Undergraduate study | Japanese

• You’ll complete a four-year Master of Arts (MA) honours degree. You can take Japanese as a single honours degree, as a joint degree with Linguistics, or as part of a programme with International Business. 
• It doesn't matter whether you’re starting from scratch, or have some existing knowledge of Japanese. Over the course of your four years, ​​​you’ll progress in all aspects of the language, including the use of kana (Japanese phonetic writing) and kanji (Japanese characters).
• In addition, you will have the opportunity to learn about Japan's modern and pre-modern history, its politics, religion, society and culture - such as literature, theatre and film - and its international relations and place within East Asia. 

Years 1 & 2

Our programmes are very flexible. In your first two years, you'll likely get to choose option courses from a wide range of subjects alongside Japanese and any partner subject. This may enable you to change the focus of your degree going into your final two (honours) years, which is when you start to specialise.

Years 3 & 4

• Your third year will typically spent in Japan. Our graduates have told us how much the Year Abroad has benefitted their broader life experience and skills, as well as their understanding of Japan and East Asia.
• You will learn how to undertake your own research to the level of completing a dissertation or long essay in your final year. This is your chance to focus on a topic, period or discipline that’s of particular interest to you. We have an extensive range of honours courses to choose from.

Teaching and learning

• Our approach to learning and teaching is active, inclusive and question driven to help you gain skills for life after university.
• Across your courses, you’ll typically be taught in a combination of lectures, tutorials (including language classes) and seminars. On some courses, you will have seminars instead of lectures, especially in your honours years.
• You will also be expected to study independently and in small groups, and to read widely.

Assessment and support

• You’ll be assessed through a combination of coursework and exams. 
• Coursework may take a range of forms to give you the opportunity to practice different skills. 
• Exams will include oral exams to test your spoken language skills.
• Depending on where you go and what you do on your Year Abroad, Year 3 may include being assessed, in part, by a host university.
• As well as the teaching and other staff you will meet day-to-day, there are lots of ways to get help with your learning, including through the University’s Institute for Academic Development and Edinburgh University Students' Association.

In the 2025 to 2026 academic year, you can take Japanese as a single honours degree, or as a joint honours degree with Linguistics.

There is also the option to study an MA in International Business with Japanese; it doesn’t follow the same structure as the other two programmes, but it’s still a four-year degree, with a year abroad element.

If you’d like to study on any of our undergraduate programmes, you must apply through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. 

The UCAS site will show you if any of our Japanese degree programmes remain open for application for 2025 entry.

Search the UCAS website for our Japanese programmes

If you have applied to start studying Japanese with us in September 2025, check out our applicant website for 2025 entry.

Visit the applicant website for Japanese

Keen to get a head start for 2026?

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

For example, 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

Browse our Japanese programmes on Degree Finder 2026

Applications for 2026 entry open in September 2025.

Skills and experience

Studying one or more languages 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 will develop on our programmes, and the nuanced understanding you will gain of diverse cultures and societies, graduating with a four-year honours degree from the University of Edinburgh shows intellectual maturity, resilience, and flexibility.

The skills you will be able to demonstrate to employers when you graduate 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.

Find out more about LLC alumni and futures