Yuka Hartnett - Japanese Tutor

Introduction

Since April 2023, I have been teaching Japanese as a foreign language to elementary school students, junior high school students, and adult learners. I provide lessons tailored to each student’s age, level, and learning goals.

I enjoy anime, video games, novels, music, and Western art, and I love having fun and engaging conversations with people. These interests help me connect easily with students from different backgrounds and create enjoyable, relaxed lessons. I also enjoy sharing Japanese culture through casual conversation, which makes learning more natural and motivating for my students.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Literature (PhD)
Graduate School of Literary Studies, Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts, Kyoto, Japan
April 2019 – March 2023

Doctoral Dissertation:
Perspectives and Strategies Related to Foreign Language Anxiety in the Classroom:
How Can Learners and Teachers Alleviate FLA in Japan?

Master of Arts in Language Education and Information Science
Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan
September 2016 – September 2018

Bachelor of Arts in English and American Studies
Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, Kyoto, Japan
April 2010 – March 2014

Advanced Teaching License in English (Junior & Senior High School), Japan

Teaching options

Age ranges

I teach all ages.

Teaching style

I am a native Japanese speaker with over four years of experience teaching languages online. I have taught students of various ages, ranging from young children to adults, and from complete beginners to advanced learners.

As an online instructor, I have provided personalized Japanese lessons focusing on conversation skills, grammar, reading, and writing. I design lessons tailored to each student’s goals, whether they are learning Japanese for travel, daily communication, academic purposes, or cultural interest (such as anime and literature).

I have experience teaching:
• Young learners
• Working professionals
• Advanced learners preparing for academic research or professional use of Japanese

My academic background includes a Ph.D. in Literature, with a specialization in foreign language anxiety. This research experience enables me to create a supportive and encouraging learning environment, especially for students who feel nervous about speaking.

I emphasize clear explanations of Japanese pronunciation, the relationship between writing systems (hiragana, katakana, and kanji) and sounds, and practical sentence patterns that students can immediately use in real communication.

Hobbies

My hobbies include reading books from around the world, singing (especially songs in different languages!), and having fun, meaningful conversations.

I also love learning languages — I study English, French, Spanish, and Russian. Exploring different languages helps me understand new cultures and ways of thinking, and I enjoy sharing that excitement with my students.

Teaching Japanese as a second language since 2023.

I speak a total of 3 languages:
Japanese (Native), English (Advanced), French (Beginner).

I've visited or lived in the following countries: Through my travels to the United States, South Korea, Spain, Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Canada, I have developed a deep appreciation for different cultures and communication styles. These experiences help me connect with students from diverse backgrounds.

"I'm studying with Akemi-sensei and just thought you might be interested that I'm really enjoying her lessons. She understood right away what I needed and organized the lessons in such a way that it met my needs exactly. Simply perfect." Roman S. - Unknown

"I really enjoy my Japanese classes, because my teacher is very nice and patient. She is very understanding and pays close attention to my learning needs. She's always very cheerful and after every class I feel very happy. I truthfully have no complaints or negative comments to make." Victoria K. - Unknown

"Japanese is not an easy language to learn, but with a great teacher it is achievable, even for somebody of my age. [My Japanese teacher] is great, and the Live Lingua service is wonderful." Lenny A. - Retired

"We hired Live Lingua to teach our kids. The teacher is fun and patient with them, and they look forward to their class every week." Marie A. - Proud Mother

I teach Japanese to help you...

Speak with native Japanese speakers wherever you meet them.

Develop yourself and open up new opportunities in your life.

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Ready to begin?