JPNS1611 Japanese 1 (University of Sydney): rated 3.8/5 overall across 32 reviews collected on USYD Wall.
JPNS1611 is a University of Sydney course taught by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in Japanese Studies. This page brings together its handbook details and what USYD students say about it.
Review data updated 2026-10-24.
Chinese title: 日语1
Type: Undergraduate
Credit points: 6
Subject area: Japanese Studies
Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Level: Undergraduate Level 1
Handbook year: 2026
This beginners' unit introduces basic communication skills in understanding and speaking Japanese. Students will also learn to write the two Japanese syllabaries and approximately 60 kanji characters and to recognise at least 100 kanji characters in context.
JPNS1611 has 32 scored reviews: overall 3.8/5 · usefulness 4.8 (all out of 5; higher difficulty means harder).
Sources: 5 StudentVIP reviews (average 4.8 stars); 27 Reddit comments that an AI model judged to be reviewing this course (average would-recommend 3.6/5).
On Reddit: "If you have a good memory I’d say languages are easy. If you’re good at bio then bio is easy, if you’re good at maths then maths is easy, if you’re good at chem then chem is easy… I haven’t done stuff like history/literature/gender studies but if you’re interested in them and go…"
On Reddit: "I've done JPNS1611, JPNS1612 and JPNS 2612, and have gotten pretty good grades for someone who's never studied Japanese before. I learnt all Hiragana and Katakana from scratch in less than a month and so did all my classmates in JPNS1611, so yes I think it is very beginner-frien…"
The course panel on USYD Wall shows every review and discussion in full.
Q: Is JPNS1611 worth taking?
A: Averaged over 32 reviews: usefulness 4.8/5, overall 3.8/5.
Q: Which faculty teaches JPNS1611, and when is it offered?
A: JPNS1611 is taught by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Check the official handbook for the current year.
USYD Wall is an independent student community and is not affiliated with University of Sydney.