The Iowa State Japanese Association offers free Japanese lessons every Tuesday night, providing students with a chance to learn the basics of the language and interact with native speakers.
Held in Carver Hall Room 0074, the beginner class runs from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., while the intermediate class follows from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For new learners, the club provides a chance to learn the language. For Japanese exchange students, they offer a welcoming place on campus. For everyone, they create what members describe as the rare opportunity to practice language and build genuine cultural connections.
At a recent beginner session, students practiced kana, Japanese characters representing phonetic syllables and Japanese sentence structure. They played interactive games where Japanese characters flashed on the screen and attendees identified them.
The vice president of the Japanese Association, Sarah DeMatteis, a senior majoring in materials engineering, teaches the beginner class. She is supported by two assistants, who are native speakers.
Before leading the beginner class and becoming the vice president, DeMatteis spent two years attending the lessons herself.
Even though she had already begun teaching herself Japanese, she wanted a better way to learn than through self-teaching and found that the Japanese Association was a great opportunity for just that.
“Our goal as a club is to provide an opportunity for people to learn Japanese, since there’s no official Japanese program on campus,” DeMatteis said. “Anyone is welcome to join, and we don’t charge any membership fees.”
Their most recent session’s participants all arrived with writing utensils, notes, and a studious focus. Materials are also shared on the club’s Discord server, where students can review documents, lessons and practice material.
Sam Fisher, a sophomore majoring in psychology, joined the Japanese Association’s lessons as a way to prepare for a future study abroad program in Japan, and has been attending since his first semester at Iowa State.
“At first, it was a little bit easier as I was still getting the basics down, but the more classes I went to, the more I realized I don’t know,” Fisher said. “But, I think this class does help a lot with keeping me at least on track and motivated to learn it.”
Vinny Fox, a sophomore majoring in art and design, said that what he enjoys the most about the lessons is how interactive they are and practicing with others.
“My favorite part is the activities at the end where we get to use what we’ve learned to actually talk to other people,” Fox said.
Ali Saeed Chaudhary, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, taught himself Japanese for five years before coming to the U.S. from Pakistan. The Japanese Association provided him with the opportunity to practice with real conversations.
“Before, everything I learned came from textbooks and screens,” Saeed Chaudhary said. “Now, I get to hear directly from Japanese speakers, and it makes the whole thing feel real.”
Saeed Chaudhary described the lessons as “if a bunch of friends decided to create their own class.”
But the Japanese Association’s role goes beyond language learning. Friday social meetings are designed to help Japanese exchange students feel at home while giving members a chance to explore more aspects of Japanese culture and interact with Japanese students.
Past events have included an origami and calligraphy night, and the club hopes to expand its cultural activities in the future.
“I have really, really appreciated the opportunities to connect with Japanese exchange students,” DeMatteis said. “I would never have been able to do that without the Japanese Association”.
Anyone interested can join the beginner class at 6 p.m. or the intermediate class at 7 p.m. every Tuesday in Carver Hall Room 0074. Their social events are from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays. If you are interested, you can find more information on their club website or their Instagram page.
