Learn Japanese in NYC :: Manhattan

$355 for each 20-hour class

Our Japanese classes are 20 hours each, usually meeting once a week for 2 hours for 10 weeks. Our Manhattan classrooms are rented by the hour on Broadway between 40th and 41st (near Times Square).

げんき?

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Level 1

Level 1 Group Classes
in Manhattan

Mondays 7:00-9:00pm
June 10 - August 12
See class options in Williamsburg »
Info about Books/Materials for Level 1 »

Books information for Level 1

Required Text: You will need a copy of Genki 1: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese by Eri Banno, ISBN 978-4789009638. We decided to require an older edition of the book (there is a 2011 edition) because the changes in the newer edition(s) don't outweigh the fact that you can't find inexpensive used copies online of it yet. Going with the older edition won't negatively affect your learning experience and will ensure that plenty of inexpensive used copies are available online for you to buy, preventing the required textbook from setting you back more than $20-30. Depending on availability (there will be a "buy" button if we have some in stock), you can purchase a slightly used copy through us here.

Suggested Texts: Although it is not required, you may also want to have a Japanese syllabaries book. The one that we recommend is Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners by Timothy G. Stout, ISBN 978-4-8053-1144-8. You can reserve a copy here through us. Verb books are also available online and in most bookstores.

We ship all books to the shipping address you list during checkout. Please purchase all books seven days in advance of your class start date to guarantee they will arrive in time. Brooklyn students can purchase a book in person at our Williamsburg location but should not preorder the book through our website unless they would like it shipped.

Plan on taking notes and keeping handouts organized in some way. The folder that all Fluent City students receive on the first day of class usually does the trick just fine!

Don't see the level you are looking for or a class that works for your schedule? Be sure to sign up for our email newsletter at the top of this page and we'll notify you when we add new classes that work for you!

Level 3

There are no open classes for this level at the moment. We'll be adding one soon!

See class options in Williamsburg »
Info about Books/Materials for Level 3 »

Books information for Level 3

Required Text: You will need a copy of Genki 1: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese by Eri Banno, ISBN 978-4789009638. We decided to require an older edition of the book (there is a 2011 edition) because the changes in the newer edition(s) don't outweigh the fact that you can't find inexpensive used copies online of it yet. Going with the older edition won't negatively affect your learning experience and will ensure that plenty of inexpensive used copies are available online for you to buy, preventing the required textbook from setting you back more than $20-30. Depending on availability (there will be a "buy" button if we have some in stock), you can purchase a slightly used copy through us here.

Suggested Texts: Although it is not required, you may also want to have a Japanese syllabaries book. The one that we recommend is Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners by Timothy G. Stout, ISBN 978-4-8053-1144-8. You can reserve a copy here through us. Verb books are also available online and in most bookstores.

We ship all books to the shipping address you list during checkout. Please purchase all books seven days in advance of your class start date to guarantee they will arrive in time. Brooklyn students can purchase a book in person at our Williamsburg location but should not preorder the book through our website unless they would like it shipped.

Plan on taking notes and keeping handouts organized in some way. The folder that all Fluent City students receive on the first day of class usually does the trick just fine!

Level 2

Level 2 Group Classes
in Manhattan

Thursdays 7:00-9:00pm
August 1 - October 3
See class options in Williamsburg »
Info about Books/Materials for Level 2 »

Books information for Level 2

Required Text: You will need a copy of Genki 1: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese by Eri Banno, ISBN 978-4789009638. We decided to require an older edition of the book (there is a 2011 edition) because the changes in the newer edition(s) don't outweigh the fact that you can't find inexpensive used copies online of it yet. Going with the older edition won't negatively affect your learning experience and will ensure that plenty of inexpensive used copies are available online for you to buy, preventing the required textbook from setting you back more than $20-30. Depending on availability (there will be a "buy" button if we have some in stock), you can purchase a slightly used copy through us here.

Suggested Texts: Although it is not required, you may also want to have a Japanese syllabaries book. The one that we recommend is Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners by Timothy G. Stout, ISBN 978-4-8053-1144-8. You can reserve a copy here through us. Verb books are also available online and in most bookstores.

We ship all books to the shipping address you list during checkout. Please purchase all books seven days in advance of your class start date to guarantee they will arrive in time. Brooklyn students can purchase a book in person at our Williamsburg location but should not preorder the book through our website unless they would like it shipped.

Plan on taking notes and keeping handouts organized in some way. The folder that all Fluent City students receive on the first day of class usually does the trick just fine!

More about Level 1

Taught in English. Level 1 is for students who don’t have a clue about Japanese and for those who maybe studied it a little bit before but want or need to restart at the very beginning. Level 1 coursework involves an overview of characters and sounds reinforced through exercises in vocabulary and basic grammar. At the end of Level, students are able to read and sound out written Japanese as well as deliver a basic self presentation.

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More about Level 2

Level 2 is for those who are relatively comfortable with Japanese characters and sounds as well as have very limited vocabulary. In Level 2, the professor reviews the core concepts of Level 1 and then starts to work students through more complex sentence structures and build vocabulary.

For students who think they may be Level 2 or higher, choose the level that sounds most appropriate for you based on these descriptions and go ahead and sign up for a specific class. We try to do an informal placement phone call with all new incoming Level 2 and above students for both you and us to be sure that the level you choose isn’t either too advanced or not advanced enough. If your level choice doesn't make sense when we talk with you on the phone, we'll make a game plan to transfer you into a different class at that time. We prefer to make this placement call after you sign up online because about 70-80% of students do place themselves accurately.

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More about Level 3

Level 3 is for those are relatively comfortable talking about their daily lives in the present and simple past tense, as well as able to give simple commands. Coming into Level 3, students should be able to recognize hiragana and katakana. Level 3 focuses on present active verbs/"teiru" ("I am running", "I have been running for 3 years now"), potential verbs (“I can run”) as well as polite vs. informal speech. Level 3 will also focus on how to express humility and honor using specific noun and verb forms and introduces kanji, the writing system borrowed from Chinese, in addition to continuing to build on existing vocabulary and introducing new words and phrases.

For students who think they may be Level 2 or higher, choose the level that sounds most appropriate for you based on these descriptions and go ahead and sign up for a specific class. We try to do an informal placement phone call with all new incoming Level 2 and above students for both you and us to be sure that the level you choose isn’t either too advanced or not advanced enough. If your level choice doesn't make sense when we talk with you on the phone, we'll make a game plan to transfer you into a different class at that time. We prefer to make this placement call after you sign up online because about 70-80% of students do place themselves accurately.

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How do I know which level I am?

Each 20-hour class is a “level” (Level 1, Level 2, etc.) and most students choose to continue on to the next level at the end. If you are an absolute beginner and/or wish to start at the very beginning, you should choose a Level 1 class. Level 2 is for students who are at least a tiny bit familiar with how the language works and have taken at least one class at some point before, even if it was a long time ago.

A Level 2 student can usually struggle through saying something like: "Hello, my name is ___, I live in Brooklyn. I have a cat. My brother is a professor…"; but would not be able to say more complex things like "I wanted to meet up tonight, but I forgot that you aren't available."

For students who think they may be Level 2 or higher, choose the level that sounds most appropriate for you based on the descriptions and go ahead and sign up for a class. We try to do a informal placement phone call with all new incoming Level 2 and above students for both you and us to be sure that the level you choose isn’t either too advanced or not advanced enough. If your level choice doesn't make sense when we talk with you on the phone, we'll make a plan to transfer you into a different class at that time. We prefer to make this placement call after you sign up online because about 70-80% of students do place themselves accurately.

If we aren't able to reach you for the placement call before your class starts, do attend the first session. If your professor agrees that you have placed yourself either too high or two low after that first class, then we are happy to transfer you to a different class at that time.

If you want to go ahead and purchase the book(s) required for the course you sign up for so that you have it in time for the first class, but end up changing to a different level class that uses a different book, we are happy to buy the unused new book back from you for no more than the price listed on our website (fluentcity.com/books) for that specific book.

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