21F.501 Japanese I (MIT) course covers Japanese: The Spoken Language Lessons 1 through 6, providing opportunities to acquire basic skills for conversation, reading and writing. The program emphasizes active command of Japanese, not passive knowledge. The goal is not simply to study the grammar and vocabulary, but to improve the ability to use Japanese accurately and appropriately with fluency. Students will learn 56 Kanji characters in this course, as well as introducing Hiragana and Katakana.