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.

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
• entrance requirements
• English language requirements
• fees and funding opportunities

Browse our Japanese programmes on Degree Finder

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

Find out more about UCAS deadlines for undergraduate study

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 Master of Arts 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 concepts, and to manage your time to meet deadlines on different types of project, both 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 and commerce
• 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 and venture acceleration
• translating and interpreting

Home and away

With increasing migration in response to changing global dynamics, there is demand for our graduates both at home 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 - with more than 128 million native speakers - Japanese is one of the world's 15 most commonly used languages.

A cultural treasure-trove, the country is also a major global power.

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, for example, we typically offer a Masters by Research degree in Japanese and taught MSc programmes in:

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

Find out more about LLC alumni and futures