9JPN – Year 9 Japanese – Fun with Japanese – 1 Semester

Did you know that more than 125 million people across the world speak Japanese as their native language?  And not just in Japan either! Parts of the US, Brazil and Guam (in Micronesia) have Japanese as their native language.  Japan is one of the largest economies in the world. Japanese people love to travel and buy foreign goods so being able to speak Japanese can give you a huge advantage.  Japanese is also a gateway into other Asian languages, technology and pop culture.

This course is designed to introduce students to the Japanese language and culture through class activities that have a ‘communication’ focus. Students will develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills and explore parts of Japanese culture that interest them.  Anime, cultural games and activities and food are also woven into the curriculum this year.

Students are strongly encouraged to utilise the Education Perfect programme as part of the course. 

Japanese is taught from Year 9 to Year 13 at Papanui High School. Students who take Japanese are likely to have the opportunity to host Japanese students and participate in school tours to Japan at senior level. After high school, students can study the subject at many tertiary institutes including universities and polytechnics, where they can gain degrees or diplomas; most also offer scholarships to study in Japan.

Learning Japanese can lead to many exciting and challenging pathways, not only because of the knowledge learnt in studying the language, but also the understanding and overall awareness that learning another language can bring.

With many Japanese students studying at Papanui High School at any given time and groups from Japan scheduled to visit the school throughout the year, students will have many chances to practice Japanese with native speakers and in turn develop friendships, confidence and a deeper understanding of culture, customs and language.

This course is not suitable for students who speak Japanese at home or those who attend Japanese school.