Arabic and Japanese

Arabic and Japanese is one of the most linguistically demanding and intellectually distinctive combination degrees available in UK higher education, pairing two of the world's most structurally complex and culturally significant languages. Arabic is the official language of over twenty countries, the liturgical language of Islam, and a language with a literary and intellectual tradition stretching back well over a thousand years, encompassing poetry, philosophy, mathematics, and science that shaped medieval Europe as much as the Islamic world. Japanese is the language of the world's third-largest economy, a culture that has produced one of the most distinctive literary, artistic, and cinematic traditions of the modern era, and a society whose approach to technology, design, and social organisation continues to fascinate and influence the world.

At the University of Leeds, this five-year full-time programme reflects the depth of commitment that learning two such demanding languages requires. Arabic involves learning a non-Roman script, a diglossic situation in which formal written Arabic and colloquial spoken forms differ substantially, and a grammatical system quite different from European languages. Japanese requires mastering three writing systems, including over two thousand kanji characters, alongside a grammatical structure that is radically different from English.

The five-year structure gives you the time to develop genuine proficiency in both, and Leeds has well-established departments in both Arabic and East Asian studies with strong research traditions.

You will develop advanced language skills in both Arabic and Japanese, study the literatures, histories, and cultures of Arab and Japanese-speaking worlds, and gain the cultural understanding that makes these languages truly usable.

Graduates move into careers in diplomacy, international business, translation and interpreting, journalism, academia, NGOs, the intelligence services, and any field where engagement with the Arab world or Japan is a professional asset.