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Seasons
36. A Review; Future Intentions; Liking Someone
November 1, 2023
Bring your Japanese language experience to an end with the volitional verb form
35. Talking About What You Can Do; Hibachi
November 1, 2023
Learn the potential forms of verbs, the most common way to express an ability to do something. You
34. Weather, Conjectures, and Visiting Places
November 1, 2023
Learn to use deshou or darou when speaking of something you can
33. Explanations with Feeling; New Year
November 1, 2023
It
32. Conveying What Others Say; Tanabata Festival
November 1, 2023
Learn the correct vocabulary and verb tenses for describing what someone else has said, including Japanese quotation marks. Learn about Tanabata, the Star Festival, and how it has come to be held in either July or August. You
31. Stating Opinions; Kimono and Washoku
November 1, 2023
Focus on the specific vocabulary and verb forms for asking someone their opinion, and for answering the question when you are asked
30. Making Casual Suggestions; Furusato
November 1, 2023
Learn a new, plain volitional verb form used when making casual suggestions, as well as vocabulary to actively encourage someone to act right now. You
29. Giving Advice; Anime and Akihabara
November 1, 2023
Learn an additional plain form that is used when expressing comparisons, either between nouns or action verbs, and for giving advice in either the positive or negative. You will also discover Akihabara
28. Talking About Past Experiences; Pachinko
November 1, 2023
Develop the vocabulary and syntax to enable you to discuss past experiences, starting with the past affirmative plain form of the verbs, and then adding the negative. You
27. Intentions; Counting People; Shabu-shabu
November 1, 2023
Although present tense is used when speaking of the future in Japanese, in this lesson, you
26. Casual Plain Forms; Obligations; Matcha
November 1, 2023
Further explore casual plain forms of speech and their acceptable usage within family and non-family relationships. While non-native speakers might imagine that casual speech promotes friendliness, in Japanese culture it could be taken as childish or even rude. You
25. Negative Requests; Casual Speech; Age; a Zoo
November 1, 2023
Explore the vocabulary and syntax for making polite negative requests, and the difference between the easier ru-verbs and the more difficult u-verbs. You
24. Describing Uncompleted Actions; Golden Week
November 1, 2023
Discover why naming the months is so much easier in Japanese than in English, but why counting the days is so much more complicated. You
23. Keeping Pets; Wearing Clothes; Traffic Lights
November 1, 2023
Learn the counting words and verbs that apply to keeping small animals to increase your vocabulary when talking about pets. While we use the verb
22. Family and Friends; Handling Compliments
November 1, 2023
Increase your vocabulary related to family, learning the polite and formal, and modest and humble words for parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Given that modesty is valued so highly in Japanese culture, learn how a Japanese person might react to receiving a compliment on their appearance, achievements, or even on their family
21. Asking Permission and Entering a Home
November 1, 2023
In Japan, it is appropriate to ask permission to perform many actions that non-Japanese people might take for granted, such as looking closely at an item in a store or even throwing trash in a trash can. Learn the appropriate vocabulary to use each step of the way, so as not to seem pushy or rude. And be sure to use the genkan whenever entering a home; always remove your shoes.
20. Ongoing Actions and a Shopping Street
November 1, 2023
Explore the differences between English and Japanese present-tense verbs and learn the Japanese progressive form to describe actions that are happening right now. With new dialogue, you
19. Describing an Action Sequence; Ryokan
November 1, 2023
Grasp the important vocabulary you
18. Polite Requests; Honorifics; Train Stations
November 1, 2023
Consider the many different degrees of being polite and gracious in Japanese culture through this vocabulary lesson. While English speakers might use the single word
17. Explaining Procedures; Counting Things; Trains
November 1, 2023
Become familiar with additional verbs and verb forms you can use for better conversational flow. Learn about Japanese descriptive counter words
16. Giving Detailed Descriptions; Kanazawa
November 1, 2023
In English, we use the single word
15. Comparisons; wa versus ga; Mt. Fuji and Hakone
November 1, 2023
Learn how to change adjectives or adverbs into superlatives, and how to best use wa and ga to emphasize the new information in your sentence, communicating more effectively. In this lesson
14. Expressing a Desire; the Seasons
November 1, 2023
Learn how to express your desires using the tai desu form of the verb. You
13. Past Activities and Past Adjectives; Sushi
November 1, 2023
Discover additional ways to speak about the past by using the past-tense forms of i-adjectives, and the aizuchi words that will help your conversation move along more smoothly. You
12. The Past; the Week; the Edo Period; Katakana
November 1, 2023
In this lesson, you
11. Discussing Skills; Contrasts; Sumo
November 1, 2023
Learn how to give your opinion about an individual
10. Likes and Dislikes; Manga
November 1, 2023
Explore the additional grammar and vocabulary necessary for you to describe in detail if you like or don
9. Suggestions; Appearances; Sakura; Kanji
November 1, 2023
Discover how to add new endings onto verbs you already know in order to create the polite volitional form
8. Adjectives and Restaurant Orders
November 1, 2023
Learn the meaning of numerous Japanese i- and na-adjectives, increasing your vocabulary and ability to describe the people around you
7. Shopping; Colors; Big Numbers; Money
November 1, 2023
You
6. U Verbs; Directions and Getting Around Tokyo
November 1, 2023
Discover the U-verbs
5. Negatives; wa and o; Invitations; Harajuku
November 1, 2023
Learn how to ask positive and negative questions, extend an invitation, and identify a direct object in a sentence. As you listen to this lesson
4. Telling Time; Polite Verbs; Kyoto
November 1, 2023
Learn to count to 99 and develop the vocabulary and sentence construction to speak about time. Your grammar lesson will focus on the dictionary non-past-tense of some ru and irregular verbs
3. Question Words and Identifying Objects
November 1, 2023
Get an introduction to the basic interrogatives that will help you when you
2. Meeting People; Pronouns; Hiragana Start
November 1, 2023
As you practice introducing yourself in Japanese using your name and nationality, you will also learn the polite, present, affirmative form of the verb
1. Welcome to Japanese! Saying Words You Know
November 1, 2023
Learn the five vowel and 15 consonant sounds of Japanese, only two of which differ significantly from English. But unlike the English alphabet, each Japanese character can represent a syllable, not just a single sound. Begin to explore the three Japanese writing methods
Description
Where to Watch Learning Japanese: A Gateway into Culture
Learning Japanese: A Gateway into Culture is available for streaming on the The Great Courses website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Learning Japanese: A Gateway into Culture on demand at Amazon Prime and Amazon.
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Channel
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Premiere DateNovember 1, 2023
