# First steps in Japanese

**Language:** Japanese  
**CEFR Level:** A1  

> Master essential spoken Japanese by listening to 結菜 and 大翔's conversation about navigating your very first day in Japan. It may feel challenging at first, but by the end of this course you will be able to fully understand and participate.

**Setting:** At a bustling street corner near Nishiki Market in Kyoto, Yuna's traditional wagashi shop sits right next to a busy transit path. Yamato, visiting Kyoto from Tokyo to source local ingredients, stops by her shop, and together they observe and assist a newly arrived foreign traveler navigating their very first day in Japan.

## Lessons

### 1. Describing what someone is doing

Yuna and Hiroto notice a person looking at a map and discuss whether they are lost and searching for the train station.

### 2. Discussing useful vocabulary

Yuna and Hiroto talk about the difficulties of learning Japanese and agree that "sumimasen" is the most important word to know.

### 3. Asking for directions

Yuna and Hiroto discuss how starting a conversation with "sumimasen" and asking for the station is all a lost traveler needs to do.

### 4. Indicating locations and objects

Yuna explains how to point out locations using "here" and "there," while Hiroto shares a useful phrase for asking what something is.

### 5. Counting basic items

Yuna and Hiroto talk about the price of a Japanese sweet and discuss the importance of learning basic counting methods.

### 6. Identifying Katakana loanwords

After spotting someone entering a convenience store, Yuna and Hiroto discuss how easy it is to learn Katakana words like "coffee" and "hotel."

### 7. Discussing polite Japanese language

Yuna reassures Hiroto that Hiragana is easy to learn, while Hiroto explains his strategy of mastering polite language before casual speech.