Hokusei Gakuen University is offering an online Japanese language program this semester to our partner universities. This program is a non-credit Japanese language course for no program fee or tuition to students at our partner universities who are eager to study Japanese. The purposes of this course are to promote international understanding and friendships in general, and to continue developing our relationships with our partner universities in spite of the difficult circumstances due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Hokusei Online Japanese Language Program equally emphasizes the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. These courses are designed to help students develop interactional competence so that they become able to handle a variety of communicative situations appropriately according to context using Japanese. In other words, students do not study only about Japanese grammar, they learn how to use it in appropriate ways, in both formal and informal situations in Japanese society.
These courses are taught by native speakers of Japanese, most of whom have had experience teaching Japanese as a second language both in Japan and overseas.
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Based on a grammar test and a short interview with each student, including some grammar and conversation questions, we will place the students in suitable proficiency levels, from elementary to advanced. In each level, class sizes will be small, i.e. approximately 8 people.
Finally, if there are too many applicants for the program, we may have to select the participants since we would like each class to be small, as noted above.During the selection process, there is a possibility that we may limit the number of participants who have taken this program in the past (repeaters).
Monday, May 16th – Friday, July 22nd (Japan Time)
The course schedule is different depending on the location of your home country/region because of the time difference. One 90-minute class will be offered once a week. Applicants are supposed to choose a single day of the week from the applicable schedule for the country or region you are in.
＊ “Advanced” course is for students who has the N1 grade of JLPT.
JLPT N1 holders will automatically be required to take the "Advanced" class in principle.
The time zone differs depending on the country/region you are currently in. Check the chart of your country/region carefully.
This program is open to students at our current (and prospective) partner universities, who would like to improve their Japanese. Participants are expected to attend regularly and participate actively in all of the offered classes. We will also accept students at those universities who have never studied Japanese before.
Note for “repeaters”: Students who have taken this online Japanese language program before can also apply. However, please understand that class placement will be determined by a placement test, so depending on your test results, you may be placed in the same level class (with the same content) as before.
In addition, please note that there is a possibility that we may limit the number of repeaters as noted above.
Although this is a non-credit language course without program fee or tuition, we would like participants of this program to somehow experience and ‘taste’ what it is like to study in the Hokusei Intensive Japanese program, where international students work hard and diligently. While we understand that the online class for each student is only once a week we have designed the program so that students will improve their Japanese. For this reason, we believe that each participant’s commitment to their study is essential, and we expect the following of them:
-Be positive, punctual, and participate actively in all class activities.
-Ask questions when you don’t understand.
-Study Japanese every day and do the homework.
Entry Period: from March 7th to March 17th, 5:00 p.m. (Japan Time)
(1) If you would like to apply for this program, please fill out the web application form at the end of this section by the deadline.
(2) All the applicants are required to participate in an orientation and take a placement test.* Please attend these for the time you selected on the application form.
Please take a placement test scheduled at the same day of the week that you plan to take a class:
Ex.) If you would like to register the class on Friday => Take the placement test on Friday
●NOTE:
*Students who meet any of the following conditions, do not have to take the placement test because they will be placed in a suitable class automatically:
・Students who have passed the JLPT N1
・Students who have never studied Japanese at school
*Note that those students do not have to take the placement test, but the orientation sessions are mandatory.
○Required Session (1) Orientation
Details will be sent to applicants later.
Please be informed as below about the orientation schedule.
●Orientation Time Table
○Required Session (2) Placement Test
●Placement Test Time Table
As above, you are required to take the placement test on the same day of the week that you plan to take the course so that the teacher can get a better idea of the students' Japanese ability.
Ex.) if you would like to take a class on Friday, you will need to take the placement test on Friday.
When taking the placement test, be sure to use a sign pen (i.e. black marker) (ballpoint pens and pencils are not acceptable).
Please bring the answer sheet with you. You can download it from the " Materials" link at the bottom of this page.
Applications have been closed.
Please download the required documents mentioned in the orientation from here and bring it with you:
Placement Test Answer Sheet.pdf
If you have any questions, please contact here.
E-mail: intlcenter@hokusei.ac.jp
International Education and Language Center
HOKUSEI GAKUEN UNIVERSITY
2-3-1, Oyachi-Nishi, Atsubetsuku,
Sapporo, Hokkaido, JAPAN 004-8631
TEL: 81-11-895-1000 FAX: 81-11-891-9550