After studying japanese for around 1.5~2 years, I finally passed the JLPT N2 this december! Using a combination of Wanikani for Kanji, Bunpro for Grammar and Kamesame for Vocabulary, plus consuming a lot of native content like Manga, Anime and Visual Novels (I finished the entire Zero Escape Series in the time from N3 to N2 lol) I managed to pass it with a very nice score.
I still plan on taking the JLPT N1, and I do have a lot to improve in my japanese skills, but I feel like I reached a difficult point in my learning journey where I started feeling like I know âenoughâ. Iâm currently on an exchange program in Japan, and I can communicate with people well enough, and understand what theyâre saying well enough.
But âWell enoughâ is far from fluent. I still make a lot of mistakes and understanding things always take a lot of effor. But at this point, itâs getting really difficult to stick with my SRS systems, I touch Wanikani around once a week, with 900+ reviews piled up. My improvement has been very slow, and It feels like I plateaued somewhat.
It seems like a âSuffering from Sucessâ type of post, but has anyone ever experienced this? Getting to a slightly advanced level and feeling very difficult to overcome it? And if so, how did you get past it?
Theres really nothing to be done if you donât have need to improve further. N2 still felt like a debilitatingly low level of Japanese to me so the feeling of âgood enoughâ was never present and I didnât have this issue.
If you want to improve more, go fail a bit. Try reading a novel in Japanese without a dictionary , discuss something harder than you normally would, find a native who will give you harsh corrections, etc. Go outside your comfort zone and have your incompetence shoved in your face. All you can do is fail so hard that you are incapable of remaining content.
I, personally, am no where near good enough to have experienced your problem but I do know people who have said similar things once reaching a broadly functional level.
I do think thereâs a LOT to be said for making whatever study/practice youâre doing as fun as possible when you get that feeling of not wanting to do the work. Maybe that would look like giving up on the SRS and textbook kind of studying for a bit and instead trying to do more immersion? You said you have consumed a lot of media, so finding other ways to push yourself like a hobby you do only in Japanese or something?
If youâve been studying consistently that whole time and at a fairly intensive level, maybe taking a planned break from formally studying to just enjoy your skills could help you find the motivation to get back into the studying? I say PLANNED break, a predetermined length of time, just so you donât fall into the trap of never getting back into it.
I think there are several ways to handle these kinds of slumps, trying to power on through seems the riskiest as Iâve seen people burn out and just start to hate the language. Making things fun can be difficult but I think the most effective option to avoid burn out and taking a break. A planned break is also risky but if youâre IN Japan and have to use the language daily anyway, I would guess youâre less likely to regress and will probably still be picking up things as you go.
Whatever you try, you should be proud of what youâve achieved so far and youâve built a great foundation to keep growing from when you find the motivation again!
Canât really comment, as i am nowhere near that point. But WK is not designed to look at once a week. My guess is you will have better success, if you do your reviews daily.
It seems like a âSuffering from Sucessâ type of post, but has anyone ever experienced this? Getting to a slightly advanced level and feeling very difficult to overcome it? And if so, how did you get past it?
N2 after 2 years sounds great - both great achievement, and great effort. I think that it should be more about whether you like the language from now on. Just continue to use Japanese sources and youâll get to N1 level eventually, without any conscious learning. Try dropping all structured forms of learning it, and see whether you didnât just need a break, and whether youâll miss thrm in a month or two.
I took a long road and am learning 5 words a day, in 15 minutes a day, using kitsun.io, for the past 6 years, no hurry, and I found that with time, the language finds a way to place itself around my mind so that I no longer forget words easily. A couple of years more and Iâll get to your level in comprehension⊠but I am not in Japan and in no hurry to get there either, so I donât need it. I just like the language, not the culture.
Canât speak for Japanese yet but for English while my âacademicâ level hasnât moved a lot (I got the BEC around 2013) I went from âit takes some effort to use the languageâ to âzero-added cognitive costâ (except for speaking, as I have too little occasions to practice) and I can understand most speaker accents, absolutely all my entertainment is in English (and now a tiny part in Japanese ).
Youâre not learning to pass an exam. Just enjoy what you enjoy with Japanese, progress will be made accordingly.
You have a range of issues here from specific to general. Some are easy to give advice on even when I have not even taken N2 myself, such as that many people struggle with the gap to N1, Those who can get it do not always hold tt in high esteem as it di not really prove the key to fluency. I do not know what the answer is for you, you seem to have reached an equilibrium where it is difficult to see you valuing plunging into the hours of study required Yet it is clear you feel you should do something to keep it up/ improve t. I would suggest little solutions that you can use alongside your daily routines and socialising.
At this stage you you can probably cope with the type of app Japanese students would use to improve their own kanji use and vocabulary, and those usually wont pile up against you. You have succeeded in this area, finding something to keep you keeping rolling along may be much wiser than a big investment. Trust people that see the whole of you.
but I do know people who have said similar things once reaching a broadly functional level.
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