Learners Rejoice! 'Irodori: Japanese for Life and Work - Pre-Intermediate (A2/B1)' Now Available!

The Japan Foundation (JF) will release on March 31, 2026, the Japanese language coursebook 'Irodori: Japanese for Life and Work - Pre-Intermediate' for foreigners living and working in Japan.

'Irodori: Japanese for Life and Work' is an online learning material designed to help foreign nationals acquire the Japanese language proficiency needed for daily life and work situations in Japan. Introductory (A1), Beginner 1 (A2), and Beginner 2 (A2) levels were released in 2020. In addition to Japanese language, it is designed to teach useful knowledge and culture for living in Japan.

Since its release, it has been widely used by many users, and as of the end of February 2026, the cumulative page views on the website have reached approximately 23.75 million.

In recent years, the number of foreign nationals working in various fields has been increasing. There is a growing expectation for Japanese language skills that go beyond the basic proficiency acquired through learning up to Beginner 2, enabling individuals to live smoothly and work as members of the local community. Furthermore, there is a rising need for continuous Japanese language learning among individuals who have passed the Japan Foundation Test for Japanese Language Proficiency (JFT-Basic) (Note) and are preparing to visit or work in Japan.

In response to these circumstances, the 'Irodori: Japanese for Life and Work - Pre-Intermediate (A2/B1)' material has been developed and will be released as a means to further develop the basic Japanese language skills of beginner level learners.

By studying the pre-intermediate level, learners will aim to acquire Japanese language skills that allow them to communicate independently and without difficulty in their daily lives in Japan. The material covers various communication scenarios encountered in daily life and at work, enabling learners to acquire practical Japanese that can be used immediately.

The development of the pre-intermediate level took approximately two years, from conceptualization to writing and production. During the conceptualization phase, through user surveys and interviews with Japanese language education experts and learners both in Japan and abroad, discussions were held on topics necessary for actual life in Japan, information useful for foreigners, and the Japanese language required for active participation in society. In the writing and production phase, numerous photographs of things seen and used in real life were incorporated, and sounds recorded in actual urban environments and Japanese language classrooms were used as background noise to realistically depict life in Japan.

'Irodori: Japanese for Life and Work' is provided on the website and can be freely downloaded for free from anywhere in the world. The main textbook is in PDF format and can be printed for use or read on a tablet or smartphone. Audio is available for streaming in addition to download. Currently, levels from Introductory (A1) to Beginner 2 (A2) are available in up to 20 languages, and multilingual support for the Pre-Intermediate (A2/B1) level is planned to be rolled out sequentially.

Official Website: https://www.irodori.jpf.go.jp/

Note) The Japan Foundation Test for Japanese Language Proficiency (JFT-Basic) measures the Japanese language proficiency necessary for communication in Japanese daily life situations and determines whether the test-taker has "the ability to communicate to some extent in daily conversation and is able to function without difficulty in daily life." It is also used to measure the Japanese language proficiency level required to obtain the residency status of "Specified Skilled Worker (i)."

https://www.jpf.go.jp/jft-basic/