| Knowledge
The facts, concepts, principles, and theories to teach. | Practices
The skills, strategies, and applications to teach. | | Knowledge
The facts, concepts, principles, and theories to teach. | Practices
The skills, strategies, and applications to teach. | |
Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge
| - When describing yourself, it is important to be humble in Japanese culture.
| - Describing people, places, and things
| Existence - いぬがいます (There is a dog)
- きがあります (There is a tree)
い adjectives and な adjectives - あねはせがたかいです。 (My older sister is tall)
- あにはまじめです。 (My older brother is serious)
- くろいねこです (It is a black cat)
- しずかなまちです (a quiet town)
Demonstratives - この／その／ あの [plus noun] (this/that/that … over there)
- このえんぴつはあたらしいです (This pencil is new)
- そのパソコンはともだちのです (That laptop is my friend’s)
- あのきものはきれいです (That kimono [over there] is beautiful)
Ability - ネットボールができますか (Can you [play] netball?)
- できますよ。 (I can)
- サッカーがぜんぜんできません。 (I can’t play football at all)
- えいごがじょうずですね。 (You are good at English, aren't you)
- いえいえ、まだまだです。 (No, not yet)
- すうがくがとくいです (good at maths)
| - It is important to be humble in Japanese culture when describing ability.
| - Describing people, places, and things in more detail
| Negative adjective - あねはせがたかくないです (My older sister is not tall)
- ともだちはいじわるじゃないです／ではありません。 (My friend is not mean)
Past adjective - しごとはむずかしかったです (Work was difficult)
- しごとはたいへんでした (Work was hard)
Negative past adjective - はははせがたかくなかったです (Mum was not tall)
- おとうとはいじわるじゃなかったです／ではありませんでした (My younger brother was not mean)
い adjective stem くて - いもうとはめがおおきくて、きれいです (My younger sister has big eyes and is beautiful)
- こうえんはひろくて、きれいです (The park is spacious and clean)
な adjective/noun で - にぎやかで、ゆうめいです (It is lively and famous)
- ～が／～ですが (but)
- そのシャツはたかいですが、いいです (That shirt is expensive but good)
Habitual action - ～ています
- 日本ごをべんきょうしています (I am studying Japanese)
- ははもちちもぎんこうではたらいています (Both Mum and Dad are working at the bank)
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| - There are different verbs for animate and inanimate objects (sentient beings vs objects).
- Adjectives precede nouns when describing something.
- There are two types of adjectives in Japanese: いadjectives and な adjectives — categorised by the way they join to words:
- な adjectives carry a な immediately after them when attached to a noun
- い adjectives keep final い before nouns and です.
- An adjective can modify the noun that serves as the subject.
- There are words for demonstrating where things are in relation to the speaker and listener.
- The particle の indicates possession or ownership.
- この, その and あの are demonstratives used before a noun to mean ‘this’, ‘that (near you)’, and ‘that (over there)’ respectively.
- The negative form of a verb communicates not doing an activity, and we can strengthen this with ぜんぜん.
- よ is an ending particle that adds assertion, telling the listener something new or with emphasis.
| - Different conjugations of adjectives and verbs indicate specifics of description.
- When linking adjectives, い adjectives change the final い to くて, and な adjectives use で.
- The negative form of adjectives is made differently for the two types. For い adjectives, change the final い to くないです. For な adjectives, add じゃないです or ではありません. The former is often used in conversation, while the latter is more common in writing.
- Different particles give meaning to sentences, and が can be used for ‘but’.
- The verb て form plus います (Vています) is used to describe one’s occupation, field of study, or regular habits.
- も can be used to indicate ‘both’.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - Japanese uses digits as well as Chinese characters to record numbers, but digits are more common, as they are more universally used.
| - Communicating about dates and birthdates
| Time suffixes - ～ねん / ～がつ / ～にち / (2026年4月1日)
- 一日～十日、二十日
- 五月五日（ごがついつか）はこどもの日です (The 5th of May is Children’s Day)
- ⼗⼆⽉⼆⼗三⽇はわたしのたんじょうびです (The 23rd of December is my birthday)
- おたんじょうびはいつですか (When is your birthday?)
- 五月十五日です (It is the 15th of May)
- おたんじょうびおめでとうございます！ (Happy birthday!)
| - There are specific words that follow quantities, depending on the type of object, known as counters.
- ￥and 円 both indicate price — however, ￥is not a Japanese character, whereas 円 is, and can also mean ‘circle’.
| - Communicating about the quantity, quality, and cost of things
| Quantity - あにが一人（ひとり）とあねが二人（ふたり）います (I have one older brother and two older sisters)
- きょうだいが三人（さんにん）います (I have three siblings)
- ねこが二ひきいます (We have two cats)
Counters - ～にんcounter for people
- ～ひきcounter for animals
- ～つcounter for general items
Numbers beyond 100 - 100: 百（ひゃく）300, 600, 800
- 1,000: 千（せん）3000, 8000
- 10,000: 一万（いちまん）
- 100,000: 十万（じゅうまん）
- 1,000,000: 百万（ひゃくまん）
Asking how much something is - このサンドイッチは、一ついくら
- すか。 (How much is one sandwich?)
- 三びゃく円です (It is 300 yen)
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| - There are different words for the first ten days of a month, as well as the 20th.
- Time suffixes follow numbers for year, month, and dates.
| - Different verbs are used for animate (います) and inanimate (あります) objects.
- There are also ‘general counters’ that can be used for things the speaker is uncertain how to refer to.
- In the same way that the progression from 10 to 11 is ‘ten-one’, and 19 to 20 is ‘two-ten’, multiple hundreds are expressed by adding the single-digit number before the hundred (e.g. 200 is 二百, 300 is 三百) and the same format follows with 1000s and 10,000s).
- Number words can have subtle variations in how they’re pronounced (e.g. さんびゃく, ろっぴゃく, はっぴゃく,さんぜん, はっせん).
- Counting into 5-figures groups the ‘ten thousands’ (e.g. 30,000 is 三万).
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - Visual storytelling is an important part of Japanese tradition, where narratives are often supported by imagery (e.g. かみしばい (kamishibai, paper theatre) and illustrated scrolls).
| - Using connectives/linking words to link ideas, activities, and descriptions
- Narrating activities and events in a sequence
| Joining nouns - 日本ごとえいごをべんきょうします (I study Japanese and English)
Joining phrases - ～て／～てから
- 九じごろおふろにはいって、ねます (I have a bath around nine and then go to sleep)
- おきてから、シャワーをあびます (I get up and then have a shower)
Time - から～まで 四じから五じまでピアノをれんしゅうします (I practise piano from four until five).
| | - Communicating about events and activities that are ongoing or have happened in the past
| Present continuous - ～ています
- そとでひるごはんをたべています (I am eating lunch outside)
Past tense - きのうがっこうにいきましたか。 (Did you go to school yesterday?)
- いいえ、いきませんでした。 (No, I did not go)
- うちにいました。でも、あしたはいきます (I was at home. But I will go tomorrow.)
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| - てform verb followed by another verb or から indicates subsequent action.
- てから clarifies the sequence.
- There are rules for forming the て ‘te’ form depending on the verb group.
- から and まで replicate the functions of ‘from’ and ‘until’ in English.
| - The way verb endings are conjugated indicates negative and past tense.
- The て ‘te’ form and います ‘imasu’ are used for ongoing actions.
- The verb て form plus います (vています) is used to express an action that is in progress.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - Being punctual is an important social concept in Japanese culture which shows respect.
| - Communicating using time phrases
| Verb tenses + time markers - らいねん日本にいきます。 (I am going to Japan next year)
- しゅうまつにしごとをしません。 (I do not work at the weekend)
- せんしゅうすしをたべました。 (I ate sushi last week)
- せんげつやすみませんでした。 (I did not [go on a] holiday last month)
| | - Communicating about length of time
| Interrogatives - どのぐらい／何じかん～何ねんかん (how long / how many hours / how many years)
- だれ／どれ／どこ／いつ (who/which/where/when)
Duration - どのぐらいかかりますか (How long does it take?)
- なんじかんかかりますか (How many hours does it take?)
- 一じかんかかります (It takes one hour)
- 35ふんかかります (It takes 30 minutes)
- 二日かかります (It takes two days)
- 二しゅうかんかかります (It takes two weeks)
- 三かげつかかります (It takes three months)
- 五ねんかんかかります (It takes five years)
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| - Japanese has specific words for ‘the day after tomorrow’ and ‘the day before yesterday’.
- When talking about time relatively, consistent prefixes are used to match ‘next’ and ‘last’ in English.
- The way verb endings are conjugated indicates negative and past tense.
- When the subject can be understood from the context, it is often omitted.
| - The verb かかります equates to ‘takes’ in English, when expressing duration.
- The use of suffixes following numbers communicates a range of times.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - The weather in Japan is often talked about at the beginning of a conversation.
| - Communicating about weather
| - きょうのてんきはどうですか (How is the weather today?)
- はれです (It is sunny)
- きょうはかぜがつよいです (The wind is strong today)
- ちょっとさむいです (It is cold today)
- そうですね (I agree / You are right)
| - There are four distinct seasons with important cultural events. The weather and seasons influence cultural activities in Japan, for example, the rainy season
つゆ (tsuyu) and festivals such as はなみ (hanami) cherry blossom viewing.
| - Comparing and contrasting weather and seasons
| - 日本のてんきはどうですか (How is the weather in Japan?)
- なつはとてもあついですが、ふゆはさむいです (Summer is very hot, but winter is cold)
- きょうはくもりですが、あたたかいです (It is cloudy but warm)
- いま日本はふゆですが、ニュージーランドはなつです。 (Now it is winter in Japan but summer in New Zealand).
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| - We use weather words such as nouns or adjectives with です.
- The format of the answer doesn’t have to follow the format of the question.
- The particle の doesn’t have to function as literal possession — it indicates something that is relating exclusively to what precedes it (e.g. today’s weather).
- Use が when talking about the weather.
| - Understanding a weather forecast is different to discussing the weather.
- Placing が after ですshows contrast.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - There are various cultural habits and daily routines which reflect the importance of respect and order in Japanese culture.
| - Communicating about habits, hobbies, and daily routines
| Habits, hobbies, and daily routines - 六じはんにおきます (I get up at 6am)
- 十じはんにねます (I go to bed at 10pm)
- まいしゅうすいようびにネットボールをします (I play netball every Wednesday)
- ともだちとひるごはんをたべます (I eat lunch with my friend)
Interrogatives Particles - 七じにおきます (wake up at 7 o’clock)
- がっこうでひるごはんをたべます。 (eat lunch at school)
- はしでたべます (eat [with] chopsticks)
- くるまでかえります (return home by car)
- きんようびかどようびにれんしゅうをします (practise on Friday or Saturday)
- 四じから五じまでピアノをれんしゅうします (I practise piano from 4 to 5 o’clock)
Adverbs - いつもべんきょうします (always study)
- よくべんきょうします (often study)
- ときどきべんきょうします (sometimes study)
- ぜんぜんべんきょうしません (not study at all).
| - Some Japanese words do not translate into English and are understood through a cultural context (e.g. いただきます).
| - Comparing and contrasting habits, routines, and daily activities
| Compare and contrast - しゅうまつにわたしはともだちとスポーツをしますが、いもうとはうちでゲームをします (On the weekend, I play sports with my friends, but my younger sister plays games at home)
- わたしはまいにちがっこうにバスでいきます。でも、ともだちはあるいていきます (I go to school every day by bus. However, my friend walks)
- わたしはほうかごにべんきょうしますが、おとうとはこうえんであそびます (I study after school, but my younger brother plays in the park)
- ニュージーランドではマオリのおしょうがつにうみにいきますが、日本ではおしょうがつにじんじゃにいきます (In New Zealand, we go to the beach at New Year. In Japan, we go to a Shrine).
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| - The way verb endings are conjugated indicates negative and past tense.
- The negative form of a verb communicates not doing an activity, and we can strengthen this with ぜんぜん.
- Particles show when activities take place and how verbs function.
- Simple interrogatives can be used to gain or clarify information.
- Adverbs are used to describe how often something occurs.
- When placed between two nouns, か is equivalent to ‘or’ in English.
- から and まで replicate the functions of ‘from’ and ‘until’ in English.
- The particle で indicates the means of transport.
| - The way verb endings are conjugated adjusts the context of the verb.
- Conjunctive particle が shows contrast or comparison between two sentences, while でも starts a new sentence to show contrast.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - Opinions are usually expressed in a polite way, and agreement is usually sought to maintain collective harmony.
| - Expressing a basic opinion, providing simple reasons where appropriate
| - どうしてすうがくがすきですか (Why do you like Maths?)
- おもしろいから すき です (Because it is interesting)
- ねこといぬ、どっち／どちらがすきですか (Which do you like, cats or dogs?)
- いぬがすきです。あたまがいいですから (I like dogs because they are smart)
- どうして日本ごをべんきょうしていますか (Why do you study Japanese?)
- らいねん日本にいきたいですから (Because I want to go to Japan next year).
| - Japanese tends to describe a physical state rather than a personal feeling or impulse (e.g. ‘I am thirsty’ is expressed as ‘My throat is dry’, and ‘I am hungry’ as ‘My stomach is empty’).
| - Describing states and feelings
| - 日本はどうでしたか (How was Japan?)
- たのしかったです。日本のともだちにあってうれしかったです (It was fun. I was happy to meet my Japanese friend)
- あめがたくさんふりましたから、さむかったです (It rained a lot, so it was cold)
- のどがいたいです (My throat is sore)
- びょうきです (I am sick)
Hunger and thirst - おなかがすきました (I am hungry)
- のどがかわきました (I am thirsty)
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| - The reason for (liking or doing) something precedes から.
- The particle が indicates a changeable state (e.g. something that you like but you may not always have (liked) or always will (like it)).
- When the subject is clear from context, it is often omitted. However, if the context doesn’t make the subject obvious, it is generally assumed to refer to the speaker.
| - Adjectives are conjugated to show tense.
- Hunger and thirst are expressed in Japanese using verbs for empty and dry.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | - There are ways to decline politely in Japanese without being direct.
| - Communicating using an extended repertoire of formulaic expressions, instructions, and short interactions
| Invitations - コーヒーはいかがです か (How about coffee?)
- ありがとうございます。いただきます (‘Thank you. I will have some’ — literally ‘I humbly receive it’)
- コーヒーはちょっと… (‘I will pass on the coffee’ — literally ‘Coffee is a little …’)
- どようびにいっしょにプールにいきませんか (Why don’t we go to the pool on Saturday?)
- いいですね。いきましょう (Sounds great. Let’s go)
- すみません、どようびはちょっと (Sorry, Saturday is a bit difficult for me)
- にちようびはどうですか (How about Sunday?)
On the phone | | - Communicating about the location of people, things, and events in more detail
| Location - でんわはどこにありますか (Where is the phone?)
- かばんのなかにあります (In the bag)
- きょうしつにだれがいますか (Who is in the classroom?)
- せんせいがいます (The teacher is in the classroom)
- for –は–にあります you ask どこにいます／ありますか (Where is it/are they?)
- –に–があります you ask だれが／なにがいます／ありますか (Who/What is there?)
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| - Negatives can be used to invite, and refusals are indirect.
| - The descriptor before に indicates the position of an object.
- The particle の can indicate the relation to an object, such as inside or behind.
- –は–にあります and –に–があります both mean something exists somewhere, but the focus is different:
- は–にあります focuses on the location
- –に–があります focuses on the item that exists.
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Cultural and sociolinguistic knowledge | | - Communicating about the location of people, things, and events in simple language
| Demonstratives - ここ／そこ／あそこ (here/there/over there)
- こちら／そちら／あちら (here/there/over there — polite/formal)
- せんせいのほんはどこです か (Where is the teacher’s book?)
- あそこです (over there)
- きょうしつはどちらですか (Where is the classroom?)
- こちらです (this way)
- ～にちかい／～からとおい
- うみからとおいです (far from the sea)
- やまにちかいです (near the mountains)
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| - The question どこ is answered with a location word.
- Adjectives can express location, such as far and close.
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