and small-group work conducted in a supportive, friendly and informal learning environment. The course has been structured to help you primarily to develop your speaking and listening skills.
By the end of the course, students will be better prepared to:
1. understand short, clear speech on everyday topics and respond appropriately.
2. engage in simple conversations on familiar topics, such as personal information, daily routines, work and leisure activities.
3. gain confidence in initiating and sustaining brief interactions with other speakers, including asking for clarification or repetition when needed.
4. Recognise and appreciate basic cultural differences that may affect communication.
Formative assessment will be implemented through a series of class activities ranging from guided role-plays and structured pair-work to less structured discussions and tasks. Learners will be encouraged to participate in class activities to benefit from tutor feedback.
Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education
