When I got N1, I’d say I was maybe advanced intermediate, since N1 mostly requires passive understanding and some ability to interpret/guess things that you “almost understand”. (And honestly, I think I knew only 1100 kanji at the time and most of them only by meaning, not all the readings…)
I decided to test my skills in reality and will go to Japan on year abroad and study my major (CS) in Japanese. If I can manage, I’ll cosider myself advanced enough to survive at uni level, but most likely I’ll just fail spectacularly
This is why I feel like I’m only lower intermediate. I’ve read a few books, but I wouldn’t say easily and certainly not quickly. When I can read a 400 page book within a few weeks, with good understanding, then I’ll feel like I’m finally starting to break through intermediate.
These labels are all relative though. If you know ~800 kanji, ~3000 vocab and enough grammar to get through Yotsuba at least (that’s me), you want to be able to describe where your level is at when asking about reading material etc. and not be lumped together with someone who just learned です, these are two extreme ends of “beginner.”
Plus I think the thing about labels for early-on learners is there’s an “in the grand scheme of things” label which is maybe how you or I see it, and a “what the general, non-(2nd)-language-learning public would consider it” label.
If I were to tell any of my customers I was a beginner at Japanese they’d probably perceive that as meaning something like: I just started learning it last month. As I’ve actually been studying hours a day for a year and a half, that really makes all my hard work feel like nothing.
I’ve been studying for like 5 years, but I still reply, “More or less.” when asked, “Do you know Japanese?” Which for them is probably like, understanding a few words and phrases, not passing the N4 and knowing a bunch of N3+ kanji and grammar.
But that’s life, and people who study Japanese can tell the difference, which is mostly what matters.
Edit: It also doesn’t help that people usually ask, “So, how do you say this ‘specific thing that you haven’t really heard before and have never looked up’?” And I’m like, “Uh.”
One thing that has changed for me recently is I have started talking to myself in Japanese. Could be a sign of madness but I’m taking it to mean that it’s finally starting to gel.
I don’t remember where exactly, but I think I might have heard online somewhere that talking to yourself is a useful language habit. It might have been on Tofugu and it might have included something about talking to yourself while you cook.
Interesting, at N2 I would consider myself Advanced intermediate.
Maybe N2 living in Japan and naturally “practicing it” daily would be equivalent to N1 abroad - I obviously haven’t the slightest idea where you might live?
(or I just plain overestimate myself )
I guess there’s going to be a huge variance in people’s actually skill level when the pass a certain JLPT level. Especially when it comes to productive skills. Such a shame JLPT is the primary test even though it doesn’t test wiritng/composition and speaking.
I learned up to N3~N2 in Japan in terms of communication, when I was doing an high school exchange there. I did both N2 and N1 exams in my home country afterwards and mostly just grinded kanji for them. I’d say that living in Japan and getting the daily immersion and use makes the skill absolutely more “true” or deeper, if I can call it that.
Of course, my groundwork with Japanese is also a bit shaky, since I didn’t do any formal education (besides kanji grinding and just reading books) before N2 and to pass N1 I only grinded the list on grammar and kanji required
Just proves that the exam isn’t as comprehensive as it should .
That said, after my one year in Japan, I have never had any problems in my interactions in Japanese. However, I wouldn’t consider myself advanced until I can read newspaper or text on related to my job smoothly.
)