日本語
Japanese NYC Classes 

Are All Planned Online 

CONTACT US

INFO and REGISTERSTUDENT VOICESJAPANESE LEVELSLESSON TYPES

-Our usual schedule is 1.5 hours per week for 8 weeks (12 hours total)
-Interested in more than one semester? Please look at our class bundles
-Get a discount on your next semester if you refer a friend / family member
-Check course details for more information on the textbook

Private Classes for Adults

Would you like to get the best out of your experiences traveling to Japan? How about you’re looking to develop in depth knowledge and functionality in Japanese, and group classes in the past haven’t worked for you? Do you have a specific need in Japanese to develop your language skills quickly?

Hills Learning’s curriculum for Japanese comprises both language and cultural instruction. For each class, we follow our SWIRL methodology, developing at least three of the five language skills per class. Our main goal for Japanese private lessons is to develop conversational skills, but we also specialize in test prep (JLPT and others), cultural etiquette, business, or just general language acquisition.

Within this basic framework, Hills Learning’s staff develops curriculum and assessments based on student needs and goals. Private lessons are a unique opportunity for students to learn Japanese at their own pace.

Private Classes for Teens and Kids (Tutoring)

Are you interested in having your young teen or kid learn about the Japanese language and culture? How about your teen watches hours of anime or reads manga, and would like to learn the Japanese language? Maybe your family has ties to Japan, or your child would just like very much to travel there?

Hills Learning offers a unique opportunity for kids and young teens to learn Japanese in private lessons. We can not only teach them the basics of the alphabets, reading, writing, and conversation, but it’s also possible that the classes your child is taking with us can be transferred to their respective high school or college for credit. Please see for credit for further information.

For more general information on our Japanese classes for kids, please CONTACT US

Japanese Classes

Japanese Student Voices

I have loved my time at Hills Learning. I took Japanese for three semesters in college, and I feel I am twice as proficient in half the time.

JON B

I took beginner level 1 at a different school and I've learned way more here at Hills because of the immersion, which I appreciate even in really low-level classes.

HAYLEY M

The class has been wonderful in helping me learn Japanese. I came in a complete beginner and have learned a lot in a short amount of time, enough to have me excited to want to learn more.

AUDREY M

I absolutely love my experience at Hills. Sensei is amazing, so sweet, and such a patient teacher. Coming to Japanese class is my favorite part of the week.

DANA Y

Learning Japanese N1 with my sensei has been an amazing experience for me. She makes the classroom ambiance as consistently Japanese as possible in terms of dialogue and questions and answers, and her feedback and explanations are always thorough and extremely helpful.

KHALID H

The teachers's been a great help with my prep for JLPT 1 and she makes the effort to go beyond textbook material by organizing discussions of current events and modern Japanese culture. I'm going into the exam fully prepared and expecting to do well.

CHUNMING L

The sensei is a great teacher and she has really helped me to learn a lot of things about kanji and certain grammar points that I could have never picked up without her expertise!

IAISHA S

My teacher is very very helpful. She never seems to get frustrated when you get something wrong. She is also very laid back. She has been very good and I can't imagine learning better with anyone else.

BRYAN G
My sensei is an excellent teacher who really tries to cater to our needs and adjust the lessons according to our strengths and weaknesses. She truly puts in a lot of her own time into her lessons and the homework and it definitely shows.
JOSEPH M
I really like having the small class size. It gives a personal touch to learning. The teacher is knowledgeable and her teaching methods are good. She explains things till everyone gets it.
VISHAL P

Japanese Class Levels

There are multiple levels for beginner through advanced Japanese students. We have developed our own curriculum based off of standards and best teaching practices.

Check My Level
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Japanese Classes

for every level

  • Beginner
  • Pre-Intermediate
  • Intermediate
  • Upper Intermediate
  • Advanced

Beginner Japanese students learn the basics of Japanese such as greetings, classroom phrases and conversational skills. They also learn how to shop, order food and discuss in detail their schedules and activities. They can form basic sentences and also be able to read and write Hiragana, Katakana and some Kanji.

Adv Beginner Japanese students go more in depth with everyday life skills in Japanese. They start out by discussing one's home and giving commands, then traveling and giving directions, and finally they can discuss their experiences and hobbies. Students start to learn how to do more advanced discourse. 


1-6
 ACTFL Standards

   NOVICE HIGH

 JLPT Equivalent

   N5

Pre-Intermediate students start out with phrases and vocabulary to discuss their travels in depth. Included in this is discussing experiences abroad, but also descriptors on recommendations and making appointments. Pre-Intermediate 2 enables students in depth to go shopping and go to restaurants, moving beyond basic vocabulary that was covered in Beginner 2. Pre-Intermediate 3 teaches students how to address needs in the doctor's office, and describing in general your body and feelings. Pre-Intermediate 4 introduces students to the formal language in Japanese, all its conjugations and uses in the business context. Level 5 is movies, and Level 6 is technology and change, where students can discuss their lives and how technology and change affects them. 

1-6
 ACTFL Standards

   INTERMEDIATE LOW

 JLPT Equivalent

   N4

Intermediate students will work to expand their speaking, reading, listening and writing skills. Intermediate students can communicate about themselves fluently, have mastered all basic grammar and vocabulary from the beginner and pre-intermediate levels. Intermediate students learn how to navigate situations outside themselves, where they need to communicate and get around in all difficult situations. In the higher intermediate levels, students will challenge themselves to communicate outside of everyday situations. 


1-16
 ACTFL Standards

   INTERMEDIATE MID to HIGH

 JLPT Equivalent

   N3

Upper Intermediate students are trying to prepare to work and function like an advanced student. Students start to move beyond just speaking in concrete terms and instead get used to speaking in abstract terms about language. Topics such as community, current events, history, and other subjects are brought up and discussed. Students also start focusing much more on real world resources and materials, dramas, tv shows, music, and other materials created for Japanese native speakers.  


1-16
 ACTFL Standards

   INTERMEDIATE HIGH to ADVANCED LOW

 JLPT Equivalent

   N2

Advanced students are feeling accustomed to discussing difficult subjects in language. From current events to economics, students will be discussing abstractly on a variety of levels. It is assumed that all students can both discuss themselves thoroughly and also navigate all intermediate needs in language. Advanced students start out by really trying to get used to speaking abstractly, and then they move forward into discussing specialty areas using language. Most students at times will sound like native speakers and should be able to be understood by speakers of the language not accustomed to speaking to non-native speakers.  


MULTIPLE
 ACTFL Standards

   ADVANCED MID to SUPERIOR

 JLPT Equivalent

   N1

Japanese Lesson Types

GROUP

Maximum 7 students with over 40 levels of Japanese curriculum. Please don't forget to see our class schedules on this page.

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PRIVATE

Lessons at your own pace and schedule. There is also flexibility in curriculum. We have multiple instructors available.

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ONLINE

The ability to take lessons anywhere without a commute. Lessons are taught through zoom and recorded. We also have an online assignment system.

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BUSINESS

Group or private lessons at your office or at our center near Grand Central. We can teach multiple employees and coordinate with HR Departments.

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FOR CREDIT

Lessons that transfer to your high school, college or university with their permission. We are a fully accredited institution and can issue transcripts.

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KIDS

We can teach all ages but usually we have most classes for elementary, pre-teen and teen aged students. Private lessons are possible along with group.

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