Register now for our 2025 winter term!
- Multiple levels
- Small class size – max. 12 students
- Native-speaking & experienced instructors
- Affordable tuition – $380 per level
- 4 terms per year – each 10 weeks long
- Convenient downtown location or online
Learn Japanese in Washington, DC at the International Language Institute or online
The Japanese Language Program at ILI consists of four 10-week terms throughout the year. We offer 6 different levels from beginner to advanced, plus a newspaper reading class. Our Japanese classes take place once a week in the evenings. Our teachers are all native-speaking and experienced. The Japanese Language Program integrates speaking, listening, reading and writing. We maintain small class sizes to enable adequate time for conversation in every class. To find your level, please refer to the level description or use our self-evaluation guide. If you have further questions, please call Jane Edwards, ILI’s Foreign Language Coordinator, at 202-686-5610 extension 105. Enroll now!
Live, Instructor-led In-Person or Online Japanese Classes
Learn Japanese in person or online from a live instructor using Zoom. All online classes are instructor-led, in real-time, allowing for the same live interaction as our in-person classes. Some of our classes are a combination of in-person and online students. We have 360-degree cameras in the rooms enabling online participants to feel part of the class. This hybrid class environment allows students to engage with each other and the instructor and to practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking the Japanese Language.
Schedule Register Now!
| 2025 Term: | Session Dates: | Registration Deadline: |
|---|---|---|
| Winter | Jan. 13-Mar. 22, 2025 | Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 |
| Spring | Apr. 7-Jun. 14, 2025 | Monday, Mar. 24, 2025 |
| Summer | Jun. 30-Sep. 6, 2025 | Monday, Jun. 16, 2025 |
| Fall | Sep. 22-Dec. 6, 2025 | Monday, Sep. 8, 2025 |
Japanese Level Description
The emphasis of this introductory class is on conversation and learning the reading and writing skills of Hiragana. Verbs, adjectives, interrogatives, and vocabulary of everyday situations are covered. This course is for those students with little or no ability in the language. Previous Japanese not required.
Offered on: Thursdays: 6:15 - 8:45 pm. Enroll now!
Objective: Students will learn the basics of Hiragana characters and learn useful daily expressions. The objective is to enable the student to obtain the necessary survival skills in order to communicate in uncomplicated Japanese.
Learning Outcome: Students will obtain a solid foundation on the basics of the Japanese language. They will have been introduced to Hiragana and its syllables. Students will be able to obtain a good grasp of just what kind of language Japanese is while learning the basic conversational patterns.
Topics: Writing, pronunciation, and grammar are introduced through exercises and dialogues on topics involving, introductions, address and telephone numbers, days and times, counting objects, going and coming, taxis, people and things, places and locations, and buying tickets.
Textbook: Japanese for Busy People I, 4th ed., Textbook (Kana version)-$29; Workbook-$23; Kana workbook-$15
Lessons: Textbook: units 1-4; Workbook: lessons 1-9; Kana workbook: pages 1-29
Offered on: Thursdays: 6:15 - 8:45 pm. Enroll now!
Objective: Students will learn the basics of Hiragana characters and learn useful daily expressions. The objective is to enable the student to obtain the necessary survival skills in order to communicate in uncomplicated Japanese.
Learning Outcome: Students will obtain a solid foundation on the basics of the Japanese language. They will have been introduced to Hiragana and its syllables. Students will be able to obtain a good grasp of just what kind of language Japanese is while learning the basic conversational patterns.
Topics: Writing, pronunciation, and grammar are introduced through exercises and dialogues on topics involving, introductions, address and telephone numbers, days and times, counting objects, going and coming, taxis, people and things, places and locations, and buying tickets.
Textbook: Japanese for Busy People I, 4th ed., Textbook (Kana version)-$29; Workbook-$23; Kana workbook-$15
Lessons: Textbook: units 1-4; Workbook: lessons 1-9; Kana workbook: pages 1-29
To continue to develop and enhance students’ introductory level of reading and writing of Hiragana, and continue to expand the basic grammar through more intricate verb tenses and lengthier speaking, writing, and reading assignments. To learn to write basics sentences in the customary continuous Japanese style.
Offered on: Tuesdays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm. Enroll now!
Objective: To strengthen the pronunciation; to understand stroke order in writing characters; to learn the basic radicals in characters; to recognize 100 new characters.
Learning Outcome: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to use more complicated Japanese vocabulary in dialogues and written work. Students will learn the particle usage and sentence structures of Hiragana.
Topics: Writing, pronunciation, and grammar are introduced through exercises and dialogues on topics involving, Hiragana sentence structures, telephoning, baking cakes, Kabuki, giving and receiving, asking preferences, a party, ownership and events, doing this and that, and requests and orders.
Textbook: Japanese for Busy People I, 4th ed., Textbook (Kana version)-$29; Workbook-$23; Kana workbook-$15
Lessons: Textbook, units 5-8; Workbook, lessons 10-17; Kana workbook, pages 30-49.
Offered on: Tuesdays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm. Enroll now!
Objective: To strengthen the pronunciation; to understand stroke order in writing characters; to learn the basic radicals in characters; to recognize 100 new characters.
Learning Outcome: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to use more complicated Japanese vocabulary in dialogues and written work. Students will learn the particle usage and sentence structures of Hiragana.
Topics: Writing, pronunciation, and grammar are introduced through exercises and dialogues on topics involving, Hiragana sentence structures, telephoning, baking cakes, Kabuki, giving and receiving, asking preferences, a party, ownership and events, doing this and that, and requests and orders.
Textbook: Japanese for Busy People I, 4th ed., Textbook (Kana version)-$29; Workbook-$23; Kana workbook-$15
Lessons: Textbook, units 5-8; Workbook, lessons 10-17; Kana workbook, pages 30-49.
In this last Basic class students will continue practice of conversation and writing in Hiragana but will be introduced to Katakana, the second phonetic syllabary used primarily for foreign names and place names and also words of foreign origin. Students will continue to learn the various forms of transliterating Japanese in the Roman alphabet.
Offered on: Wednesdays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm. Enroll now!
Objective: To work toward a higher level of comprehension and speaking with increasingly more complex subject matter and style. To learn the Katakana symbols and its uses and to continue to increase one’s ability to read and write traditional Japanese.
Learning Outcome: Upon completion of this level students will be able to engage in conversations and be involved with reading about a broader range of topics with greater confidence and precision. Students will have acquired a solid foundation of the language and will be ready for intermediate level study.
Topics: Writing, pronunciation, and grammar are introduced through exercises and dialogues on topics involving, having things done, public transportation, asking permission, refusals, present condition, expressing preferences, dinning out, and Katakana basic and modified syllables symbols.
Textbook: Japanese for Busy People I, 4th ed., Textbook (Kana version)-$29; Workbook-$23; Kana workbook-$15
Lessons: Textbook, units 9-11; Workbook, lessons 18-25; Kana workbook, pages 52-84.
Offered on: Wednesdays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm. Enroll now!
Objective: To work toward a higher level of comprehension and speaking with increasingly more complex subject matter and style. To learn the Katakana symbols and its uses and to continue to increase one’s ability to read and write traditional Japanese.
Learning Outcome: Upon completion of this level students will be able to engage in conversations and be involved with reading about a broader range of topics with greater confidence and precision. Students will have acquired a solid foundation of the language and will be ready for intermediate level study.
Topics: Writing, pronunciation, and grammar are introduced through exercises and dialogues on topics involving, having things done, public transportation, asking permission, refusals, present condition, expressing preferences, dinning out, and Katakana basic and modified syllables symbols.
Textbook: Japanese for Busy People I, 4th ed., Textbook (Kana version)-$29; Workbook-$23; Kana workbook-$15
Lessons: Textbook, units 9-11; Workbook, lessons 18-25; Kana workbook, pages 52-84.
This course will start with a short review of the Basic levels. Emphasis will be placed on the assessment of the participant’s current skills and knowledge of the Japanese written forms of Hiragana and Katakana. Listening, reading, speaking and writing skills will be addressed throughout the course. There will be an introduction to Kanji through dialogues, and reading and writing exercises in Kanji.
Offered on: Mondays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm. Enroll now!
Objective: Through more complex vocabulary, grammatical style, and topics, students will work toward a more complete understanding of Japanese. Students will be introduced to the written form of Kanji and will start to recognize its characters in dialogues and readings.
Learning Outcome: Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to converse more fluently and confidently using more complex grammatical structures and vocabulary, and recognize the written form of Kanji.
Topics: Writing, pronunciation, and grammar are introduced through exercises and dialogues on a wide variety of topics. Some grammatical points will include, comparatives/superlatives degrees, expressing frequency, going somewhere to do something, asking for and offering explanations(n-desu), past experiences, making strong suggestions(ta hoga ii), to become(ku/ni naru), te miru, using adverbial forms of adjectives to modify, using direct and indirect quotations, etc.
Textbook: Japanese for Busy People II, 4th ed., Textbook $31, Workbook $27
Lessons: Textbook-lessons, 1-9
Offered on: Mondays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm. Enroll now!
Objective: Through more complex vocabulary, grammatical style, and topics, students will work toward a more complete understanding of Japanese. Students will be introduced to the written form of Kanji and will start to recognize its characters in dialogues and readings.
Learning Outcome: Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to converse more fluently and confidently using more complex grammatical structures and vocabulary, and recognize the written form of Kanji.
Topics: Writing, pronunciation, and grammar are introduced through exercises and dialogues on a wide variety of topics. Some grammatical points will include, comparatives/superlatives degrees, expressing frequency, going somewhere to do something, asking for and offering explanations(n-desu), past experiences, making strong suggestions(ta hoga ii), to become(ku/ni naru), te miru, using adverbial forms of adjectives to modify, using direct and indirect quotations, etc.
Textbook: Japanese for Busy People II, 4th ed., Textbook $31, Workbook $27
Lessons: Textbook-lessons, 1-9
This course continues to expand the fundamentals and grammatical elements of Japanese. The course will continue to explore other common additional meanings for popular terms. New sentence patterns and structures are introduced through more complex dialogues and readings. Continued emphasis will be placed on conversation and reading and writing skills in Kanji.
Offered on: Tuesdays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm. Enroll now!
Objective: Through more complex vocabulary, grammatical style and topics, students will work toward a more complete understanding of Japanese and continue to acquire a higher level of understanding of Kanji.
Learning Outcome: Upon successful completion of this course students will continue to converse more and more fluently and confidently using more complex grammatical structures and vocabulary, and continue to increase their knowledge and recognition of Kanji.
Topics: Writing, pronunciation, and grammar are introduced through exercises and dialogues on a wide variety of topics. Some grammatical points will include, relative clauses, nominalizing sentences, expressing potentiality and volition, expressing uncertainty (kamo shirenai), indirect questions(ka/ka doka), natural or habitual results, conditional forms, expressing necessity(nakereba naranai), etc.
Textbook: Japanese for Busy People II, 4th ed., Textbook $31, Workbook $27
Lessons: Textbook-lessons, 10-17
Offered on: Tuesdays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm. Enroll now!
Objective: Through more complex vocabulary, grammatical style and topics, students will work toward a more complete understanding of Japanese and continue to acquire a higher level of understanding of Kanji.
Learning Outcome: Upon successful completion of this course students will continue to converse more and more fluently and confidently using more complex grammatical structures and vocabulary, and continue to increase their knowledge and recognition of Kanji.
Topics: Writing, pronunciation, and grammar are introduced through exercises and dialogues on a wide variety of topics. Some grammatical points will include, relative clauses, nominalizing sentences, expressing potentiality and volition, expressing uncertainty (kamo shirenai), indirect questions(ka/ka doka), natural or habitual results, conditional forms, expressing necessity(nakereba naranai), etc.
Textbook: Japanese for Busy People II, 4th ed., Textbook $31, Workbook $27
Lessons: Textbook-lessons, 10-17
This course is designed to assist the student in recognizing much more complex grammatical terms and structures relying heavily on Kanji. The course will focus on natural conversation in interpersonal relations, covering more complicated constructions and a greater number of effective expressions.
Offered on: Wednesdays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm. Enroll now!
Objective: This course is constructed so as to improve conversational skills, relying less and less on mental translations, and to also raise the overall level of the student’s linguistic ability. Students will become more familiar with written Kanji.
Learning Outcome: Upon successful completion of this course students will continue to converse more and more fluently and confidently using more complex grammatical structures and vocabulary, and continue to increase their knowledge and recognition of Kanji.
Topics: Writing, pronunciation, and grammar are introduced through exercises and readings on a wide variety of topics. Some grammatical points will include, expressions of impressions (yo, mitai,so,rashii), actions to be done in preparation for the future (te oku), hazu, despite(noni), describing changes(yo ni naru, te iku), nominalizing sentences, expressing purpose, expressing completions of past, present and future(te iru/te ita), stating decisions(kotoni naru/suru),action of giving/receiving services(te morau,te kureru), expressing intention, passive structures, etc.
Textbook: Japanese for Busy People II, 4th ed., Textbook $31, Workbook $27
Lessons: Textbook-lessons, 18-24
Offered on: Wednesdays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm. Enroll now!
Objective: This course is constructed so as to improve conversational skills, relying less and less on mental translations, and to also raise the overall level of the student’s linguistic ability. Students will become more familiar with written Kanji.
Learning Outcome: Upon successful completion of this course students will continue to converse more and more fluently and confidently using more complex grammatical structures and vocabulary, and continue to increase their knowledge and recognition of Kanji.
Topics: Writing, pronunciation, and grammar are introduced through exercises and readings on a wide variety of topics. Some grammatical points will include, expressions of impressions (yo, mitai,so,rashii), actions to be done in preparation for the future (te oku), hazu, despite(noni), describing changes(yo ni naru, te iku), nominalizing sentences, expressing purpose, expressing completions of past, present and future(te iru/te ita), stating decisions(kotoni naru/suru),action of giving/receiving services(te morau,te kureru), expressing intention, passive structures, etc.
Textbook: Japanese for Busy People II, 4th ed., Textbook $31, Workbook $27
Lessons: Textbook-lessons, 18-24
Offered on: Wednesdays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm. Enroll now!
Objective: Learning Outcome: TBA
Topics: TBA
Textbook: TBA
Lessons: Textbook-lessons TBA
Objective: Learning Outcome: TBA
Topics: TBA
Textbook: TBA
Lessons: Textbook-lessons TBA
Program Details
$380 ($400 in 2025) for a 10-week one level class per student. Au-Pairs can receive a 10% discount on tuition with proof of their status. Enroll now!
May be purchased at the time of registration or at the Institute before or on the first day of class. All prices quoted include a 6% DC sales tax and all prices are subject to change at any time. Tax-exempt organizations or individuals need to provide proof of sales tax exemption before being charged. No retroactive refunds of sales tax. Once received by the student, books and other materials are the property of the student and are non-refundable.
Regarding placement, we recommend that you go to our self-evaluation guide on our website. Kindly read through each description of each level. If you feel that you are able to fulfill all the tasks described in one level, then move on to the next level and so on, until you reach a description of tasks that you are unable to fulfill. That would correspond to the level of classes in which you should enroll. If, once enrolled, you should not feel comfortable at that level, you can transfer to another level, availability permitting. We do not offer placement tests.
Regular group classes meet once weekly in the evening (6:15-8:45 pm ET) or on Saturday mornings (10 am-12:30 pm ET) for 10 weeks. Each session is 2.5 hours. All class hours are U.S. Eastern Time (Standard or Daylight Saving). Classes cancelled due to holidays, instructors’ sickness, or other unforeseen circumstances are made up at the end of the regular term unless the entire class can arrange for a make-up on another day of the week.
In-person at ILI and online via Zoom. Our classes are usually held in person at Rhode Island Ave NW, Suite 100, Washington, DC 20036. Classes are also offered online via Zoom. We are within walking distance from the Metro's Dupont Circle (South exit) and Farragut North stations. Parking garages are close by and parking on the street is available after 6:30 pm.
Minimum 3, maximum 12 students. We recommend signing up as early as possible so we can adequately plan for all classes. If the minimum enrollment of at least 3 students per class is not met, we will have to cancel that class after the registration deadline has passed. In case of a cancellation, students will be given the opportunity to change classes, postpone their enrollment or request a full refund.
Our program requires each student to participate in weekly quizzes, which will be graded, based on a “Pass” or “Fail” system. There will be a final quiz that will measure the sum of the instructional objectives for the course. Grades are verbally communicated to students at the end of each class/course, and are marked on the attendance/performance sheet. Students must have completed and passed at least 70% of the quizzes to move to the next level.
It is important for students to attend every class meeting. It is also important that they arrive on time for class. We cover a lot of material in each class. The instructor cannot repeat material for students who are absent or come late. Students will be marked absent when they do not come to class. Missed group classes may only be made up if the same level is being offered on another day and the class is not at full capacity. Students who arrive 15 minutes after the advertised starting time will be marked late. For every 3 times that the student is marked as late, it will count as a missed hour. If we notice that a student’s attendance is in danger of falling below 70%, we will issue an attendance report to the student.
Per request, we can issue certificates of completion after the term has ended. The certificate can be ordered at the front desk. In order to be eligible to receive a certificate or pass to the next level, you are required to attend a minimum of 70% of the classes and have a “Passing” grade. We will need a couple of days in order to verify your attendance and passing grade before issuing the certificate.
ILI’s foreign language group programs are accredited by ACCET (Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training), and we also offer 2.5 Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) per every successfully completed course, 5.0 for the accelerated courses. Upon request, our Certificates of Completion can include the CEU’s earned per semester.
No refunds are issued for any reason after the registration deadline for the term (see Schedule above). Classes cancelled due to holidays, instructors’ sickness, or other unforeseen circumstances are made up at the end of the regular term unless the entire class can arrange for a make-up on another day of the week. Individually missed group classes may only be made up if the same level is being offered on another day and the class is not at full capacity. Otherwise there is no make-up for individually missed classes.
The International Language Institute reserves the right to cancel any class if deemed necessary. Prior to commencement of class, students will be given a full refund. In the event of cancellation after the commencement of class, the pro-rata portion of the unexpended tuition will be refunded. The prorated amount of refundable monies will be determined by the ratio of classes completed to the total number of classes in the scheduled program. The International Language Institute reserves the right to assign substitute instructors whenever necessary.
Classes are cancelled in accordance with federal government closures for the entire day due to inclement weather. Please check public announcements on radio, TV and the internet; or call ILI at (202) 362-2505. Closures are also posted on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ILIinDC. We rarely follow early dismissals. ILI is closed for the following holidays: Martin Luther King Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day. Group classes will not meet on these holidays and the missed class(es) will be made up at the end of the term.
Please contact our Foreign Language Coordinator, Jane Edwards, at (202) 686-5610 ext. 105 or at [email protected].