Business Japanese Classes Online｜CEFR B1–C1
Build practical keigo, professional writing, and communication skills with Japonin (JOI)’s live online classes.
Based on experience with over 6,000 learners, these lessons also teach essential business etiquette to help you succeed in professional settings.
Business Japanese Lessons at a Glance
- Recommended Level: CEFR B1–C1 (Intermediate to Advanced)
- Format: 50-minute online Zoom lessons (small groups, max 7 students)
- Classes: A (Conversation, Phone, Keigo Basics) / B (Practical Keigo, Email, Business Writing)
- Materials: Original Japonin (JOI) materials (case studies, role-plays, real examples)
- Focus Areas: Keigo, business manners, conversation, phone skills, email, document writing
- Schedule: Start anytime / choose freely from multiple time slots each week
▶ Class Overview
- What You’ll Learn: Real-World Keigo, Communication, and Business Japanese
- Live, Online Zoom Japanese Classes｜Interactive Small Groups (Up to 7 Students)
- Business Japanese A｜Workplace Conversation, Phone Etiquette, and Essential Keigo (B1–C1)
- Business Japanese B｜Professional Keigo, Writing Techniques, and Core Business Japanese (B2/C1)
- FAQ
- How To Get Started With Business Japanese Classes
- Business Japanese Specialists｜Meet Our Expert Teachers
- Student Voices｜What Our Students Say
- Corporate Japanese Training｜Business Japanese Lessons for Companies
What You’ll Learn: Real-World Keigo, Communication, and Business Japanese
- Learn to use keigo (honorific language) naturally, along with business etiquette and communication skills you’ll need in Japanese companies. You’ll practice expressions for reporting, emailing clients, and talking with customers.
- Strengthen your communication for real workplace situations—emails, calls, conversations, and reports. Gain the confidence to speak and write clearly in professional settings.
- Enhance your practical business Japanese. Use clear, professional language to build trust at work.
The Business Japanese A Class focuses on conversation, phone etiquette, and the basics of keigo.
It’s a great choice if you want to improve your speaking and communication skills in professional settings.
The Business Japanese B Class is ideal if you’d like to build advanced writing skills and learn more complex keigo expressions for emails, documents, and workplace communication.
Compare Business Japanese A and B Classes
| Category | Business Japanese A Teacher: Ishibashi Sensei | Business Japanese B Teacher: Yamamoto Sensei |
|---|---|---|
| Level | CEFR B1–C1 | CEFR B2/C1 |
| Focus | Speaking, foundational keigo, phone communication | Advanced keigo, business writing, professional communication |
| Recommended for | Learners who want to strengthen their speaking and conversation skills | Learners who want to refine their writing skills and master business communication in Japanese |
Lessons are held at various times each week, so you can book freely to fit your schedule.
Both Business Japanese classes come with two free trial lessons to get you started.
If you’re unsure which class to choose, feel free to start with either and see which works best for you.
Live, Online Zoom Japanese Classes｜Interactive Small Groups (Up to 7 Students)
These live online lessons are held via Zoom in small groups of up to 7 people. Each lesson is 50 minutes and helps you build practical Business Japanese for real work situations.
They’re offered as Flex Lessons, so there’s no set start date—you can join anytime, from anywhere, and learn at your own pace.
Business Japanese A｜Workplace Conversation, Phone Etiquette, and Essential Keigo (B1–C1)
The Business Japanese A class aims to help you build Business Japanese skills at CEFR levels B1–C1. Teacher: ISHIBASHI Kaori
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Business Etiquette | Learn greetings, company visits, polite language, and business customs. Practice useful expressions through role-plays. |
| Phone Communication | Review call procedures and practice phrases for phone conversations. Role-play both calling and receiving calls. |
| Business Conversations | Develop communication skills for meetings, reporting to supervisors, and interacting with colleagues. Includes conversation practice and role-plays. |
| Keigo | Learn and practice how to use keigo in business conversations through examples and role-plays. |
Business Japanese B｜Professional Keigo, Writing Techniques, and Core Business Japanese (B2/C1)
The Business Japanese B class is designed to help you build skills at CEFR B2 and C1 levels.
Lessons cover complete themes over a set number of sessions, then repeat from the first session. Teacher: YAMAMOTO Hiroshi
Explore details of the three focus areas here:
▶ Business Japanese Basics ｜ Using Keigo Effectively ｜ Japanese Writing Skills for Business
| Category | Details | CEFR | Sessions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Japanese Basics | Learn the basics of keigo, writing internal and external emails, and phone communication. | B2 | 19 |
| Using Keigo Effectively | Practice using keigo in various business situations, like scheduling meetings, apologizing, and reporting to supervisors. Note: You need to be able to type Japanese in the chat. | C1 | 23 |
| Japanese Writing Skills for Business | Learn key principles for writing clear, professional Japanese documents. The skills are also helpful for non-business writing. | B2 | 19 |
Which should you choose?
? Want to build a strong foundation in conversation, phone skills, and basic keigo? → Business Japanese Basics
? Want to master keigo for work? → Using Keigo Effectively
? Want to improve your professional writing? → Japanese Writing Skills for Business
Yamamoto sensei will send the following materials after the completion of each lesson, tailored to the respective lesson themes.
Materials for Business Japanese Basics
- General keigo expressions – 10
- Specific keigo expressions – 30
- Formal expressions (nouns, adjectives, adverbs) – 98
- Formal expressions (verbs) – 49
- Common phrases used in business phone calls (6 situations) – 65
Materials for Writing Business Documents
- Common conjunctions in business documents – 7
- Agreement expressions – 23
- Common written expressions in business – 147
- Words indicating specific meanings before or after phrases – 14
- Words beginning with 不 (fu), 非 (hi), 無 (mu) – 43
- Case-marking particles – 9
- Frequently used expressions in business documents – 14
- Common vocabulary in business documents – 163
- Homonyms with different meanings – 37
1. Business Japanese Basics (19 Sessions)｜CEFR B2
This class focuses on foundational keigo and basic skills for writing internal and external business emails. Teacher: YAMAMOTO Hiroshi
| Topic | No. | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Keigo Basics | 1 | Types of keigo, general and specific expressions |
| Keigo Basics | 2 | Honorific prefixes: “お” and “ご” |
| Keigo Basics | 3 | Formal expressions I (nouns, adjectives, adverbs) |
| Keigo Basics | 4 | Formal expressions II (verbs) |
| Keigo Basics | 5 | Conversation styles I (polite, honorific, casual) |
| Keigo Basics | 6 | Conversation styles II (polite, honorific, casual) |
| Internal Emails | 7 | Key points for internal emails |
| Internal Emails | 8 | Basic structure |
| External Emails | 9 | Key points and structure, subject line, recipient name |
| External Emails | 10 | Greetings, self-introduction, opening remarks (A) |
| External Emails | 11 | Opening remarks (B: main purpose) |
| External Emails | 12 | Main content and closing |
| External Emails | 13 | Standard formats |
| Phone Skills | 14 | Standard calls I |
| Phone Skills | 15 | Standard calls II |
| Phone Skills | 16 | When the person is unavailable I |
| Phone Skills | 17 | When the person is unavailable II |
| Phone Skills | 18 | Handling inquiries |
| Phone Skills | 19 | Handling problems |
2. Using Business Keigo Effectively (23 Sessions)｜CEFR C1
This class focuses on:
- Using keigo in different business situations
- Improving your email writing skills
Participants should already know basic keigo and be able to type in Japanese during lessons.
Teacher: YAMAMOTO Hiroshi
| Topic | No. | Details |
|---|---|---|
| External Emails (Actions) | 1 | Arranging meetings and appointments |
| External Emails (Actions) | 2 | Making proposals and offers |
| External Emails (Actions) | 3 | Confirming the recipient’s intentions |
| External Emails (Actions) | 4 | Changing plans or schedules |
| External Emails (Actions) | 5 | Visiting clients |
| External Emails (Actions) | 6 | Handling client visits |
| External Emails (Actions) | 7 | Inviting clients or partners |
| External Emails (Actions) | 8 | Sending notifications |
| External Emails (Actions) | 9 | Making inquiries |
| External Emails (Actions) | 10 | Making requests |
| External Emails (Actions) | 11 | Declining offers |
| External Emails (Actions) | 12 | Apologizing for inconvenience |
| External Emails (Actions) | 13 | Expressing gratitude |
| External Emails (Actions) | 14 | Sending congratulations |
| External Emails (Actions) | 15 | Reserving important events |
| External Emails (Greetings) | 16 | Introducing yourself after a personnel change |
| External Emails (Greetings) | 17 | Farewell messages after a personnel change |
| External Emails (Greetings) | 18 | Seasonal greetings (year-end, New Year) |
| External Emails (Greetings) | 19 | Closing remarks in emails |
| External Emails (Format) | 20 | Standard opening formats |
| Internal Emails | 21 | Reporting |
| Internal Emails | 22 | Internal notifications |
| Internal Emails | 23 | Consulting / Seeking advice |
3. Japanese Writing Skills for Business (19 Sessions)｜CEFR B2
This class covers key points for writing business documents, common rules of expression, and techniques to make your writing clearer and easier to read.
Teacher: YAMAMOTO Hiroshi
| Topic | No. | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 1 | Characteristics of business documents |
| Essentials | 2 | Basic structure of business documents |
| Essentials | 3 | Writing concisely |
| Essentials | 4 | Writing accurately |
| Essentials | 5 | Writing to avoid misunderstandings |
| Essentials | 6 | Writing clearly and visibly |
| Rules of Expression | 7 | Correct use of characters I (kanji, hiragana, katakana) |
| Rules of Expression | 8 | Correct use of characters II (numbers, symbols, punctuation) |
| Practical Skills | 9 | Keeping a consistent writing style |
| Practical Skills | 10 | Nominal sentence endings I (particles, verbs) |
| Practical Skills | 11 | Nominal sentence endings II (adjectives, specific expressions) |
| Practical Skills | 12 | Unifying expressions and avoiding repetition |
| Practical Skills | 13 | Using appropriate conjunctions |
| Practical Skills | 14 | Using appropriate case particles |
| Practical Skills | 15 | Common words in business documents |
| Practical Skills | 16 | Common expressions in business documents |
| Practical Skills | 17 | Homonyms I |
| Practical Skills | 18 | Homonyms II |
| Practical Skills | 19 | Common mistakes (じ/ず, ち/ず, “は” and “が”) and expressions to avoid |
How to Get Started with Business Japanese Classes
First, try two free trial lessons to discover our Business Japanese classes.
Would you like to get started easily?
Try 2 Free Live LessonsFAQ
Is it okay if I’m completely new to Business Japanese?
I don’t have any experience using Japanese in business. Can I still join?
I struggle with keigo. How can I improve?
I’m not sure which class to choose. Can I get advice?
My schedule is very busy. Can I study at my own pace?
Can I change my plan or lesson frequency later?
I already have some basic Business Japanese skills. Can I focus on specific goals?
*If you would like private lessons tailored to your individual needs, please contact us.
Do you offer corporate training plans?
Business Japanese Specialists｜Meet Our Expert Teachers
ISHIBASHI Kaori
Specialist in Business Japanese Instruction | 20 years of experience as a Japanese language teacher
Qualifications & Background
- Graduated from Meikai University, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Department of Japanese
- Completed a 420-hour Japanese Teacher Training Course at Tokyo Central Japanese Language School
- Passed the Japanese Language Teaching Competency Test
- Taught at Japanese language schools in Chiba, Kyoto, and Osaka
- Provided Japanese language instruction to companies in Osaka and Kyoto
Business Japanese A Class
This class helps learners build natural conversational and keigo skills for professional situations. Lessons cover phone communication, workplace conversations, and other practical topics through role-plays to strengthen real-world communication.
YAMAMOTO Hiroshi
Specialist in Business Japanese Instruction | 10 years of experience as a Japanese language teacher
Qualifications & Background
- Graduated from Tokyo University of Fisheries, Department of Business Information
- Professional Engineer (Comprehensive Technical Management)
- Completed a 420-hour Japanese Teacher Training Course at Human Academy
- Passed the Japanese Language Teaching Competency Test
- Worked for a major machinery manufacturer for about 40 years (production, R&D, trade, sales, auditing, general affairs)
Business Japanese B Class
Drawing on extensive professional experience, this class supports learners in mastering keigo, conversation, and document skills essential in business settings. Lessons use real examples and role-plays to practice clear, logical, and appropriate expressions.
? Student Voices｜What Our Students Say
Sara (Portugal)
As a long-term student, when I heard that Japonin was going to start doing business classes, I couldn’t wait to try them out. My current job involves dealing with Japanese clients, so I was looking forward to improving and developing my professional Japanese.
Classes cover a range of different skills such as calls, emails, presentations, general etiquette, etc. Each class has a topic in which we practice different scenarios in a specific skill.
These lessons help build confidence to deal with any matter in a business environment. But they are not just suited for those whose work involves Japanese—if you are interested in learning about the Japanese working environment or learning how to better communicate in a formal setting, these lessons are also great.
I’m looking forward to carrying on taking these classes and improving my knowledge even further.
Anya (Hong Kong)
I started taking Business Japanese lessons at Japonin last year. I found the lessons not only help me understand how Japanese communicate during work, but also give me more context on the culture, processes, and the communication norms between colleagues and with upper management.
The role-plays with commonly used phrases on how to ask for information and clarification, how to report an issue, and how to express agreement or disagreement are very handy. I am now using them when I communicate with Japanese counterparts, which makes my communication look a bit more professional.
I highly recommend these lessons for those who need to communicate with Japanese.
Corporate Japanese Training｜Business Japanese Lessons for Companies
Since our establishment in 2006, our school has served over 6,000 learners (as of June 28, 2025), and in recent years, many companies have also chosen our programs for corporate Japanese language training.
Our courses focus on practical keigo, document writing, and workplace communication, with flexible curricula tailored to your company’s objectives.
How to Get Started
- 1. Consultation & Inquiry
Please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with details about your goals and the learners’ background. - 2. Customized Class Proposal
We will suggest a lesson plan based on your employees’ levels, objectives, and preferences. - 3. Trial Lesson & Program Start
After a trial lesson, you can purchase lesson tickets and begin classes at your preferred schedule.
We are happy to create flexible proposals to meet your organization’s unique needs.
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