Undergraduate study | Japanese

Learn Japanese while exploring Japan's history, culture and politics, its place in East Asia, and its international relations.

Why study Japanese in Edinburgh?

  • Choose from three entry levels in Japanese - beginner, post-beginner or advanced.
  • Study over four years, giving you the choice and flexibility to try out different things.
  • Build up to fluency in the Japanese language and specialise in different aspects of Japanese studies as you move through your degree.
  • Spend Year 3 in Japan.
  • Explore fantastic libraries, collections and galleries at the University and in the city.
  • Join societies, attend events, and gain the skills and confidence for life after university.

I had been self-studying Japanese, but fluency always felt out of reach. Since starting at Edinburgh, my sentences have become more natural, and my pronunciation has improved. Speaking Japanese used to make me anxious; now it feels second nature. The Japanese MA programme has given me the language skills and connections in Japan I needed, and from April 2027, I’ll be living [my] dream, working in Tokyo at an AI × real estate company.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Thomas Year 4, Japanese MA (Hons)

Single and joint honours degree programmes

If you would like to take an undergraduate MA Hons degree programme in Japanese, you can:

  • take a single honours degree in Japanese
  • take a joint honours degree in Japanese and Linguistics

There’s lots of information about our undergraduate Japanese programmes on the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder. 

For example, for both programmes, you can find out about:

  • the courses you will take each year
  • how you will be taught and assessed
  • the support we offer
  • entrance requirements
  • English language requirements
  • fees and funding opportunities
  • student societies and living in Edinburgh
  • career destinations 

Information correct as of September 2026
See full student Terms & Conditions
If you’d like to study on any of our undergraduate programmes, you must apply through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.  

Skills and experience

Studying a language to degree level demonstrates that you're a good communicator, and someone open to other cultures and new ideas – what employers value as intercultural competence.

Beyond the language skills you'll develop on our programmes, you will gain a nuanced understanding of diverse cultures and societies.

Graduating with a four-year Master of Arts degree from the University of Edinburgh also shows intellectual maturity, resilience, and flexibility.

The skills you will be able to demonstrate to employers include the ability to:

  • understand, analyse and articulate complex issues and concepts
  • manage your time to meet deadlines on different types of projects
  • work independently and as part of a group

Opportunities across sectors

Our programmes are an excellent primer for a range of careers.

Within the private, public, not-for-profit, and for-benefit sectors, previous graduates have gone on to work in:

  • business, finance, commerce and tech
  • communications, marketing, advertising and public relations
  • education, outreach, advocacy and training
  • journalism, broadcasting and media
  • leisure, tourism and travel
  • politics, policy work, diplomacy, civil service and law
  • publishing, culture, heritage and the arts
  • research, development, consultancy and venture acceleration
  • translating and interpreting

Local and global opportunities

With increasing migration in response to changing global dynamics, there is demand for our graduates in Scotland, the UK and abroad.

Wherever you are based in the world, the ability to communicate in another language, and to understand the cultures to which it opens doors, will make you stand out.

If you are keen to work abroad, it’s good to know that Japanese ranks in the ten most commonly used languages by number of native speakers (125 million).

A cultural treasure trove, Japan is also a major global power with one of the world's top five economies.

Further study

The enhanced research skills you will develop on a four-year programme, particularly in your honours years, are a valuable asset if you wish to continue studying at postgraduate level.

At the University of Edinburgh, we typically offer a Masters by Research degree in Japanese and taught masters programmes in:

  • East Asian Studies (with the option to specialise in Japanese Studies)
  • Comparative Literature
  • Intermediality
  • Translation Studies

Any of our masters degrees, whether research-based or taught, is a good foundation for a PhD, but is equally of value as a stand-alone qualification.


QS World Rankings by Subject 2026

The University of Edinburgh is ranked 3rd in the UK for Modern Languages and 4th in the broader subject area of the Arts & Humanities.

Globally, we’re in the World Top 15: Arts & Humanities (9) and Modern Languages (12).

The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings are based on research citations and the results of major global surveys of employers and academics.

They are International Ranking Expert Group (IREG) approved.

Graphic of a person with a phone and the words #3 in the UK World Top 15

The Complete University Guide 2027

The University of Edinburgh is ranked 4th for Asian Studies in The Complete University Guide - Subject League Table 2027.

The Complete University Guide ranks the best 130 universities in the UK on measures such as:

  • student satisfaction 
  • graduate prospects 
  • entry standards
  • research quality

Its Subject League Table for Asian Studies is based on data from undergraduate programmes in a range of related subjects, including Chinese and Japanese.

Other ways to learn Japanese at Edinburgh

If you take a different degree at the University of Edinburgh, you can still learn Japanese with us!

Many undergraduate degrees at Edinburgh enable you to try different subjects in your first two years. If you are studying on one of these degrees, you can take Japanese as an option course - sometimes known as an 'elective course' or 'outside subject'. 

There are Year 1 courses for complete beginners and students with different levels of prior experience. All of them feed into Year 2 courses if you like Japanese and want to progress further.

Discover a world of languages graphic

Japanese is also available as part of the University's free Open Languages offer of 20 credit courses taken over one semester. Again, you can start at various levels.

Through the Centre for Open Learning, you can also opt to pay to take Japanese as a short Lifelong Learning course. These courses typically run three times a year for 10 weeks in the evening. 

Find out more about the different ways to take languages at Edinburgh

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