Learning Materials

The purpose of Kumon's Japanese Language Program is to develop a student’s reading ability. It is a self-study program with material that advances in appropriate steps to ensure smooth progress. Students who follow the worksheets’ instructions and study the grammar explanations can progress with minimal assistance from an instructor. Anyone, from a complete beginner to an advanced student, can benefit by studying Kumon’s program.

Note: Bookstores do not sell Kumon worksheets. They are only available to students who enroll in a Kumon program.

The Japanese Language Program

Kumon's Japanese Language Program has 15 levels: starting from 4A, where students learn to read and write hiragana, to JL, where students read excerpts (with English translations) from Japanese novels and essays. The 15 levels make up a total of 2,400 worksheets (4,800 pages). Through the worksheets students learn: the reading and writing of kanji, vocabulary, grammar and expressions. By listening to the CDs and reading the material aloud, students are better able to use the vocabulary and expressions studied in the worksheets in their daily lives.

Levels 4A~2A

As an introduction to Japanese, these 3 levels focus on reading and writing hiragana. Students first study simple words and then move on to simple sentences. From 2A, students start to study basic grammar.

Level 4A:	Reading hiragana characters and words Reading basic hiragana sentences (2 words)	4A62a 4A131a
Level 3A:	Writing hiragana characters and words Writing basic hiragana sentences (2 to 3 words) Verbs	3A41a 3A188a
Level 2A:	Reading and writing hiragana sentences (short stories) Adjectives Three basic sentence patterns	2A176b 2A179a

Levels A~C

Level A introduces katakana and kanji. Students study grammar necessary to construct simple sentences, such as word order and the usage of particles including ga, wa, ni, and de. Students study everyday situational dialogues (in formal form), e.g., train travel, etc.

Level A:	Reading and writing katakana Introduction to kanji (27 kanji) Expressions using verbs	A20a A110a
Level B:	Basic sentence construction and elements of a sentence Numerals and counters On reading and Kun reading of kanji (31 kanji) The use of particles	B142a B188a
Level C:	Word order The topic particle wa Past and negative formal forms Study of 59 Kanji	C57b C60a

Levels D~F

Students complete elementary-level grammar, and study essential kanji and vocabulary. Students study verb conjugation, sentence-ending forms, and tenses. Kanji frequently used in daily life are introduced. (In levels A-F a total of 451 kanji are studied.) A student who completes level F will have learned conversational expressions that are used frequently in daily life.

Level D:	Verb conjugation Formal and informal sentences Predicative expressions Okurigana – kana suffixes added to kanji (61 kanji)	D27a D132a
Level E:	Expressions that give detail to a sentence The structure of complex sentences Kanji (182 kanji)	E82a E134b
Level F:	Tenses and the te-iru form Kanji and kanji compounds (91 kanji) Rewriting sentences into different patterns	F26a F30b

Level JG~JI

Students study grammar necessary to understand long passages, including the advanced use of verbs (passive and causative voice), sentence-ending forms and conjunctions.

Level JG:	The passive form of verbs and passive sentences The causative form of verbs and causative sentences The potential form of verbs and potential sentences Transitive and intransitive verb sentences	JG14a JG14b
Level JH:	Various sentence-ending forms Reading long passages (equivalent to Japanese elementary school 3^rd grade level)	JH31a JH95a
Level JI:	Conjunctions and conjunctive particles (e.g. そして[and]) Reading long passages (equivalent to Japanese elementary school 3^rd grade level)	JI13a JI88b

Level JJ~JL

Students are exposed to authentic Japanese by reading excerpts with English translations, from Japanese novels and essays. (Equivalent to Japanese elementary school 4^th to 6^th grade, and junior high school 1^st and 2^nd grade levels).

The Kokugo Program

The Kokugo program is for native Japanese speakers wanting to improve their native language ability. For non-native speakers of Japanese, it is equivalent to an advanced course. Generally, those who complete the Japanese Language Program start from level CI of the Kokugo program, or alternatively their starting level is determined by the results of a diagnostic test. As the Kokugo worksheets contain no English translations, non-native students often need to refer to dictionaries and other reference material.

Kokugo Levels CI to FII

The Kokugo levels CI to FII are equivalent to Japanese elementary school 3rd to 6th grade levels.

In Kokugo levels A to FⅡ the student studies kanji up to Japanese elementary school 6th grade equivalent (1,006 kanji).

Level C	Japanese elementary school 3rd grade kanji (192 kanji) Elements of a sentence, sentence ending forms, voice Improving reading comprehension skills at the sentence level Responding to questions	CⅠ164a
Level DⅠ / DⅡ	Japanese elementary school 4^th grade kanji (200 kanji) Subject/predicate/complex sentences Reading complex sentences in paragraphs and understanding the topic	DⅠ2a
Level EⅠ / EⅡ	Japanese elementary school 5^th grade kanji (185 kanji) Conjunctions, connecting two phrases Comprehending the relationship between paragraphs	EⅠ12a
Level FⅠ / FⅡ	Japanese elementary school 6^th grade kanji (181 kanji) Demonstratives (e.g.これ[this]), sentence patterns for answers Reading comprehension: examples, descriptive phrases, and figurative language	FⅠ2a

Kokugo Advanced Levels GI to I II

The Kokugo levels GI to I II are equivalent to Japanese junior high school 1st to 3rd grade levels.

From level A to I Ⅱ of the Kokugo materials, the student completes the study of the 1,945 Joyo kanji (the kanji acquired by the end of junior high school in Japan).

Level GⅠ / GⅡ	Reading and writing kanji (318 kanji) Understanding the main point and flow of long passages Reading passages containing about 800 characters	GⅡ156a
Level HⅠ / HⅡ	Reading and writing kanji (317 kanji) Understanding the relationship between sentences in long passages Reading passages containing about 1,200 characters	HⅠ183a
Level IⅠ / IⅡ	Reading and writing kanji (304 kanji) Summarizing the passage Reading passages containing about 1,500 characters	IⅡ120a

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