Why Learn Japanese?
Learning Japanese gives you the opportunity to understand the language in anime, manga, and Japanese films. In our courses, you’ll practice speaking, writing, and listening in a practical way while discovering aspects of Japanese culture. This allows you to experience the content firsthand—whether through reading, watching, or traveling to Japan.
This is what Japanese sounds like:
Registration and Deregistration
Registration for our Japanese courses in the 2026/27 winter semester takes place via unisono and is available during the first and second registration periods:
Registration Phase 1: August 17 – September 6, 2026
Registration Phase 2: September 21 – October 4, 2026
If you are unable to attend a course after all, you can drop the course via unisono from September 7 through September 20, 2026. After this date, please send an email to sprachenzentrum@spz.uni-siegen.de to drop the course.
Placement Test
If you have not taken a Japanese course at the Language Center in the past two semesters, please register for a Japanese course (“preferred course”) via unisono during the registration periods.
You should select your preferred course based on your personal assessment using the self-assessment grid of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
If you have valid proof or a valid certificate of your language proficiency, a placement test is not required.
Our Japanese Teacher
Tomomi Müller-Matsuura is from central Japan and has been living in Germany for over 20 years. She has always been interested in languages, people, and culture. For her, it’s important to convey both subject-specific knowledge and a love of learning in her classes. She spends her free time cooking, singing, or meeting up with friends. She loves the natural beauty of the Siegerland region, but sometimes she also misses the ocean and the wide sandy beach. She is very excited to meet new people in her language classes, and she places great importance on ensuring that the classes also serve as a place for students to connect with one another.
The Japanese language uses three writing systems: hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
Japanese is based on approximately 100 to 110 syllables, from which all the words in the language are formed.
So many onomatopoeic words—known as "giongo" and "gitaigo"—are part of the Japanese language and frequently appear in everyday speech and manga.
There are more than 100 different types of sushi, which vary in ingredients, preparation, and presentation.
Language courses are really great; you get to meet students from all Schools. That’s how you end up with a truly diverse group of interested and open-minded people who welcome everyone. And here in the Japanese course in particular, Japan nerds, anime fans, and language enthusiasts all come together. Everyone is welcome, and you can tell that right away.
I always really enjoyed the course. Great teaching methods and engaging conversations. I've developed a fascination with the Japanese language and the country behind it.
Highly recommended course! It had always been my dream to be able to speak Japanese someday—or rather, to learn it. Thanks to the course and Sensei Müller-Matsuura, that dream came true. I can hold a conversation in Japanese and could even communicate in Japan without any problems.
The course was outstanding, easy to follow, easy to understand, and I really learned a lot, even though I've always thought that languages aren't my strong suit.
I really enjoyed the course. You learn a lot about Japanese culture and the language itself. I recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn a different language system and enjoys languages. It's a great course!
The Japanese class is fun and provides a good introduction to the language. The instructor is very kind and patient. She’s always there to help when you make mistakes.
There's always a great atmosphere in class. Conversation exercises on various topics make it easier to understand what we've learned. The course load is manageable enough to take alongside my studies.
Do you have any questions? Feel free to contact us:
Language Center at the Student Services Center (Building F-S)
Sandstraße 16-18
57072 Siegen
Office
Andrea Süßmann
Room: F-S 304
Phone: +49 271 / 740 3002
sprachenzentrum@spz.uni-siegen.de
Come visit us on the 3rd floor—we’d be happy to assist you.
