Welcome
Japanese is one of many world languages taught at De Anza. We provide a wide range of course levels to meet the needs of our students.
Already Know Some Japanese?
You may be eligible to skip certain lower-level courses. This is called "clearing" a prerequisite.Plan Your Progress
We offer three quarter-long courses that build practical communication skills – reading, writing, listening, and speaking – in the Japanese language.
| Offered in Fall Quarter | Offered in Winter Quarter | Offered in Spring Quarter |
| JAPN 1: Elementary Japanese (first quarter) | JAPN 2: Elementary Japanese (second quarter) |
JAPN 3: Elementary Japanese (third quarter) |
These courses fulfill General Education requirements, are transferable and meet a requirement for the A.A. degree in Global Studies.
- For detailed course descriptions, visit our Course Information webpage
- Check classes, times and instructors for each quarter by consulting the Class Schedule
Understanding Prerequisites
Each course in Japanese is designed to prepare you for the next one: Most students should take JAPN 1 before JAPN 2, and JAPN 2 before JAPN 3. These are called prerequisites.
If you already speak some Japanese, or studied Japanese in high school or another college, you may be eligible to skip one or more classes in the sequence. This is called clearing a prerequisite. You must follow the clearance process so that we can accurately assess your ability – and support your success!
In general:
- One year of high school language instruction is equivalent to one quarter at De Anza. For example, if you took Japanese 1 in high school, you may be eligible to start with Japanese 2 at De Anza.
- If you skip one or more levels at De Anza, you will not receive college credit on your transcript for the courses you skipped.
Visit the World Languages Prerequsite Clearance webpage for detailed instructions and a link to the required form for requesting a prerequisite clearance.