Placement Guidelines

J1A: Elementary Japanese (Fall, Spring)

If you have never studied Japanese before, or you have taken 3 years or less of high school Japanese, sign up for Japanese 1A. Enrollment is limited. If enrollment is full, sign up on the waiting list and attend the first meeting of class.

The textbook we use is Elementary Japanese Volume I.

J1B: Elementary Japanese (Fall, Spring)

Open to students with a passing grade in Japanese 1A at UCB. New and transfer students who have taken 3 or 4 years of high school Japanese or a second-semester college Japanese course elsewhere need to take the Japanese Online Placement Test.

During J1A, we study Elementary Japanese Volume I. If you understand most of the materials in it, you can take J1B. Elementary Japanese Vocabulary List is available online for self-examination of your vocabulary knowledge. You also need to check whether you know most of the kanji introduced in the textbook. See the online J1 Kanji List.

The textbook we use in J1B is Elementary Japanese Volume II.

J10A: Intermediate Japanese (Fall)

Open to students with a passing grade in Japanese 1B at UCB. New and transfer students who have taken 4 years of high school Japanese or a 2nd-semester college Japanese course elsewhere need to take the Japanese Online Placement Test.

In J1A-B, we study Elementary Japanese Volume I and Volume II. Check if you understand most of the materials in them. Elementary Japanese Vocabulary List is available online for self-examination of your vocabulary knowledge. You also need to check whether you know most of the kanji introduced in J1A-B. See the online J1 Kanji List.

In J10A, we study the first half of Tobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese Learning Through Content and Multimedia (Mayumi Oka, et al. Kurosio Publishers, 2009).

J10B: Intermediate Japanese (Spring)

Open to students with a passing grade in Japanese 10A at UCB. New and transfer students who have taken 4 years of high school Japanese or a 3rd-semester college Japanese course elsewhere need to take the Japanese Online Placement Test.

During J10A, we study the first half of Tobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese Learning Through Content and Multimedia (Mayumi Oka, et al. Kurosio Publishers, 2009). You also need to check whether you know most of the kanji introduced in J1A-B and J10A.

In J10B, we study the second half of Tobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese Learning Through Content and Multimedia (Mayumi Oka, et al. Kurosio Publishers, 2009).

Here is a J10 (J10A&B) Sample Test. Please note that answers for this test are not available.

J10RA: Intermediate Reading in Japanese (Fall)

Open to students with a passing grade in Japanese 1B at UCB. New and transfer students who have taken 4 years of high school Japanese or a 3rd-semester college Japanese course elsewhere need to take the Japanese Online Placement Test. This course will not be offered this academic year.

J10RB: Intermediate Reading in Japanese (Spring)

Open to students with a passing grade in Japanese 10RA at UCB. New and transfer students who have taken 4 years of high school Japanese or a 3rd-semester college Japanese course elsewhere need to take the Japanese Online Placement Test. This course will not be offered this academic year.

J100A: Advanced Japanese (Fall)

Open to students with a passing grade in Japanese 10B at UCB. New and transfer students who have taken a 4th-semester college Japanese course elsewhere need to take the Japanese Online Placement Test.

In J10A-B, we study Tobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese Learning Through Content and Multimedia (Mayumi Oka, et al. Kurosio Publishers, 2009). If you wish to take J100A without completing J10B at UCB, make sure that you know most of the grammatical constructions and the kanji introduced in J1A-B and J10A-B.

During J100A, we study Lessons 1-5 of Authentic Japanese: Progressing from Intermediate to Advanced (Osamu Kamata et al., The Japan Times, 1998).

Here is a J100A Sample Test. Please note that answers for this test are not available.

J100B: Advanced Japanese (Spring)

Open to students with a passing grade in Japanese 100A at UCB. New and transfer students who have taken a 5th-semester college Japanese course elsewhere need to take the Japanese Online Placement Test.

During J100A, we study Lessons 1-5 of Authentic Japanese: Progressing from Intermediate to Advanced (Osamu Kamata et al., The Japan Times, 1998). In J100B, we continue to use the same textbooks.

Here is a J100B Sample Test. Please note that answers for this test are not available.

J101, J103 (Fall), J102, J104 (Spring): Fourth Year Japanese

Open to students with a passing grade in Japanese 100B at UCB. New and transfer students who have taken 5th-semester or higher of college Japanese courses elsewhere need to take the Japanese Online Placement Test. If qualified, 4th-year courses may be taken in any order.

In J100A-B, we study Authentic Japanese: Progressing from Intermediate to Advanced (Osamu Kamata et al., The Japan Times, 1998). Make sure you can understand most of the grammatical constructions and the kanji in them.

Here is a J101-102-103-104 Sample Test. Please note that answers for this test are not available.