Kon'nichiwa! With more than one hundred and thirty million speakers worldwide, Japanese is the world's ninth most widely spoken language. It boasts two distinct writing systems—hiragana and katakana, and makes extensive use of Chinese Kanji characters.

Meet

your Japanese Teachers

Yoko

Japanese teacher @ #BHLingual
for 5 years

The best part about living in Los Angeles is...

That you are able to enjoy the beautiful ocean coastline wherever you are. As you know, English is the most regularly spoken language in the United States. However, in LA, we have people of multiple ethnicities and cultures living here. There are 224 other languages spoken in Los Angeles, which can make it easier to have access to learning multiple languages. In Japan nowadays, the number of foreign workers has increased, so being able to speak Japanese is more of an in-demand skill. So, let's learn Japanese!

Recommend a place to visit where Japanese is the native language, and tell us why you like it.

Japan is an Island, surrounded by the ocean and beautiful nature, so it's hard to say where the best city is. However, I highly recommend Izu City in Shizuoka Prefecture. It was registered as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2018 as a place to meet locals and explore nature. What's more, you get to also view Mt. Fuji.

What Japanese film or musical artist do you recommend students watch or listen to?

The film I used to show my younger students is 'Totoro' by Miyazaki. In my opinion, even though technology has been advancing and evolving day to day into the future, people shouldn't forget about how to care for each other and be kind to nature.

What most surprises your students about Japanese?

Because of their nature, the Japanese are diligent and hard-working. When they start to create something, they put in all their effort to make it perfectly. They aim for perfection with their meticulous spirit. I strongly believe that they are leading the world with the finest cutting-edge technology. Another thing I would like to emphasize is their hospitality, which we call 'Omotenashi' in Japanese, which means 'without compensation.' Their actions flow out naturally without asking.

What one thing would you like your students to know about you?

I am diligent, full of energy, and ready to take on the task of teaching my students.

Japanese is the gateway to one of the most unique and fascinating cultures in the world today; the home of karate and karaoke, bonsai and bullet trains, sushi and sashimi.

Interestingly, Japanese people make up the third-largest language community on the Internet, after English and Chinese speakers. An estimated ten percent of the world's on-line population speaks Japanese. Knowing the language not only connects you to these people, but gives you access to a wealth of opportunities.

It has been said, too, that learning Japanese can help an individual to better read non-verbal cues. After all, a language is not always spoken or written.

Mastering a new language can change your life.

More About Japanese

Japaneese uses several thousand characters borrowed from Chinese, but in a different and more limited way that makes them easier to learn. The characters are used along with two syllabaries: sets of simple written symbols, each of which represents not one single letter but a complete syllable.

Unlike Chinese, Japanese has no tones to worry about, and Japanese grammar involves the learning of certain speech patterns more than changes in verbs, nouns, and adjectives.

Online Language Classes at the Beverly Hills Lingual Institute

The Beverly Hills Lingual Institute offers the most comprehensive selection of language classes you'll find in the Los Angeles area.

Classes are held in live online sessions, where students interact with their teacher and peers in real-time.

Classes are held at our facility located at 8383 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 800 in Beverly Hills, California.

Some of our 80-minute classes are scheduled during the evening with the first session running from 6:00 to 7:20 pm, and the second session running from 7:35 to 8:55 pm.

Classes are also offered during the day. See the schedule for a complete list of all classes.

We all speak one.
Some of us speak several.
A few of us know dozens.

Languages are a staple of everyday life, a necessity for getting by in the world and communicating with each other. They can help you get jobs, help you enjoy another country and culture—and even get you out of trouble.

Learning a new language can change your life.

Knowing how to say at least a few words in another language will break the ice at any business meeting, and will certainly make your vacation more pleasant.

You may also want to get in touch with your heritage by learning some of the language that your ancestors spoke. Language is a particularly good bridge in this regard, as it can often be a guide to the ways in which different cultures express not only ideas, but emotions. By exposing you to every aspect of the human condition, language allows you to study the past, understand the present, and ponder the future.

Choose a language and begin to enjoy the extraordinary benefits of being bilingual or multilingual.

Private Classes

Some students prefer private lessons instead of a scheduled class, or occasionally take private classes to augment their existing, scheduled group course.

Private classes are more flexible than Group classes. They are tailored to specific learning and scheduling needs. They can be useful if a student's language knowledge is uneven, if a more intensified study program is needed, or if privacy is a concern.

With our large staff of native speakers, we can schedule private lessons in most languages.

Private lessons are available in packages of eight, 80-minute sessions; or, if you are enrolled in a group class, your private lesson can be scheduled individually.

Please write us or call (323) 651-5000 to schedule your private class.

Alternative Programs

The majority of our scheduled language classes are designed for adult students who want to learn another language. We also offer the following alternative programs.

English · Accent Reduction

Classes evaluate the student's problem areas and focus on exercises designed to target and remedy those areas. Our Accent Reduction course focuses on pronunciation, stress, enunciation, diction, tonality, musicality, syntax, and articulation, through vowel and consonant exercises, work chants, tongue twisters, and readings. Individual attention is given to each student's area of difficulty.

English · Native Speaker

These classes are for those who grew up speaking English but want to improve and refine their English. Designed to give you the critical edge in English communication, they target grammar, spelling, and pronunciation.

Little Linguals

Designed for children aged 6 - 11, our "Little Lingual" classes meet once a week during the afternoon for one hour. Class content includes Alphabet, Songs, Games, Practical Words and Phrases, and Basic Dialogue. Children aged 12 and above can join our regularly scheduled adult classes.

These exciting classes are geared to get an early start on language learning while helping children enjoy and appreciate a different culture. This is the best time for them to learn a foreign language. The younger the learner, the better they are at mimicking new sounds and adopting pronunciation. The brain is open to new sounds and patterns in preadolescence.

Young children have the luxury of taking in a new language naturally. A child's brain is like a sponge, soaking up new vocabulary, sentence structure, words stress, pronunciation, and everything that makes up language quickly, easily—and, most importantly, without explicit grammatical instruction.

When you're an adult, learning a new language takes a bit more effort!

Young children have time to learn through play-like activities. Language lessons can be informal. Children's minds are not yet cluttered with facts to be stored and tested. Before children become self-conscious, they can try out their newly acquired languages without fear of embarrassment.

Children who grow up learning about languages develop empathy for others and a curiosity for different cultures and ideas. They're better prepared to take their place in a global society. In later years, career opportunities increase for those with additional languages to offer.

Studies by Harvard University confirm that learning additional languages increases critical thinking skills, creativity and flexibility of the mind in young children. Moreover, pupils who learn a foreign language outscore their non-foreign-language-learning peers in standardized verbal and math tests, indicating that learning additional language is a cognitive—and not just linguistic—activity. The brain, like any muscle, functions better with exercise. Learning a language involves memorizing rules and vocabulary, which helps strengthen that mental muscle.

Travel Classes

Our Travel Classes are designed for those who are planning a trip and want to get more out of their travel experience. These classes are held twice a week for one month. They are language classes focused on travel conversation, pronunciation, and culture.

Translating and Interpreting

With a roster of over eighty native-speaking teachers in over 30 different languages, the Beverly Hills Lingual Institute has the expertise to address many translating and interpreting challenges. This is a highly customized service. Please contact us to discuss your translating or interpreting requirements.