Japanese

Japanese is one of the world's most distinctive languages, with a writing system that combines logographic characters with two syllabic alphabets, and a grammatical structure that differs substantially from European languages. Engaging with it seriously opens access not only to Japan itself but to one of the world's most creative and commercially significant cultures, encompassing literature, film, anime, design, technology and manufacturing. Japanese is also the language of one of the largest economies in the world, making fluency a significant professional asset.

At the University of Leeds, this four-year full-time programme is open to both complete beginners and those with intermediate-level Japanese, allowing you to enter at the appropriate point and develop your skills progressively. You will study the language intensively across all four years, developing reading, writing, listening and speaking abilities from the ground up or building systematically on existing foundations. Alongside language acquisition, you will study Japanese politics, history and culture, giving you the contextual knowledge to use and understand the language as more than a formal system.

You will examine Japan's historical development, its contemporary political institutions, its cultural traditions and its role in East Asia and the wider world. Literary, film and media texts in Japanese are used to develop both language skills and cultural literacy. You will graduate with a high level of language proficiency and a well-developed understanding of the society whose language you speak.

Graduates use their Japanese language skills in international business, diplomacy, translation and interpreting, journalism, cultural organisations, finance and technology companies with Japanese operations. The rarity of advanced Japanese language proficiency among graduates makes it a significant competitive advantage. Many also go on to postgraduate study in Japanese studies, linguistics, area studies or international relations.