Japanese Language Classes

We offer classes at various levels in the Bay Area.

Summer 2026 Registration is Now Open!

It’s essential for students to register at least 5 days before the class starts to secure their enrollment and prepare for their lessons, so make sure to act fast! If you encounter any issues during registration or have any questions, please email us at language@usajapan.org.

You can also sign up for our newsletter below and receive the latest updates on our upcoming workshop and more!

Japanese Language Programs

All courses are conducted in Pacific Time.

Group Classes

Four levels of Japanese, from beginner to advanced, emphasize conversation, listening, reading and writing.

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Private Tutoring

Besides group lessons, we also offer private tutoring tailored to your specific language needs.

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Language Workshops

We are offering Japanese language workshops that focus on various themes such as vocabulary prep for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), travel lingo, business Japanese, casual everyday conversations, anime, and more!

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Corporate Classes

The Japan Society offers private Japanese language instruction tailored to help your organization meet its goals.

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Meet Our Instructors

Our language instructors are seasoned teachers of Japanese, having taught both in the U.S. and Japan.

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FAQs

See our Frequently Asked Questions.

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Language Classes with Japan Society

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Student Voices

I take part in both virtual group lessons and in person private lessons and find they compliment each other. While it’s fun to have a consistent cohort studying Japanese together, my private lesson provides for personalized learning and a deeper teacher - student relationship.

I’ve been very happy with the in person private lessons! My teacher is very engaging and I look forward to our twice weekly in-home sessions together. The sessions are tailored to my particular level and needs. Sensei keeps me motivated to keep my Japanese level up between my trips to Japan.

I’m currently trying to master yet another of the seemingly limitless Japanese verb conjugations - the causative passive case. Recently, I’ve taken to describing learning the Japanese language as「きりがない」or 'Never ending.'

– Steve Hoffmann
My company is headquartered in Japan, and we work closely with many Japanese expatriates and colleagues. Taking these classes has helped me improve my communication skills and participate more confidently in conversations with Japanese-speaking coworkers. Corporate lessons provided a structured learning environment, regular practice, and opportunities to focus on business-related situations.

I would recommend JSNC corporate lessons because they are practical, convenient, and tailored to students’ needs, especially those working in Japanese business environments. These lessons kept me motivated and allowed me to practice real conversations, which can be difficult to achieve through self-studying.

– Vivian Xu (bottom right)
I started taking Japanese lessons with the Japan Society of Northern California through my job — these classes are provided as one of the perks of our company, and I was more than happy to take the opportunity to learn the language.

My goal is to be able to understand basic Japanese and be familiar enough with the culture so my interactions wouldn't come off as rude. Learning from a teacher who is a native speaker, I get to understand a lot of cultural differences, which wouldn’t be easy to grasp by self studying. I can also ask questions right away which quickly clears up any confusion I have in a lesson.

I would recommend JSNC corporate lessons because they’re a very good way to learn Japanese, especially if you have Japanese co-workers.

– Moin Amin-Naseri (far right)