N4 next summer - how would you study?

[Seironsou]

I am taking Japanese classes (GENKI 1) 2 classes a week for 3 hrs (weekly total) and studying on my own as well. I will study GENKI II and TOBIRA on my own, including studying with Wanikani and Satori, also got Platinum data and Masquerade hotel as reading material when my Kanji knowledge increase.I also have the Japanese dictionary for beginners for grammar points. I am aiming for JLPT N4 next summer, would you say this goal is realistic with my current setup? How would you study for this goal and are there any tips and rix you learned along the way which acn be useful for my journey? Thank you!

[d-hermit]

N4 by next summer seems totally doable. N4 is just a beginning of your Japanese journey after all. You just need to know the fundamental grammar and common everyday vocab.

WK lvl 15-20 shpuld be good enough to not worry about kanji. Even if you take your time you will make it till next July.

Ahat kind of classes are you taking? Group class? Is the teacher a native speaker? (IMO in the beginning it’s almost better to have a competent non-notive teacher)

By the way, you didn’t mention any listening resources. If you don’t prepare for listening the listening section on JLPT may be tough.

Personally, I watched a lot of anime and had barely any issues with listening. Just make sure you watch a variety of shows, including realistic ones where characters use standard Japanese. Many battle-action and fantasy shows use a ton of slang, archaisms or literary phrases, so be careful.

[kmurgs]

Those textbooks are all great for getting your grammar knowledge down, and you should be totally fine with kanji if you keep a steady Wanikani pace.

As someone who failed N4 twice despite having plenty of grammar and kanji knowledge, my recommendations are to read and listen to as much content as possible. Just practise practise practise or you’ll run out of time in those sections!

[slerched]

Is the teacher a native speaker? (IMO in the beginning it’s almost better to have a competent non-notive teacher)

I took a class some 20 years ago that was geared to beginners and non-credit. The teacher was a Korean American who had studied Japanese as a child.

She was MEAN about pronunciation…which is something I actually appreciate since many native speakers have complimented my pronunciation (and NOT just the “jyouzu desu ne!” style “compliment.”).

The problem was, her English was difficult to understand. She spoke slowly and well but as with heavier accents, you REALLY had to concentrate which 20 years ago… I wasn’t the best at doing