JAPANESE LANGUAGE 1 MOD.1

"Japanese Language 1 mod. 1" is one of the core ("caratterizzanti") courses of the first year of the Japan curriculum of the Bachelor's Degree Programme in "Languages, Cultures and Societies of Asia and Mediterranean Africa" (LICSAAM).

Its educational objectives fall within the learning area of language skills.

The objectives of the course are: to provide knowledge of elementary-level Japanese grammar; to provide elementary-level skills in reading, writing and oral production in Japanese; to provide knowledge and skills for the metalinguistic analysis of the Japanese language and for translation from Japanese into Italian; to provide the tools for a critical reflection on the Japanese language as a historical and social object (origins, standardization, variation, language ideologies), through a critical vocabulary examined over the first semester.

The level that students should reach at the end of the course is around A1 – Basic User of the CEFR (between levels N5 and N4 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test).

"Japanese Language 1 mod. 1" is taught in the first semester and provides the learning outcomes required to continue with "Japanese Language 1 mod. 2" in the second semester.

A1 – Basic User
Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce themselves and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where they live, people they know and things they have. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

1. Knowledge and understanding
To complete the knowledge of the grammatical structures of basic-level Japanese.
To complete the knowledge of the writing system (kana and kanji) and of the vocabulary of basic-level Japanese.
To know and understand how the grammatical structures of basic-level Japanese work.
To know and understand variations of register and communicative variation in basic-level Japanese.
To know and understand the key concepts and the essential terminology required to describe the phenomena studied in a scientific way.

2. Applying knowledge and understanding
To be able to identify the different grammatical categories and their properties.
To demonstrate a general understanding of the basic grammatical structures of Japanese.
To be able to describe the constructions and grammatical phenomena studied during the course, using correctly the terminology and the basic tools of syntactic analysis acquired.
To be able to interact in the communicative situations described by CEFR level A1.
To be able to understand and produce oral and written texts in line with CEFR level A1.
To be able to translate basic-level written texts from Japanese into Italian, following the instructions provided during the course.

3. Making judgements
To be able to argue elementary concepts and to produce examples in Japanese to support or refute them.
To be able to make translation choices autonomously on the basis of the instructions provided during the course.
To be able to examine critically current myths and prejudices about the Japanese language (e.g. presumed untranslatability, opacity, essence, uniqueness, etc.).

4. Communication
Written and oral comprehension and production skills and oral interaction skills required by CEFR level A1.
To be able, during lectures and practice classes, to interact with peers, with the teacher and with the CELs in a critical and respectful way.

5. Lifelong learning skills
To be able to take notes pertinently and effectively.
To be able to consult the texts and reference materials suggested in the course bibliography and to use autonomously the grammars and online dictionaries indicated.
To be able to develop the skills acquired in the course in order to undertake higher studies.

Knowledge of the basic categories of sentence and clause analysis.
Attendance, although not compulsory, is essential for regular learning of the Japanese language.
No additional readings are required for non-attending students.

PLEASE NOTE:
Students who are unable to attend the first lectures, or later ones, are very strongly advised to study the programme of the lectures they have missed, available week by week on the University's Moodle platforms, including the reference exercises.
Japanese Language 1 mod. 1 (grammar)
Japanese Language 1 mod. 1A practice classes (writing/kanji)
Japanese Language 1 mod. 1B practice classes (conversation)
Japanese Language 1 mod. 1C practice classes (grammar)
Japanese Language 1 mod. 1D practice classes (textbook)
The grammar lectures (mod. 1) are recorded with Panopto and the recordings remain available on Moodle until the last exam session of the academic year; the slides, the review questions with commented answers and the exit ticket of each lecture are on Moodle by the evening of the following day. For students entitled to study support services (https://www.unive.it/pag/43027/ ), a self-study sheet for each lecture is available in the Moodle folder "Materiali supporto allo studio".

Japanese Language 1 mod. 1 is divided every week into 5 parts: 1 grammar lecture in Italian by the course teacher (Japanese Language 1 mod. 1) and 4 practice classes (Japanese Language 1 modd. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) held by native-speaker Japanese language instructors (CEL, Collaboratrici ed Esperte Linguistiche).

Attendance is divided according to students' surnames. The groups of the practice classes differ from those of the grammar lecture: each student should check their own group on the unive.it pages of the courses.

Students must enrol in the Moodle space of their own group for each course (the link is on the unive.it page of each group).

1. Japanese Language 1 mod. 1 (lecture in Italian on basic grammar and critical vocabulary, 30 hours, 15 lectures on Mondays):
- surnames AC, DL, MR, SZ, teacher MIYAKE Toshio (see the teacher's teaching page https://www.unive.it/data/persone/5591300/didattica -> select the course for a.y. 2026/27 -> link to the course's Moodle space)

2. Japanese Language 1 mod. 1A (writing/kanji practice classes, 30 hours):
- surnames AE, PZ, instructor YASUDA Midori (https://www.unive.it/data/persone/5589879/didattica )
- surnames FO, instructor HIRAMATSU Maiko (https://www.unive.it/data/persone/22112882/didattica )

3. Japanese Language 1 mod. 1B (conversation practice classes, 30 hours):
- surnames AB, CE, FL, MO, instructor YASUDA Midori (https://www.unive.it/data/persone/5589879/didattica )
- surnames PS, TZ, instructor MARIKO Aya (https://www.unive.it/data/persone/12325368/didattica )

4. Japanese Language 1 mod. 1C (grammar practice classes, 60 hours, two meetings a week):
- surnames AB, CE, instructor MARIKO Aya (https://www.unive.it/data/persone/12325368/didattica )
- surnames FL, MP, QZ, instructor KOBAYASHI Yumiko (https://www.unive.it/data/persone/28522795/didattica )

5. Japanese Language 1 mod. 1D (textbook practice classes, 30 hours):
- surnames AB, instructor KAJIKAWA Kayo (https://www.unive.it/data/persone/29196592/didattica )
- surnames CE, FL, MP, QZ, instructor SUZUKI Akane (https://www.unive.it/data/persone/5591237/didattica )

Suggested grammar texts:
① Kubota Y., Grammatica di Giapponese Moderno, Venezia, Cafoscarina, 1989
② Mariotti M., La lingua giapponese, Carocci, 2014
③ Mariotti M., Mantelli A. (online), e-Learning JALEA: jalea.unive.it (2016-oggi)
Matilde Mastrangelo, Naoko Ozawa, Mariko Saito, Grammatica Giapponese, Milano, Hoepli, 2006

Suggested further readings:
④ Shin Shokyu Nihongo Lingua Giapponese, Corso introduttivo I, ed. italiana a cura di S. Dalla Chiesa, Venezia, Cafoscarina, 2005 (N.B. Digital online version (free): http://jplang.tufs.ac.jp/account/login )
⑤ Makino S.,Tsutsui M., A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, The Japan Times 1989

Textbook (mandatory):
⑥ Shin Bunka Shokyu Nihongo (vol.I), ed. italiana a cura di S. Dalla Chiesa, Venezia, Cafoscarina, 2004 (mp3: https://cafoscarina.it/audio/shin-bunka-shokyu-nihongo-2/ )

Exercise textbooks (modd.1A-1D):
1) First 3 weeks: Dispensa “Hiragana e Katakana”per tutte le esercitazioni.
2) Giapponese 1 mod. 1A (Yasuda, Hiramatsu): Dispensa “Kanji” e “Kanji no Mori I”.
3) Giapponese 1 mod. 1B (Yasuda, Mariko): Libro di manuale “Shin Bunka I”, Dispensa “Shin Totoro”
4) Giapponese 1 mod. 1C (Mariko, Kobayashi): Libro di manuale “Shin Bunka I”, Dispensa “Fujisan”
5) Giapponese 1 mod.1D (Suzuki, Kajikawa): Libro di manuale “Shin Bunka I”



Useful Links:
jalea.unive.it
jisho.unive.it

The course "Japanese Language 1" is held over TWO SEMESTERS: "Japanese Language 1 mod. 1" in the first semester + "Japanese Language 1 mod. 2" in the second semester.

At the end of the 1st semester there will be an INTERMEDIATE PASS/FAIL TEST ('idoneità') for Japanese Language 1 mod. 1. It is a written multiple-choice test, taken on the computer (CMM computer room, San Sebastiano), consisting of:
1. writing test: 20 questions on kanji reading + 10 questions of transcription from rōmaji into katakana; 30 points in total; time 8 minutes
2. grammar and vocabulary test: 60 questions; 75 points in total; time [35] minutes:
- -te form: 5 questions/1 point each (5 points in total)
- polite negative form: 5 questions/1 point (5 points in total)
- correct plain form: 5 questions/1 point (5 points in total)
- choose the correct word: 15 questions/1 point (15 points in total)
- choose the correct particle; if no particle is needed, select X: 10 questions/1 point (10 points in total)
- choose the correct interrogative word: 5 questions/1 point (5 points in total)
- reorder the sentence: 5 sentences/4 points for each sentence (20 points in total)
- choose the correct meaning (critical vocabulary examined in the grammar lectures): 10 multiple-choice questions/1 point (10 points in total)

The test does not give a numerical mark, but only a PASS ('idoneità') judgement, required to take the test of Japanese Language 1 mod. 2 at the end of the 2nd semester.
The results are published, but NOT RECORDED in the student's transcript. The pass gives access to the FINAL exam of Japanese Language 1. To pass the intermediate test, students must obtain at least 80% correct answers in both of its parts: at least 24/30 in writing and at least 60/75 in grammar and vocabulary. THE RESULT IS NOT AVERAGED INTO THE FINAL MARK.

THE PROGRAMME FOR THE INTERMEDIATE TEST OF THE FIRST SEMESTER INCLUDES:
- all the kanji from lesson 1 to lesson 7 of Shin Bunka (see the kanji list on Moodle and in the teachers' notices)
- grammar from the lesson "Aisatsu Kaiwa" to lesson 10 of Shin Bunka
- the slides of the grammar lectures, including the ten words of the critical vocabulary (Miyake)

At the end of the 2nd semester there will be a final exam (Japanese Language 1 mod. 2) consisting of a written test and an oral test.
Written test:
1. a written kanji test (40 kanji to write and 20 kanji to transcribe into hiragana) without the aid of a dictionary;
2. a grammar test (14 insertions of correct grammatical forms; 12 multiple-choice questions; 2 sentences of Italian-Japanese translation) without the aid of a dictionary;
3. a written Japanese-Italian translation, carried out with the aid of a glossary of the words that students do not yet know, which will be provided together with the text to be translated.
Oral test:
1. Reading of the texts studied in class; grammar questions in Italian (this part takes place with the course teacher);
2. Conversation;
3. Role play.

The final mark will be determined by the average of the marks out of thirty obtained in the written test and in the oral test. To pass the exam, students must obtain a pass mark in all three parts of the written test and in all three parts of the oral test.

The 18 ECTS credits associated with the course will be awarded after passing the intermediate test and the final exam.

written

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

The exam of Japanese Language 1.1 is an intermediate test that does not assign recorded marks; it gives the pass ('idoneità') required to take the test of Japanese Language 1.2.

Lectures in Italian on grammar and vocabulary (Japanese Language 1 mod. 1, Miyake).

Participatory activities are not assessed and do not affect the pass ('idoneità').

Practice classes in Japanese of conversation, grammar, textbook and writing (modd. 1A-1D) with the CELs (Collaboratrici ed Esperte Linguistiche, native-speaker language instructors).

Teaching materials (lecture slides, review and reordering questions with commented answers, self-assessment quizzes with feedback, exercises) available week by week on the University's Moodle platforms. The grammar lectures are recorded with Panopto; for students entitled to study support services, a self-study sheet for each lecture is available on Moodle.

Students are strongly encouraged to use the specialised tutoring service ('tutorato specialistico') that will be activated during the 1st semester with a dedicated Moodle page (Tutorato sp. DSAAM a.a. 2026/2027).

ATTENTION:
The programme is provisional and may be subject to changes until the week before the beginning of classes.
For further information, please contact the respective teachers during their office hours, which can be found on the teacher's personal University page (-> notices). Office hours of the grammar teacher (Miyake): Wednesday 12:15-14:15, San Sebastiano, by appointment.

The pass ('idoneità') achieved in part I (intermediate) will be valid until the completion of part II (final), by and no later than the first January exam session ('appello') of the following year.
In case of failure to pass part II in the first January exam session, the student will have to take the exam of part I again and will be able to do so from the second January exam session onwards.