Foreign Languages (Japanese)

Guidelines for placing yourself in the Japanese Language Classes:

1. If you
   1. can give a 15-20 minute self introduction in Japanese,
   2. can write hiragana and katakana correctly and well, and
   3. know approximately 75 basic KANJI characters
   
   then you should wait until the spring semester and register for Japanese 106. If you have not had training in writing hiragana, katakana, and kanji beautifully you must see Professor Akira Takemoto before you register for Japanese 106.
   
   
2. If you cannot do all of the above (1, abc), you should register for Japanese 105 to develop the fundamental skills that are required of all students in the Whitman College Japanese Language program. Normally, two years of high school Japanese is not sufficient to qualify for Japanese 106.
   
   
3. If you
   1. can give a 25 minute self introduction in Japanese,
   2. can write hiragana and katakana correctly and well,
   3. can read and recognize and write 150 kanji, and
   4. have had at least three strong years of high school Japanese
   
   then you should register for Japanese 205. If you have not had training in writing of hiragana, katakana, and kanji beautifully you must see Professor Akira Takemoto at the beginning of the semester to set up a schedule for re-learning basic writing skills.
   
   
4. If you
   1. communicate well in modern Japanese,
   2. can write hiragana and katakana correctly and well, and
   3. can read and recognize and write 250 or more kanji
   
   then you should contact Professor Akira Takemoto at takemoto@whitman.edu.

If you have general questions, please contact Professor Takemoto at takemoto@whitman.edu .