Disclaimer: kinda skeptic of any learn X in 6 months method as language is HARD and deep.. but..
but… here’s a fun question:
I’m in the process of setting a new goal for the next, 5-6 months. The trigger: I’m going to Japan for three months next week. I’ve had that as a deadline to get to level 15 (so I can move onto NHK easy)
Now obviously I want to use that time in Japan to make meaningful progress - make a big old dent.
There’s always these questions around how much can you learn starting from zero in 3 months, 6 months, 1 year etc. So I wanted to ask the considerably harder (no clear baseline) - what’s a realistic 6 month goal if you’re not starting from zero?
Where I am:
Covered most of N5/N4 grammar in Bunpro
Level 13, aim to get to level 15 by end of next week (if I’m disciplined
Been learning Japanese on off for years, finally had a breakthrough last year on last Japan trip and found myself able to have very simple conversations with people
Probably got ~1000 random vocab
My learning plan:
Reading: Get to level 15, and focus on reading NHK for reinforcement - gonna keep using wanikani, but slower
Vocab + comprehension Gonna use level 15 as the time to start using Migaku to build up
Grammer: Using Bunpro
Speaking: Daily conversation practice with friends/strangers - and 2x weekly lessons
Would love thoughts on how far I could get in 6 months. I was thinking as goals 6 months from now
Reading:
Level 30 Wanikani
Daily reading of at least NHK easy article
Vocab + comprehension
Built up Migaku deck of 1500 vocab with context flashcards cards (10 cards per day)
Grammer:
Complete N5, N4 and N3
Speaking:
Able to talk about more complex topics with ease
Thoughts? How far do you think is possible to get in 6 months starting from a lower intermediate level?
Can’t contribute too much, would just recommend to add some reading outside Nhk news easy into your rotation after a while. For one, there are much more fun reading sources than news, and two, the vocabulary in fiction can also be more varied.
Some slice of life manga or teen novel is totally possible to tackle while studying N3 grammar.
On the other hand you seem to be mainly focused on speaking. Maybe more vocabulary and sentence structure through reading isn’t even necessary for you
Edit: for speaking, listening is also real important. So don’t forget to put on some podcasts or watch some YouTube in japanese every other day
I went from a lower intermediate (mid N4 grammar, roughly 400-600 kanji) to an upper intermediate (low N2) in about a year so I see no reason you couldn’t reach a N3 level in 6 months.
I would recommend getting into novels or LNs and not just NHK Easy for your reading practice though. In other words, my recommendation is to read the level you’re aiming for, rather than the level you’re currently at so that as you do the grammar lessons, as you learn vocabulary in WK and whatever, your eyes play a scavenger hunt of trying to find them when you’re reading.
This book club is starting soon and is rated to be around N3 level.
Oh, there’s a vast amount of stuff available. I like comprehensible Japanese in the beginning a lot Comprehensible Japanese beginner or intermediate should do it for you. Podcasts I mostly know more advanced ones. Maybe have a listen to nihongo con teppei beginner Spotify – Web Player.
Putting something high level on, for a topic in which you have an interest, can also be pretty great. Some people like to listen to vTubers. Others prefer something like a let’s play for a game they already know. I’ve seen people learn a lot of Japanese by watching house renovation videos in Japanese. Even if you only understand 40-50% it’s still something, and you get used to picking out words by challenging yourself a little.
Generally it’s hard for me to give recommendations for beginner resources since I’m over that hurdle already and find it hard to judge the relative difficulty of the different options ^^
EDIT: we are currently listening to 🍓🫐 Nihongo Jam Podcast Club btw. I think It’s a little harder than the other stuff I proposed here, but you have the added benefit of having some social interactions and can talk with us in english about what you listened to.
Sure. I was at the lower Intermediate level (mid N4 grammar, low N3 kanji) when I came back to Japanese, and at the 1 year mark I had used:
WK for kanji
NativShark for grammar (a bit over halfway through Phase 2)
JapanesePod101 for listening (I rushed through levels 1 and half of Level 2. Then I slowed down and focused more on the second half of Level 2 and completed Level 3). It was also used as a secondary grammar course for me but nowadays I don’t use it as a secondary grammar course as their grammar explanations are rather…iffy….and I found a better alternative, but I still use it for listening.
And joining an Intermediate book club on NS to force myself to read weekly, where we read a somewhat easier Intermediate book first (L25), and then when that finished, we read two harder ones (L29 and L32).
At the same time, on the days where I had already completed the weekly book club reading and I wanted to read more, I would read children’s novels in the L20-L24 range as an easier reading experience where I would focus on grammar more since vocab was not quite as difficult as the intermediate books.
So in your case if you were to adapt that to a 6-month period and it sounds like you’re starting a tiny bit below me in knowledge, you’d probably read something L22-L25 first and maybe one L25-L27 book next, while trying to absorb as much kanji and grammar as possible. You can pick different materials, it doesn’t have to be the ones I used, but the overall idea is just hitting all the skills at once and using a book and short audio content (like podcasts/blogs) to basically use those skills every week.
Nowadays I also do MaruMori, as part of my review hub to not forget all the stuff I’ve learned, but I was not using that much yet at the time when I first realized that I was actually doing ok with N2 level stuff, so that’s why I didn’t include it above.
If you’re actually going to Japan then you’re going to benefit more from being able to speak and listen the language, I’d be putting most of my focus on those skills
