54
Languages and Literature of Japan and Korea
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI "L'ORIENTALE"
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course, the student will be able to read and write the two phonetic syllabaries
(hiragana and katakana) as well as approximately 180 characters (kanji). Additionally, they will have
acquired a basic vocabulary and fundamental syntactic-grammatical structures that will enable them to
understand simple texts and engage in basic conversations.
KNOWLEDGE AND APPLIED COMPREHENSION SKILLS
The course aims to provide students with the knowledge and methodological tools necessary for the
correct writing of individual Japanese characters and the ability to produce and understand written and
oral texts. Thanks to the vocabulary and syntactic-grammatical structures presented during the course,
students will be able to decode written comprehension passages with ease and engage in conversations
with native speakers on general topics.
ADDITIONAL EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Autonomy of Judgment
By the end of this first year, students will already be able to recognize different linguistic registers,
which require the use of various forms of certain parts of speech, such as verbs or adjectives, depending
on the context. In particular, they will learn the fundamental rules of Japanese pragmatics, which often
involve implied communication and require listeners to deduce meaning from the speaker’s message.
Students will therefore be able to correctly interpret the various elements of verbal, paraverbal, and non-
verbal communication.
Communication Skills
Students will be able to talk about themselves in a simple manner, recount past experiences, express
intentions and desires, ask for information and permissions, and share opinions on everyday life topics.
Learning Skills
Teachers will provide students with useful information on study methodologies to ensure that what is
learned in the classroom during lessons is retained through independent study at home. The detailed
structure of the textbooks will be explained during the initial lessons conducted by the Italian instructor,
enabling students to make the best use of these tools and apply them appropriately to their individual
needs.
Course Prerequisites
No prerequisites required.
Teaching Methods
The year-long course includes one weekly lecture with an Italian instructor and four language practice
sessions per week with native-speaking instructors. During the lessons conducted by the Italian
instructor, new vocabulary and grammatical topics will be introduced on a regular basis, and students
will be encouraged to read short texts, translate or construct sentences using the elements studied, and
ask questions about anything that may remain unclear.
During the language practice sessions, students will have the opportunity to practice what they have
learned theoretically in an immersive environment. Each of the three weekly language practice sessions
will have a distinct focus:
a) grammar exercises, conversation, and exploration of specific expressions;
b) reading and writing;
c) listening and dictation.
In addition to all this, students will have access to a supplementary (and NOT substitutive) digital e-
learning course on the university’s electronic platform. This course will provide new interactive
exercises every week, with real-time corrections, specifically created by the course instructors based on
the syllabus.
It is important to emphasize that, although attendance is not formally mandatory, CONSISTENT and,
above all, ACTIVE participation in every single lesson and language practice session, as well as
completing the exercises provided in the virtual classroom, are indispensable requirements for
achieving the expected learning outcomes.
Assessment Methods
The exam consists of two parts: written and oral.
The written exam includes:
Reading comprehension passages with true/false questions and open-ended questions.
Questions on syntactic-grammatical structures with multiple-choice and open-ended answers.
Writing and reading of kanji (Chinese characters).
Dictation, etc.
Note: Since this is an annual course, the written exam cannot be taken before the completion of both
semesters of the academic year. Students enrolled in the course for the 2025-2026 academic year will
therefore be able to take the written exams starting from June 2025.
The oral exam, which can only be taken after passing the written exam, consists of:
1. Introducing oneself.
2. A free conversation involving questions about everyday life.
3. Reading one of the texts included in each unit of the adopted textbook: Genki, V ol. I, followed by
comprehension questions.
4. Dictation.
5. Oral translation from Italian to Japanese of sentences that require the use of all vocabulary and
grammatical rules covered during the course.
Language of the exam: Japanese
Texts
Textbooks:
– Banno E., Ikeda Y . et al., An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese. Genki (3a ed.), V ol. 1,
The Japan Times, Tōkyō, 2016;
– Banno E., Ikeda Y . et al., An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese. Genki. Workbook (3a
ed.), V ol. 1, The Japan Times, Tōkyō, 2016;
Additional materials:
A) Grammar books
– Makino S., Tsutsui M., A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, The Japan Times, Tōkyō,1989;
– M. Mastrangelo, N. Ozawa, M. Saito, Grammatica giapponese, Hoepli, Milano, 2016;
B) Reader:
– Nihongo tadoku kenkyūkai (ed.), Reberu betsu nihongo tadoku raiburarī. Nihongo yomu yomu
bunko. Reberu 1, Ask, Tōkyō, 2006
Contents
1) Phonetic lettering systems (hiragana and katakana)
2) Affermative and interrogative sentences. Joining two nouns by the means of the particle no.
3) Demonstrative and interrogative pronouns and adjectives. Locatives. The particle mo. Negative
sentences. Emphatic particles.
4) Verb conjugation. Particles. Time reference. Inter-negative form. Frequency and quantity adverbs.
5) Stative verbs. Past tense of copula and verbs. Temporal expressions. The particles mo and to.
6) Adjectives. Making an invitation. Counting.
7) Te-form. Polite request. Asking/giving permission. Expressing a strong prohibition. Describing two
activities. Offering assistance. Causal expressions.
8) Te iru form. Descriptive phrases. Te-forms for joining sentences. Describing one’s movement and its
purpose. Counting people.
9) Short forms. Informal speach. Quoting a person’s utterances or thoughts. Polite negative request. “I
like/I do not like, I am good at/I am not good at doing something”. Indefinite pronouns.
10) Past tense short forms. Qualifying nouns with verbs and adjectives. “I still haven't done
something”. Explanation clauses.
11) Comparison between two items. Comparison among three or more items. Replacing a noun with
the pronoun no. Describing what a person is planning. Expressing a change of state. “Some” and “any”.
The particle de.
12) Expressing hope or aspiration. Mentioning activities or events just as examples. Talking about past
experiences. Non exhaustive lists.
13) Explaining things. The auxiliary verb sugiru. Giving a piece of advice. Formal causal expressions.
Expressing an obligation. Making an hypothesis.
Course Language
Italian, Japanese