
DISCOVER THE ELEGANCE
OF JAPANESE FLUENCY
ใใใใ๏ผ
Welcome to Nihongo no Niwa, a South African language school that celebrates a passion for Japan and its culture through the study of the Japanese language.
We offer weekly online lessons to help our students achieve their unique language goals. Our syllabus is structured to align with the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), and no matter the skill level or the motivation (be it personal or professional), we work with our students in both private and group classes to best meet their specific requirements.
We feel it is important to teach not only the language, but also to promote a deeper cultural appreciation and understanding. This is why we work with local Japanese institutions – including the Japanese Embassy of South Africa – to further this goal and expose students to unique opportunities in Japan and South Africa.
Our school also hosts regular get-togethers, as well as an annual year-end function, to foster a community spirit and help our students meet and connect with other like-minded individuals who share a passion for all things Japanese. At the end of the day, people learn best when they're having fun!
Welcome!
OUR SERVICES
UโPCOMING EVENTS
- Japanese Festival at Central Square 2025Fri, 16 MayMenlyn Maine Central Square, Pretoria
GET IN TOUCH
โto connect with our online Japanese language school
TRADING HOURS
Monday - Friday: 8am - 9pm
โ

Follow us on Instagram




















































![๐ J M S D F ย ๐
If youโre a Japan enthusiast in Cape Town at the moment, then thereโs a fair chance youโve already heard of todayโs topic! Weโre thrilled to share highlights from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forceโs (JMSDF) first visit to South Africa since WWII! ๐๐ฟ๐ฆย
Last week, the ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ & ๐๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ docked in Cape Town and opened their doors and hearts to South Africa. Several of our Nihongo no Niwa students embraced the opportunity and had an incredible experience exploring the naval destroyers, chatting with the crew members, enjoying musical performances, and witnessing martial arts demonstrations of Aikidล, Kyลซdล, and Kendล. ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ก๏ธ
A huge thank you to the @embassyofjapaninsouthafrica for allowing us the opportunity to share in the excitement of this historic moment for both Japan and South Africa. We wish the JMSDF sailors well on the next leg of their journey! ๐
___________________________________________
๐๐๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ย
Did you wonder why the names of the JMSDF vessels are written in hiragana and not kanji? Japanese ship names used to be written in kanji prior to WWII, but, following the formation of the JMSDF, this tradition was abandoned to better differentiate them from the Japanese navy of old. ๐
___________________________________________
Interested in learning more about the historic port visit? Read all about this historic event in our latest blog post! [Link in bio.] ๐ธย
#NihongoNoNiwa #JMSDF #CapeTownVisit #JSKashima #JSShimakaze #JapanMaritimeSelfDefenseForce #CulturalExchange #InternationalConnections #JapaneseCulture #LearningBeyondClassroom #HistoricMoment #CapeTown #JapaneseLanguageSchool](https://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.29350-15/450457572_493720093073639_2347658980063650243_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=18de74&_nc_ohc=KgNPYfyr3AgQ7kNvwF5IWm4&_nc_oc=AdnXyVZPLnMucNTjWaP6uXjq9-GPBFzz8MHYirKIEzqkTHIHnDAycFSzDUmE9G_j6D4&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=_9E-_zTo6Xfb1aLpPmOhqw&oh=00_AfFEi4fHPZXPxRY4VVnkixgm-GD79DErel0dsTBuTTZLSg&oe=6811E0A5)
![๐ J M S D F ย ๐
If youโre a Japan enthusiast in Cape Town at the moment, then thereโs a fair chance youโve already heard of todayโs topic! Weโre thrilled to share highlights from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forceโs (JMSDF) first visit to South Africa since WWII! ๐๐ฟ๐ฆย
Last week, the ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ & ๐๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ docked in Cape Town and opened their doors and hearts to South Africa. Several of our Nihongo no Niwa students embraced the opportunity and had an incredible experience exploring the naval destroyers, chatting with the crew members, enjoying musical performances, and witnessing martial arts demonstrations of Aikidล, Kyลซdล, and Kendล. ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ก๏ธ
A huge thank you to the @embassyofjapaninsouthafrica for allowing us the opportunity to share in the excitement of this historic moment for both Japan and South Africa. We wish the JMSDF sailors well on the next leg of their journey! ๐
___________________________________________
๐๐๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ย
Did you wonder why the names of the JMSDF vessels are written in hiragana and not kanji? Japanese ship names used to be written in kanji prior to WWII, but, following the formation of the JMSDF, this tradition was abandoned to better differentiate them from the Japanese navy of old. ๐
___________________________________________
Interested in learning more about the historic port visit? Read all about this historic event in our latest blog post! [Link in bio.] ๐ธย
#NihongoNoNiwa #JMSDF #CapeTownVisit #JSKashima #JSShimakaze #JapanMaritimeSelfDefenseForce #CulturalExchange #InternationalConnections #JapaneseCulture #LearningBeyondClassroom #HistoricMoment #CapeTown #JapaneseLanguageSchool](https://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.29350-15/450457572_493720093073639_2347658980063650243_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=18de74&_nc_ohc=KgNPYfyr3AgQ7kNvwF5IWm4&_nc_oc=AdnXyVZPLnMucNTjWaP6uXjq9-GPBFzz8MHYirKIEzqkTHIHnDAycFSzDUmE9G_j6D4&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=_9E-_zTo6Xfb1aLpPmOhqw&oh=00_AfFEi4fHPZXPxRY4VVnkixgm-GD79DErel0dsTBuTTZLSg&oe=6811E0A5)




![๐ H i r a g a n a ๐
Ever wondered where Japanese hiragana came from? This unique writing system has a long history of linguistic evolution. ๐ค๐
๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ท๐ถ, a logographic writing system from China, was the first writing system to reach Japanโs shores, having been adopted around the 5th century AD.
These were later simplified to form ๐บ๐ฎ๐ปโ๐ล๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ, a Japanese writing system that utilized the Chinese characters for their phonetic value rather than the idea associated with the imagery of the kanji.
Although manโyลgana streamlined things considerably, it was only after the introduction of an even simpler system that the landscape of Japanese writing really began to transform. This new system evolved to become the hiragana we use to this day!
Has your interest been piqued? ๐ Discover more about the fascinating #OriginOfHiragana in our latest blog post! We delve into the evolution from kanji to manโyลgana, to hentaigana, and beyond! ๐ธ๐๏ธ
๐ [Link in Bio]
๐ธ #1 : ใฒใใใชใฎๆ่ฒใคใกใผใธ by Hanasaki
๐ธ #2 : Excerpt of Man'yลshลซ' (ไธ่้, lit. Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves)
#Hiragana #Manyogana #Hentaigana #JapaneseLanguage #LanguageHistory #HistoryOfJapan #LearnJapanese #CulturalHeritage #JapanLovers #NihongoNoNiwa #ๆฅๆฌ่ชใฎๅบญ #JapaneseLanguageSchool #SouthAfrica](https://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t39.30808-6/449264707_17893474602030778_4085674950237290415_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=18de74&_nc_ohc=Zarl6AACq3sQ7kNvwHYEVDx&_nc_oc=AdlGm6LP0q7x8ylOQPhvilLf6Vr1PR02JQgwT4XN3LIsc0tnWjDyrUFnjBENudF6vaQ&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=_9E-_zTo6Xfb1aLpPmOhqw&oh=00_AfGWgITPd36qN4jW16PHGpO1LIy7TkDulu_uqWlnRUxuCw&oe=6811CD55)
![๐ H i r a g a n a ๐
Ever wondered where Japanese hiragana came from? This unique writing system has a long history of linguistic evolution. ๐ค๐
๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ท๐ถ, a logographic writing system from China, was the first writing system to reach Japanโs shores, having been adopted around the 5th century AD.
These were later simplified to form ๐บ๐ฎ๐ปโ๐ล๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ, a Japanese writing system that utilized the Chinese characters for their phonetic value rather than the idea associated with the imagery of the kanji.
Although manโyลgana streamlined things considerably, it was only after the introduction of an even simpler system that the landscape of Japanese writing really began to transform. This new system evolved to become the hiragana we use to this day!
Has your interest been piqued? ๐ Discover more about the fascinating #OriginOfHiragana in our latest blog post! We delve into the evolution from kanji to manโyลgana, to hentaigana, and beyond! ๐ธ๐๏ธ
๐ [Link in Bio]
๐ธ #1 : ใฒใใใชใฎๆ่ฒใคใกใผใธ by Hanasaki
๐ธ #2 : Excerpt of Man'yลshลซ' (ไธ่้, lit. Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves)
#Hiragana #Manyogana #Hentaigana #JapaneseLanguage #LanguageHistory #HistoryOfJapan #LearnJapanese #CulturalHeritage #JapanLovers #NihongoNoNiwa #ๆฅๆฌ่ชใฎๅบญ #JapaneseLanguageSchool #SouthAfrica](https://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t39.30808-6/449264707_17893474602030778_4085674950237290415_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=18de74&_nc_ohc=Zarl6AACq3sQ7kNvwHYEVDx&_nc_oc=AdlGm6LP0q7x8ylOQPhvilLf6Vr1PR02JQgwT4XN3LIsc0tnWjDyrUFnjBENudF6vaQ&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=_9E-_zTo6Xfb1aLpPmOhqw&oh=00_AfGWgITPd36qN4jW16PHGpO1LIy7TkDulu_uqWlnRUxuCw&oe=6811CD55)
