Finding Japanese classes in Waterloo that are both effective and affordable can be tricky. Classes are typically in groups, meaning you have limited opportunities to speak. On top of this, you’ll often find certain students dominate the conversation, or ask the teacher endless questions!
LanguaTalk offers a more convenient and effective alternative: 1-on-1 online Japanese classes with experienced native tutors. You won’t find these tutors available for face-to-face Japanese lessons in Waterloo. LanguaTalk finds the best tutors from around the world. They offer conversational Japanese classes at cheaper rates because they don’t have to travel to you and they often live in countries with a lower cost of living.
Probably you’re thinking: but are online classes really as effective as face-to-face? You can book a no obligation 30-minute trial session (for free with most tutors) and see for yourself. Classes take place via video call, allowing you to communicate with your tutor and share learning materials, as if you were in the same room. And you can book classes for whenever it suits you.
Below, you can filter to tutors who have availability that fits with your Waterloo time zone. Then watch videos, check reviews, and book a trial session.
If you have questions, you can click the 'Help' button in the bottom right. There, you’ll find answers to every question imaginable, and the option of contacting our support team.
Nami N
Nami N
Hello! My name is Nami. I am a Japanese native speaker.
Trial lesson
Beginners
Conversation
I am looking forward to seeing you!
See Reviews From StudentsRiku Y
Riku Y
Hi! I am a Japanese teacher Riku from Argentine😎
*Currently I only accept students who are older than 13 years old
*I don't do group lessons
・Has been teaching over 300 students with 5000 hours👨🏫📕
・Has been teaching Japanese on the online platform for more than 4 years👨🏫📕
・Worked as a Sales Engineer and Career Consultant👨💼💼
・Lived in the UK and Mexico, trilingual speaker(Japanese, English, and Spanish)🛫
・Good at teaching Business Japanese and daily life Japanese😎
-----------------------------------👨🏫Lesson plans👨🏫-----------------------------------
【👶Absolute beginner course👶】(JLPT N5)
・Learn Japanese from scratch! (Provide you original study materials)
・Learn Hiragana and Katakana, and their history and pronunciations
・Learn basic Japanese phrases(Greetings, self-introduction, color, a day of the week....etc)
【👦Intermediate course👧】(JLPT N4, N3)
・Develop your overall Japanese skill(Grammar, vocabulary, reading, listening, Kanji)
・Focus on your weak points(Tell me what you want to improve!)
・JLPT preparation
【👩🎓Advanced course👨🎓】(JLPT N2, N1)
・JLPT preparation
・Read and discuss articles
・Pros and Cons discussion
・Practice public speech and academic essay writing
【👩💼Business Japanese👨💼】
・Learn honorific phrases and points for doing business with Japanese people💼
・Learn "When", "Where", "To whom", and "How" use honorific words and should behave in the Japanese business environment
【👩💼Interview Preparation Course👨💼】
・Create and review Japanese-style resume and CV
・Do roleplay for job interviews
Are you ready to start the Japanese learning journey with me? Don't miss a chance!
-----------------------------------📌Things I want to tell you📌-----------------------------------
I know how difficult it is to learn foreign languages because I spent tons of time acquiring English and Spanish.
I believe, from my experiences, that learning foreign languages is like a "long journey".
It's impossible to arrive at the destination the next day but we know we can arrive there someday unless we stop moving forward💪
Let's be pleased with our small progress than big progress🙌
I look forward to joining your journey!
See Reviews From StudentsMadoka K
Madoka K
How do you do! My name is Madoka. I am from Tokyo. I was born and grew up there, but I have been living in the United States for quite a long time by now.
During those years, I studied, worked, got married and raised two children. Meantime, I taught beginning Japanese classes at the college level for two years, taught toddlers and pre-school children at my immersion-style Japanese family child care for more than 10 years; then, have been teaching elementary through high-school students at a Japanese school for 4 years (including 2 years of on-line class). Certainly, I raised my own children in Japanese. And recently I took the Japanese Language Teaching Competency Test to get officially certified as a Japanese teacher.
For me, languages are for communication. I love to learn different languages myself and love to teach my native language, Japanese, to other people to communicate with different people. I know Spanish enough to communicate. I am learning Korean along with Tae Kwon Do practice. I know both hardship and joy of learning languages.
Students from all ages and all levels are welcome. I communicate with students to find their level, interests and goal to accommodate the best lesson style for each of them. I usually use visual materials, quizzes and games. I may use textbook when needed but often customize materials on my own according to my student's need. My lesson is always interactive. I would expect you to join me and be an active part in our lesson!
Let me hear from you. If you are motivated enough to come here to read this and watch my video, why don't you get in touch with me to tell me about you. Let's meet in the trial session and talk more. We'll have fun and I will do my best to achieve your goal.
See Reviews From StudentsYoko B
Yoko B
Hello everyone. I’m Yoko. Nice to meet you.
I was born, raised and educated in Tokyo. I moved to Brazil in 2001 and now live in the UK.
I speak Japanese, Portuguese and English.
I know how hard it is to learn foreign languages, but it’s also fantastic to be able to communicate with people in the world.
I tailor my classes for all levels (your interests, needs, and also goals).
- Start from zero? That's great, we can have a lot of fun together to do speaking, grammar and writing hiragana and Katakana. I always encourage my students to learn Hiragana and Katakana at least. I believe being able to read Japanese helps your understanding and importantly, motivates you more.
- Looking for a conversation partner? Yes, I can do that. We can talk about anything you want, e.g., celebrity gossip, news about what's happening in the world.
- Looking for someone who corrects your writing? Yes, please count on me. Please send me your writing at least 1 day before the class. We’ll review it together in class.
I can give you accurate instructions, because I myself have been learning English and Portuguese for a long time, as I understand common mistakes we usually make.
[Beginner]
Material: ‘GENKI’’MARUGOTO’ or others (PPT, videos, music etc)
Learn: speaking, listening and writing (Hiragana and Katakana)
[Conversation]
Free conversation, discussion
Learn: Speak correctly
[Writing correction]
Pls send me your writing at least 1 day before the class. We’ll review it together in class.
*All the classes are available both in English and Portuguese.
Looking forward to seeing you soon.
-------------
Ola, sou Yoko. Prazer em conhecer.
Nasci e cresci em Toquio e me mudei ao Brasil em 2001 e agora moro no UK.
Falo japones, portugues e ingles.
Dou aula de japones para todos os niveis:
-Comece do zero? Eh otimo, podemos nos divertir muito de falar, gramatica e escrever hiragana e katakana. Eu insentivar meus alunos a aprenderem pelo menos Hiragana e Katakana. Ser capaz de ler japones ajuda a sua compreensão e motivacao.
-Procurando aula de conversa? Sim, conte comigo. Podemos falar qualquer assuntos que voce quiser, pode ser fofocas de celebridades, noticias sobre o que esta acontecendo no mundo.
-Procurando alguem corrija sua redacao? Sim, conte comigo. Me manda sua redacao pelo menos 1 dia antes da aula. Vamos revisa-la juntos na aula.
Espero encontrá-lo em breve!!
See Reviews From Students
Kaori S
Kaori S
My role is to be your mentor who support your goal. I believe in you and help you acquiring Japanese. Your course will be designed on your request based on your pace, interests, learning style and learning history.
In my classes, I try to give more time to speaking practice. Because learners cannot do this all alone. You can do writing practice at home. You can take time to look for the words and structure them carefully and try out something new. Watching short videos and listening to music can also be given as an assignment. I will help you with many picture slides. Once you get comfortable creating sentences with the new expressions and vocabulary, I will offer activities which stimulate conversations.
I do not insist on handwriting. I leave it to the learners. Handwriting helps some learners to memorize. Other learners are visual and rather work with flash cards. Nowadays, there is little necessity for handwriting. Most written communication is typed.
Beginners will have to decide on their textbook. I usually prefer the one which the learner has already been using. If the learner wants to have a new book or they have none, I can recommend one. The learner uses the textbook for doing homework, reviewing, or pre-study. I will use slides in the lessons for oral practice. For those who want conversation lessons, the materials can vary depending on the learner’s wishes.
Teaching is my joy. I appreciate each meeting that brings me the chance to learn through my teaching. Seeing the progress of my students makes me happy.
See Reviews From StudentsReiko M
Reiko M
Hello! Nice to meet you! My name is Reiko. I am from Osaka, Japan. Yes, Osaka! It's a fun and entertaining place to visit!
I graduated from a university in Kyoto and got qualified to teach elementary students in Japan.
I have been living in Canada for about 20 years. I homeschooled all my kids and have been teaching the Japanese language through online to students from beginner to intermediate.
My students are from 6years old to adults (50s) right now.
I use 'Genki' for teens and older students, and 'Japanese for young people' for younger children, and I use other materials for addition.
Any textbooks are always welcome. Please let me know if you have preferred materials.
Do you want to learn from Anime? Do you just want to speak in Japanese?
I am so excited to teach each student.
Looking forward to meeting you soon!
See Reviews From StudentsNorah A
Norah A
Hello there! I'm Norah. I am a Certified tutor of The 420-hour Advanced Japanese Teacher Training Course.
I was born and raised in Saitama and was working in Tokyo for 20 years. I speak "Tokyo-standard accent Japanese" and can teach Keigo (A special polite speech style) for business.
I have been teaching Japanese since 2018. When I was living in Florida, I was volunteering to help students who studied Japanese at a University, and that experience brought me to become an online Japanese tutor.
[My style]
I want you to relax and enjoy our lesson, I will ask you how you want to study Japanese. Some students want to study grammar accurately, some want to have conversations, some want to read books with me, and some students want to write a diary in Japanese! I can be flexible according to what you want. If you are not sure how to study Japanese, I will suggest the best way for you.
[Accent, Intonation of Japanese]
Pronunciation between English and Japanese is very different! I will help your accent and pronunciation to sound more natural in Japanese.
[My favorite materials]
Of course, you can use your favorite textbooks but I prefer to use these. Also, I use many different types of books for fun including comics, and news websites to gain vocabulary.
[Message to all Japanese-language learners]
I love teaching, listening to my students, and speaking with people from different countries. A small question may help your comprehension of the Japanese language. Don't hesitate to ask me. I would love to support you! Looking forward to seeing you. Book a trial lesson now! :)
Eriko K
Eriko K
Since 2015, I have taught over 5000 lessons online. I am a very friendly teacher. If you are nervous about starting classes, don't worry about it. From your first day, you can be relaxed, have a good time with your classes and learn to handle the Japanese language very effectively.
■My lessons & teaching style
My lessons are for students who want to acquire the basics of Japanese firmly, and suitable if you are a beginner or have some basic knowledge.
- Use of illustrations and images in each lesson☞Vocabulary and grammar are easy to remember.
- The Method is based on an exchange of questions and answers☞So that you can get used to listening and have many opportunities to speak.
- Through repetition☞Language knowledge is built up naturally in your brain little by little.
- You get corrections every time☞You can know where you usually get it wrong.
- Homework☞You can achieve communication skills with a good balance between speaking, reading, writing and listening.
*I send you corrections after the lesson.
*All material is supplied free of charge.
☆Textbooks: The ❝Minna no Nihongo❞ book series (Shokyuu I & II and Chuukyuu I).
■Certificates
2017 Cambridge English Entry Level Certificate in ESOL International (Entry 3) (Preliminary)* - Cambridge English Language Assessment Part of the University of Cambridge - *Preliminary English Test Council of Europe Level B1
2013 Spanish - Bachelor's in Education - Spanish academic degree of Bachelor - Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport
■Education
1993 - 1997 Bachelor’s - Japanese Literature - Osaka National University
■Work Experience
1997 - 1999 Journalist - Brain Center Inc. - Osaka, Japan
See Reviews From StudentsAya E
Aya E
Hello! I'm Aya. Nice to meet you! I'm a Japanese tutor who is currently living in Australia.
I like travelling and I am interested in the cultures of different countries around the world.
I have 8 years of Japanese teaching experience in Australia to school students as well as adults.
I have completed a Japanese teacher training course.
【About lessons】
★For beginners★
・In my lessons, we will study the most useful grammar topics and key phrases for your level and study purpose.
・I will encourage you to have a go practicing using these phrases, even if you are a beginner student.
・I also offer lessons for people who study Japanese for the first time.
・You can also do textbook based lessons using the textbook ‘Genki’ if you want.
★Conversation lessons★
・If you want to improve your speaking, we can do conversation practice. I will teach you natural Japanese expressions.
・In my conversation lessons, you can choose from a wide range of topics to talk about, such as travel, food, hobbies, sports, movies to name a few.
I can tailor my lessons to suit your study style and purpose. I have experience tutoring school students as well as tutoring adults who want to learn Japanese for travel, for business and as a hobby. Whatever your reason for studying Japanese, I am ready to help!
I'm looking forward to helping you with your Japanese!😀
See Reviews From Students
Aki M
Aki M
Hi I'm Aki, an experienced Japanese teacher.
I've been tutoring students in the United Kingdom for almost a decade. I taught a variety of students: e.g. young children (primary school), teenagers (GCSE /A-level), university students, and adults up to over 60 years old. Most of them are beginners or intermediate-level learners.
Let me describe my teaching style with 3 key points:
1) TEACHING MATERIALS: I mainly use my original teaching materials which are full of visual-focused explanations and custom illustrations. I believe every lesson should be customised to some extend, because of the many different types of students (visual learners, auditory learners, and kinesthetic learners) and their unique objectives. I use my own materials in a different way depending on the students, and use other materials such as textbooks (e.g. exam book) and websites (e.g. news, culture) when required.
2) SPEAKING TIME: I pay attention to the balance of my speaking time and students' speaking time, because it's very important for the students to apply what they have learned to real situations. In this way, I try to make my lesson more interactive than just straight forward tutoring. I make situations where they can talk without hesitation. For example, I choose topics that are interesting and/or familiar to them.
3) FOLLOW-UP: I give them feedback and/or assignments after lessons so that they can review the lessons properly and ask questions if they have any. Also I give advice when a student gets stuck on learning a particular aspect of Japanese, because I had similar experiences when learning English.
Thus, I am committed to providing professional but fun Japanese language lessons in my own way!
*I currently teach private students online in the United Kingdom. I have previously worked as a Japanese teacher assistant in Sand Lake Elementary School in Alaska, USA. I successfully completed the CELTA course and have earned several teaching certificates.
See Reviews From StudentsWhilst not always the case, Japanese classes in Waterloo are typically more expensive than online learning options. This is due to the costs associated with using a classroom, as well as travel time and expenses for teachers. Online classes, on the other hand, eliminate these overheads. Additionally, online instructors often live in countries with lower living costs, which can further reduce the price of online classes.
Many students initially have reservations about participating in online Japanese classes, thinking the experience will be vastly different from in-person classes. However, they often discover that online classes can be just as engaging and effective. In an online Japanese class, you’ll interact with your teacher and classmates as if you were all in the same room. The teacher may share resources (like articles or videos) and will collaborate with you in real-time using tools like Google Docs or Dropbox Paper, ensuring an interactive learning environment. The biggest benefit is convenience: there is no need to travel, and you can book lessons for when it suits you.
If you prefer in-person learning over online classes, LanguaTalk might not be the best fit for your needs. For local classes, you can search through community boards or local service listing websites. However, we encourage you to explore the convenience and effectiveness of online classes. You can start with a free trial session to experience the benefits first-hand, such as access to a broader range of experienced teachers and potentially lower costs.
While some teachers on LanguaTalk may offer in-person conversational classes in their local area, the majority specialize in online teaching. This approach is more convenient for them, allowing flexibility and the comfort of working from home. Most teachers are not based in Waterloo and are spread across the globe, so if you're looking for a class with LanguaTalk, you should anticipate an online learning experience.
On LanguaTalk, you can find exceptional tutors for 1-on-1 Japanese lessons tailored to your goals and learning preferences. Here’s how to try it for yourself:
1 - Find your ideal tutor by browsing videos, reviews, pricing and availability.
2 - Book a trial. Many tutors offer a 30-minute trial for free; others charge a discounted price.
3 - Take personalised lessons with your new tutor via video call. Or try someone else.
No card is required to book a free trial session. Please only book if you're considering taking lessons. Pricing varies by tutor and you can use the filter to find someone who fits your budget. You can pay one lesson at a time, or buy in bulk for a discount (open a tutor's profile to see their pricing options).
We’re confident you’ll love learning via LanguaTalk. We're trusted by students all over the world because we're transparent. We ask students to rate each lesson, and we display reviews on tutors’ profiles.
99.8% of lesson ratings are 5 stars. Why? Because unlike other platforms, we accept only the top 10% of tutor applications.
To see our full FAQs or get help from our friendly team, click the 'Help' button in the bottom-right. You can also watch students talking about their experiences learning via LanguaTalk below.
The beauty of taking lessons online is that you can learn anytime, anywhere. When you choose a tutor, just check their calendar to make sure that they have available times that fit your schedule. Some tutor have limited availability as they already have a lot of students.
New to LanguaTalk? We'll give you a credit for a free trial session. Many, but not all, tutor offer these for free. If they do not, the price will be just 30 percent of their full lesson price, so you can still try a session at minimal cost.
Trial sessions last 30 minutes. They allow you to assess whether the tutor is a good fit for you, and get a feel for learning online. The tutor will assess your level and aim to understand your needs and interests so that they can customise any lessons you decide to take. You'll be encouraged to speak in Japanese as much as possible, but of course you can speak in English too!
If, after your trial session, you don't feel that the tutor is quite right for you, you can book a trial with another tutor for just 30 percent of their full lesson price.
The vast majority of students take 55-minute lessons. But some tutors also provide the option of 30-minute lessons. If they do, you’ll see this noted on their profile (below their pricing and above the ‘Buy Lessons’ button).
55-minute lessons are recommended for most students. In general, we only suggest considering 30-minute lessons if they’re for your child, or you have an intermediate level and only want conversation practice.
Lessons are taught 1-on-1 so that you receive your tutor’s full attention and can make fast progress. Communicating via video call, you’ll be able to talk to your tutor and share learning materials as if you were in the same room.
The tutors vary in terms of their teaching methods, resources, experiences, and personalities. So we suggest you look at several profiles to choose the best tutor for you. Whichever Japanese tutor you pick, they'll aim to tailor the lessons to your individual needs.