Japanese Language
About Japanese
Our Program and Courses
With small class sizes and close collaboration between students and professors, you will develop the tools to reflect critically on the cultural practices, products, and perspectives of the Japanese-speaking world and your own. Through intensive language training in the classroom, you will grow your confidence and fluency in Japanese, including mastery of the Hiragana and Katakana Japanese writing systems and an introduction to Kanji characters.
Wondering what a Japanese course is like? Take a look at our course catalog to explore what’s available to you.
Learning Outside the Classroom
Off-Campus Study
When learning a foreign language, it’s important to experience its use in communities
that speak it natively. Studying in Japan lets you experience the Japanese language,
culture, and people first-hand. The six-week summer program at Tohoku Gakuin University
in Sendai, Japan, includes homestays with Japanese families. You may also choose to
participate in off-campus study programs in Japan for a semester or year.
Explore off-campus study at F&M
Research Opportunities
Every student at F&M has extraordinary opportunities to engage in independent or faculty-led
research.
Explore research at F&M
Success Beyond F&M
The interpretive skills, practical skills, cultural knowledge and awareness, and the intellectual connections you gain by studying Japanese at F&M are valuable for any post-college plan.
Alumni Spotlight
Chilamo Taylor ’24 Forges Unique Path to Japan
Read More »Event Spotlight
Japanese Tie-Dyeing
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What does art of the past tell us about the transformation of visual and material
experience over time? By studying History of Art and Architecture at F&M, you’ll actively
engage with this living dimension of the past through its artifacts, images, architecture,
and relevant texts. Embark on an enriching journey through time, exploring a vast range of geographic
regions, topical themes, and time periods. By studying history at F&M, you’ll gain
a deeper understanding of history and historical processes, and develop keen insight
into how they have shaped the present and will influence the future. International studies is an innovative program that combines off-campus study in a
non-English-speaking location with on- and off-campus coursework. As a student of
international studies at F&M, you will develop a global perspective and immerse yourself
in the languages and cultures of non-English-speaking countries and regions.Related Fields of Study
History of Art and Architecture
History
International Studies
October 1, 2025 A Diplomat's influence reaches everywhere — even the skies of Japan. This summer, a handful of astrophysics majors and their professor enjoyed a two-week trip to Japan that was “part pulsar science expedition, part cultural exchange related to the NANOStars program at F&M," says Fronefield Crawford, Charles A. Dana Professor of Physics and Astronomy. May 1, 2024 How did football and fashion lead Franklin & Marshall senior Chilamo Taylor to a prestigious postgraduate fellowship in Japan? Learn more about his upcoming Princeton in Asia fellowship. November 3, 2021 On a cool autumn afternoon outside Franklin & Marshall's Brooks College House, dozens of students gathered around as Ken-ichi Miura explained shibori, a Japanese tie-dyeing technique. Miura, senior teaching professor and the director of the Japanese Program, said the practice of traditional Japanese indigo dyeing is called "Aizome," which he demonstrated for students before they began turning their fabric tote bags and T-shirts in various designs of blue.F&M Japanese in the Spotlight
Starstruck in the Land of the Rising Sun
Chilamo Taylor ’24 Forges Unique Path to Japan
Dye Magic Changes Yellow to 'Japan Blue'