Japanese Language Programs

Language Education Center offers the following Japanese language courses to meet the needs of various Japanese language education inside and outside the university.
Period: Spring Semester (Apr. to Aug.), Fall Semester (Oct. to Feb.)

For more details about each program, please see here.

1. University-Wide Japanese Language Program (UJ)

The purpose of this program is to develop the Japanese language skills required for daily life and research activities at Nagoya University for international students enrolled at the university. International students (undergraduate, graduate, and research students), special auditing students, special research students, and short-term international students at Nagoya University are eligible to enroll in courses. Other foreign researchers at Nagoya University who are deemed appropriate by the Director of the Center for Language Education may take the courses.

There are a total of seven levels of courses: three levels for beginners starting from zero, one level for elementary and intermediate, two levels for intermediate, and one level for advanced. In elementary level courses, each course consists of 3 classes per week. In intermediate and advanced courses, you can choose 1 to 5 skills (grammar, writing, conversation, reading, and listening) . In addition to these, there are classes available individually as electives. Prospective students take a placement test before the program begins and are placed in each course according to the results of the placement test.

Applications will be accepted through the registration website in mid-March for the spring semester and in mid-September for the fall semester. Those who wish to enroll in the course must complete the registration procedures within the prescribed period.

2. Training Programs in Japanese Language (Elementary Japanese Course, EJ)

LEC offers two courses under its Training Programs in Japanese Language.

(1) Training Course in Japanese Language (Intensive Program in Elementary Japanese – EJ)
The Intensive Program in Elementary Japanese is a 6 months course for Japanese Government Scholarship (scholarship through an embassy or university recommendation) international research students and teacher training students. Students with no prior knowledge of Japanese will have developed the basic language skills to understand and express themselves in Japanese which will be necessary for advancing research at Japanese university.

(2) Training Course in Japanese Language and Japanese Culture (Advanced Japanese Course, AJ)
The Intensive Program in Advanced Japanese is for Japanese Government Scholarship (scholarship through an embassy or university recommendation) international students (Japanese studies students). The program begins in October and ends in September next year, and meets for 30 weeks over 12 months. In this course, the lectures on Japanese language (higher-level), society, and culture are given and will carry out research activities. All the lectures and research activities in this training program are taught exclusively in Japanese.

3. Liberal Arts & Sciences Subjects; Language and Culture Courses (Japanese)

These classes are for international students enrolled in an undergraduate school. They aim to develop writing and oral skills in Japanese. The courses aim to develop academic skills, improve communication skills with Japanese students and faculty members, and deepen understanding of Japanese society and culture.

4. NUPACE Japanese Language Program (NJ)

These courses are for Nagoya University Program for Academic Exchange (NUPACE) students. Starting from Japanese for daily life, the course enables them to build proficiency in Japanese for academic purposes.

5. Nagoya University Short-Term Japanese Language Program (NUSTEP)

NUSTEP is a two week intensive Japanese language program offered to students from our partner universities who have intermediate or higher level proficiency in Japanese. Beyond Japanese language study, we prepare a wide range of on- and off-campus activities, such as cultural excursions, field trips, and exchanges with our students, to deepen their understanding of Japanese culture and society.
Moreover, participants will get a taste of Nagoya University’s education and research activities by attending special lectures by faculty and visiting laboratories on campus.