I’ve posted a couple times in various places here my background, but the short version is 20+ years ago I took a couple years of Japanese classes and got to to some (lower) level of proficiency. I forgot 99% of it, but then a little over a year ago I had a work trip to Tokyo and it re-invigorated my interest.
I’ve picked it back up since then and have come some of the way back up to speed; probably more Kanji than I knew originally, about the same grammar (that seems to be the thing I remembered best) but still a ways to go to get vocab back to where it was.
My “goals” are being able to read and listen to Japanese, and go back at some point and visit speaking the language. But, those are pretty nebulous goals. I’m considering what concrete goals might help me provide structure to my learning. One of the possible goals I’m considering is going for JLPT N5 (or N4?) in December this year. I don’t actually need it for work or anything, but it would be something to aim for,
I found the JLPT threads on here, but I think my question is more general; is that a good goal to shoot for to provide structure to my study, or is it more of a standardized test that isn’t so applicable to the more “hobbiest” goals I have.
Input on if that’s a good plan, alternate ideas, etc would be greatly appreciated.
I think that it depends if you like tests, honestly. If you’re American, think back to your experience with SAT, for example. It’s a fairly strict test-taking environment, but it does provide a specific challenge, with less stress because the results don’t affect your entry into a university.
I’m doing JLPT because it helps me measure my progress, but also because my husband is Japanese, and his company will transfer him back at some point (he’s worked away for maybe 10 years). So, I have some incentive to get certifications.
We live in Mexico City, so I’m also studying Spanish, which I need for daily communication. I find that having weekly classes keeps me on track, though since my Spanish is B2/C1, I honestly review a lot more Japanese (Wanikani plus Bunpro plus reading manga plus listening plus a textbook, so often 1 to 2 hours a day). I take online Japanese classes through Languatalk, which I really enjoy. It’s not too expensive, and I’ve had the same tutor for more than 2 years now. If you’re not a test person, I’d recommend lessons like this to keep you on track.
The JLPT is a rather unbalanced test, because it has no speaking or writing (production) components. It’s also quite expensive to take in many countries (for instance here in the UK the test fee is £100, plus transport costs to get to one of the four cities it is held in). So there are definitely some downsides to it as a goal. The test as such isn’t necessarily going to provide much structure either – you’ll get more “study this first, then this, and so on” structure from a good textbook, class or tutor.
I think it really does depend a lot on what motivates you personally – your attitude to tests, whether you need concrete deadlines to nudge you into studying, and so on.
I would personally choose one of those, and pick something fun you want to get out of it, and then make a plan for early milestones.
Then you definitely have wins along the way that build up to something more and more engaging, ie, a reading progression that starts with graded readers and ends with your first novel, or a listening journey that exposes you to more and more complex topics, or working with a tutor on basic language skills and going from simple phrases up to useful conversation skills. By the end of the year it would be realistic to get as far as joining the Absolute Beginners Book Club, for example.
Whereas the JLPT doesn’t help with conversation, and test prep is… necessary to pass a test. But is that the kind of material you want to be spending a significant chunk of your free time on? Plus you might fail the test, how will that affect motivation? For some people it’s ok and they keep going, but for others I see it can turn into a frustrating and expensive experience.
Consider what milestones might spark the most joy for you!
The JLPT doesn’t test speaking, but let’s focus on your goals of reading and listening.
I think the JLPT is a perfectly fine goal, especially the early ones. N5, N4, and N3 grammar appear all the time in real content, and even a decent bit of N2 (especially in novels). So if you have the means to do the JLPT and want to use that as a milestone, go ahead!
I would say try to have a well-rounded resource where you can learn a new grammar point every day. It could be BunPro, MaruMori, NativShark, Renshuu, a textbook like Genki, whatever (there are a lot of options out there)! (The ones I bolded are what I use)
Of course do your WK studies. Then try to consume easier content (get familiar with Natively and Youtube). Don’t necessarily study for the JLPT other than doing daily new units of whatever learning plans you’ve signed up for. Do your lessons, then go try to engage with level-appropriate content. It’ll be hard at first, but I promise it gets easier over time as long as you set your expectations appropriately.
I have done a little of this, but at my current state it’s mostly been a lot of looking things up. I do remember enough grammar from my earlier classes that at least I understand at some level how the sentences are constructed.
I am using some of these options already - trying to solidify which ones are most useful for me.
I like the idea of potentially making JLPT one of, but not the only, goals - I can always decide that later. Fortunately, I live close to a testing site so it’s not a big deal beyond the fee; it’s mostly do the skills tested on that align with my “real” goals such that it can be a potentially useful motivating goals.
Checking in; I’ve been working through what I want to do here, trying different resources (Renshuu, Duolingo, WaniKani of course, MaruMori, etc) and I have to say, the flow and central thesis of NativShark is appealing to me.
As I mentioned above, I was once (I would guess) N5-N4 level, and I remember experiencing that all the Japanese language media I encountered used the language very differently than the textbook/class I took. (The textbook in those classes was Nakama, which I think was overly textbookish even as textbooks go.) Given my goals are definitely more towards the conversational (either Manga/anime, or actually holding a conversation) I’m thinking NativShark might be the right bet.
I’m wondering if anyone more advanced has any insight into how good/how accurate NativShark is for this kind of goal?