Teens’ Beginner Japanese I

The intro course to Japanese with everyday vocabulary and grammar, you learn how to “intro”duce yourself!

But if you don’t know at least half the hiragana/katakana, take the Teens’ Kill it with Kana Course first. And if you put both Teens’ Kill it with Kana and Teens’ Beginner Japanese I in the cart, you get the Teens’ Intro Bundle discount with discount code teensintrobundle[session #] (online option) or teensintrobundle[session #]ip (in-person option)!

2024 Online

Sundays noon – 1:30PM Central
[Session 1 Online] Feb 4, Feb 11, Feb 18, Feb 25
[Session 2 Online] Apr 7, Apr 14, Apr 21, Apr 28
[Session 3 Online] Jun 9, Jun 16, Jun 23, Jun 30
[Session 4 Online] Aug 11, Aug 18, Aug 25, Sept 8
[Session 5 Online] Oct 13, Oct 20, Oct 27, Nov 3
[Session 6 Online] Wednesdays and Saturdays 6 – 7PM Central Dec 4, Dec 7, Dec 11, Dec 14, Dec 18, Dec 21

2024 In-person

Starbucks (4155 N Cicero Ave, Chicago, IL 60641)
Please sign up 3 hours or more before the first class. Sessions may be cancelled/moved if there are no students.

Tuesdays 6 – 7:30PM Central
[Session 1 In-person] Feb 6, Feb 13, Feb 20, Feb 27
[Session 2 In-person] Apr 2, Apr 9, Apr 16, Apr 23
[Session 3 In-person] Jun 11, Jun 18, Jun 25, Jul 2
[Session 4 In-person] Aug 6, Aug 13, Aug 20, Aug 27
[Session 5 In-person] Oct 8, Oct 15, Oct 22, Oct 29

Wednesdays 4 – 5:30PM Central
Lincoln Park Branch, Chicago Public Library (1150 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago, IL 60614)
[Session 6 In-person (Lincoln Park Library)] Dec 4, Dec 11, Dec 18, one class TBD with students

Saturdays 10:30AM – 12:30PM
Austin-Irving Branch, Chicago Public Library (6100 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60634)
[In-person (Austin Library)] Dec 7, Dec 14, Dec 21

Thursdays 3:15PM – 4PM
Logan Square Branch, Chicago Public Library (3030 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago, IL 60647)
[In-person (Logan Square Library)] TBD; Thursday following first sign-up

Description

Teen’s Beginner Japanese courses are for—you guessed it!—teenagers who want to speak or read Japanese with confidence. You’ll be surrounded with Japanese from the very beginning so you can see everything in context (and it’s all about context when using Japanese).

Each course has a goal you can reach in 4 weeks: Teens’ Beginner Japanese I teaches you to say and write a basic self-introduction.

Having both run a Japanese language exchange group and overseen volunteer Japanese interpreters in the Anime Central’s Guest Assistants Department for 7 years, I came to really understand what and where people were getting tripped up. And, it all came down to speaking Japanese. (This is true even if you don’t plan on speaking Japanese. Want to watch anime? The characters speak. Want to read manga? Your brain ‘speaks’ the words to you as you skim.)

This is because we want to connect with people, whether that’s through the things that our favorite artists make or by becoming friends with people that like the things we like. So, I put these courses together with that in mind.

You’ll build the cornerstones to keep your sentence structure in tact.

You’ll do interesting cultural activities that help you think like a Japanese person.

You’ll start to pick out Japanese when you see or hear it.

But don’t just take my word for it:

[My daughter] has enjoyed [the Japanese classes] and your excellent teaching very much.

Carol M.

[My son] is in his second year of Japanese class at his high school! Thank you so much for giving him a start that made him want to continue learning Japanese!

Whitney B.

Frequently asked questions

Please see the Additional Information tab for pricing and location.

What if my child is a total beginner? They’ve never studied a language before.

They’ll need to take the Teens’ Kill it with Kana Course first so they can read and write a little.

What if my child has been studying on their own and/or has taken Japanese classes?

It’s awesome that your child is really into learning Japanese! How well do they know hiragana and katakana? If they can’t recognize at least half of the 92 characters, then they should take the Teens’ Kill it with Kana Course first.

If your child is good on the characters, which course would be next for them based on what they’ve already learned? Let them skim the course topics and take the placement test at their level.

Are the classes live?

Yes, Teens’ Beginner Japanese I is taught live, online and in person.

What’s the class size?

There are no more than 10 students present at once online and no more than 8 students present at once in person.

How do I know if this class is right for my child?

If you want to try a class, choose the Trial class Attending class option before adding to cart. This will let them take the first class in each session.

When can my child start?

See the session dates at the top of the page. There are 6 sessions offered every year.

If your child misses the first class, they can probably still catch up if they come to office hours, do the worksheets and send them to me for feedback. I wouldn’t recommend joining in the middle unless their placement test shows your child has a good grasp of the things we’ve already covered.

What if my child can’t attend some of the classes?

If your child needs to miss certain days, there are so many ways for them to stay on top of the material:

  • Come to Office Hours.
  • Drop questions in Discord.
  • Watch the video.
  • Do the worksheet(s) from the missed lesson.
  • Read through the class notes, if there are any, sent to them.
  • Keep an eye out in class. Everything we learn builds on top of things from previous classes so definitely plenty of review.

Your child might be able to attend the live class if they’re in the online class and the online class if they’re in the live class. It might not be possible if the classes are moving at different speeds. But, please reach out as soon as you know which class your child will be missing so they can join on the right day.

If your child needs to stop half way through the live session they’re signed up to take, please let me know so they can continue from where they left off in a different session.

Is there a textbook? Is there homework?

There isn’t a textbook but there is the workbook I designed specifically for this course. The workbook pages are linked through the Course Curriculum you get access to when you sign up.

We’ll try to do most of the worksheets in class but you may have a little bit of homework.

How long do we have access to the videos?

You get lifetime access for the lifetime of the video course. All updates are free.

How can my child get the most out of the lessons?

Encourage them to

  • repeat what they hear me say.
  • read the words out loud as they practice their writing.
  • practice what they’ve learned in class by finishing the worksheets outside of class and sending them to me for feedback.

I’ve seen a huge difference between how well and how fast students pick up the Japanese when they do the worksheets and ask me to look at them versus when they don’t. If they’re asking questions, figuring out the things that confuse them, then it gets easier and easier because Japanese has a lot of rules and patterns that repeat across the different grammar.

My child is really shy. Do they have to participate in class?

If you mean, do they have to have their mic on? Then the answer is no, they can be muted.

But, yes, they should participate by

  • repeating the Japanese on their side of the screen.
  • copying what I’m writing or at least practicing what they can while we work on the worksheets together.
  • answering my questions on their side of the screen to see if they know it.

Is there an age limit?

Children 11 and older can take the class.

10-year-olds might be okay in the class; I’ve had mixed results letting 10-year-olds take this course.

If you know your child doesn’t have the study habits needed to practice or review outside of class, try the こどものにほんご Japanese for Kids classes. These take all the work out of learning Japanese by merging it with everyday life.

Additional information

Suitable for

Ages 12 – 18; any 10- and 11-year olds who are willing and able to study on their own outside of class

Topics

pronunciation, self-introduction, numbers, ages, school/work, basic sentences, essay writing

Location

If you sign up for the online session:
Online via Discord. Invitation with chatroom info and other necessary materials will be sent to your registration email up to a week before the start date of the class or by midnight on the day you make the purchase if it's the day before the first class.

If you sign up for the in-person session:
Starbucks (4155 N Cicero Ave, Chicago, IL 60641)

Sensei will occasionally use email to communicate with the student during the lesson: if the registration email cannot be used during class, please respond to the Welcome email with an email address for the student. When there are quizzes or the class is working on their worksheets, they will be asked to send photos of what they’ve completed so far if they can’t use their camera to show what they’re working on. Any work they’re unable to get to in class is homework they'll scan in or photograph and email to Sensei before the next class.

Pricing

Individual: $108
Families: Half off the individual rate for every 2nd person
Just add coupon code EVERY2TEENSB1[session number] at checkout.

Included with this purchase

Weekly lessons [$240 value]; detailed curriculum [$50 value]; workbook [$50 value]; weekly 30-minute online Office Hours every Wednesday night [$80 value]; worksheet review [$160 value]; private Discord Japanese learning community [$150 value]

You get $730 worth of instruction, materials and practice for just $108!

Students taking the class in person will be given a binder/folder of the worksheets for the entire course on the first day. Please bring it to every class.

Return policy

Refunds possible (restrictions apply): see specifics under Online, live courses in the Refund and Returns Policy.

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