No prior knowledge of the language. Declaration is required. This course introduces students to the Japanese language, culture and customs. It begins with the learning of the Japanese Standard Writing System, which is a combination of Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Basic greetings and sentence structures are taught in a progressive manner from recognition to guided and independent reproduction. Apart from grammar explanations, the tasks incorporated in the course include exercises in listening comprehension, reading comprehension and conversational practice through role-play activities. Approximately 40 sentence patterns and 300 words/phrases are covered under this introductory syllabus. A comprehensive range of teaching aids are used to engage students in interactive learning.