Level 60! My experience

Okay, so I just reached level 60 and as it is usual in the forum I’m going to explain my own experience in this post briefly and try to use this opportunity to transmit you all my message.

First, I began wanikani while I was an exchange student in Japan, at this time I lived in an international dorm were I met an American guy who was using it every day, very interested in that I asked what was it and he explained me the thing, I thought it was very interesting and that it would help me for sure learn Japanese, so I began in November I think. At first I just wanted to give it a trial because I wasn’t very sure about buying a suscription, one of the main reasons being that it’s in English and my mother tongue is Spanish. But anyway, I tried the first 3 levels and decided to go on!

Since that day until today, except for the ocassional vacances or strange ocurrences (like going to Kii Peninsula alone and walk Kumano Kodo for one week) I tried doing wanikani every day, I was feeling that I was learning a lot of things.

One of the times were I felt the best when I was about level 18. At this point I decided to play Trails in the Sky EVO (Sora no Kiseki), which is my favourite game, in Japanese, just for fun, because I had bought it, I didn’t expect to understand anything anyway but because I had played that in English before I didn’t really care. The thing was that when I began the game I was able to read and understand a huge amount of text and that was a great feeling. As I kept playing the game and doing wanikani, I noticed that day by day I would read things and be able to read words that I just had learnt a couple of minutes ago was very pleasant to me.

When the first semester finished I took the japanese level test again and thanks to all the things I had learnt through wanikani and the baito I got, I jumped a level and I was able to learn a lot more, I felt like I was progressing real good.

When second semester was finishing I decided to take N3 just for fun, I was doing other things at that time so I didn’t even look at how was the test like (while doing it I was very surprised that there weren’t any production exercises) and I passed it easily.

Before coming back to Spain I felt confident enough with my Japanese to go to Okinawa and stay with a Japanese family in a farm while volunteering (through WWOF) for two weeks (the load of words after that in WK was memorable), one of the best experiences in my life.

After coming back to Spain I kept studying at university since I’m supposed to graduate this year, but I decided I would take a look at some Japanese grammar and try taking N2 on December. When I did the test I felt that my approach to the study was completely wrong and that at this point the best way to study Japanese is in a practical way: Read a lot of articles, take a lot of notes, listen to japanese radio, dramas, etc. Even though I felt that I did awfully I somehow passed it, but I still want to say that I feel that this test doesn’t really show your level of Japanese and that I know a lot of people who would fail it even while they know a lot, so I want to encourage you all to give your best and don’t let the score affect you, this doesn’t determine your level of Japanese.

Now I’m keeping on studying for the second semester at university and I want to apply to a scholarship in my university to go to Japan next year while doing a research project.

I want to thank wanikani for this wonderful travel and wanikani community for being unique (even though I didn’t actively participate too much). I really learnt a lot through this web and I also gave me motivation to try learning other ways. In the way I learnt a lot, not only about Japanese, but English and even Spanish (Sometimes I would have to go through the 3 dictionaries because there were some words I didn’t understand even in my own language). Now that I’m here, I will use the rest of the subscription to burn the things I have time to, but when the time is over, it will be time to say goodbye, and thanks for all.

I want to encourage you all to keep doing all your reviews everyday when you have a some time, don’t let the huge loads of reviews discourage you and think that you will learn a lot, try to do practical things too that require using Japanese to encourage yourself to keep going on.

AND FINALLY, my last message

PLAY TRAILS IN THE SKY

以上です。

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Thanks for sharing! Definitely very encouraging for me. Congrats on reaching level 60!!! :clap:t2::clap:t2:

Also great congratz from me :1st_place_medal:

What do you plan to do with your Japanese language skills? Do you plan to go to Japan again? To work there or take another year abroad?

Cheers,
~T :lion:

おめでとうございます! :tada: :sparkling_heart:
As just said, very encouraging - how lovely to see how you’ve come so far :blush:

Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your journey!

PS
You still show as level 54 here, try logging out and back in so you can brag your shiny golden badge. :3

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