Should I take Japanese 2 at my university?

Hi Guys. So I started studying Japanese last year at my university and at around the same time, started using wanikani. Whenever I learn a vocab in wanikani, I always read the sentence and search up words and grammar patterns I don’t know. Now, I can pretty much read every sentence by simply looking up words that I don’t know.

I’m not sure if I should take Japanese 2 because I feel like I already know all the material, so the class might be kind of annoying. Unfortunately, my school doesn’t let us skip grades in languages after we’ve started, so I can’t take Japanese 3. So is it worth taking just for the review and formal introduction or should I just self study at this point? I was also thinking of asking for a special exception to allow me to jump a level, but I’m not sure if that’ll work.

In my lower intermediate class there are people who are already fluent in Japanese. Same as you, the university does not allow them to skip any steps, however, they still persevere and benefit frem the review. You may think that you’re really competent but more often than not these kinds of conceptions only exist in your imagination, waiting to be torn apart when reality shows its grim face.
I guess what I’m getting at is, do you want to Japanese? Nowadays it’s all about being able to document that you’ve undergone this and that in order for some potential bossman to validate whether or not you’re as competent as you think you are.

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It doesn’t hurt to ask. Maybe you could take the final exam for Japanese 2 or something.

Regardless of the wanikani sentences, are you comfortable reading/listening/writing/speaking at a Japanese 3 level? You might find it useful to take Japanese 2 to help build up other skills than just vocab and grammar.

Are you comfortable learning Japanese by yourself? If so, and they’re going to make you sit through stuff you already know–wasting time that could be spent learning Japanese, then yeah, maybe skip.

Did you want to study abroad and if so, do they have minimum language course requirements? That could be another factor.

If you can’t skip it, do you get to use Japanese in the class? If the answer is “Yes” then there’s a benefit to taking it.

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The practice would be good. Reading is only part of what you need to learn, you can also benefit from in-class conversations and being corrected as to “when” to use the proper word/grammar by the teacher. It will also teach you to translate from English to Japanese when answering questions, instead of just recognizing Japanese (it’s not because you can do one that you are good at the other).

Hmm, OK, ya I think it might be best to just take level 2, thanks guys!

BTW, I asked the professor if I could skip a year last year, but she was pretty adamant about not letting people skip, so I’m not sure if I should ask again, haha.

I mean, there are kinda two parts to this, how much of a rush you really are in and how much do you want/ need the practice in the other areas of Japanese.

Considering the rush, are you in a financial straight were taking the extra class will be financially harmful? Alternatively, will skipping the class allow you to graduate or get to your other goals faster? If you don’t have a whole lot of reason to rush to the finish run, then there is no harm in the extra benefits of taking the class, but if your in financial straights or have other goals the relate to finishing up the class line, then it might be better to skip past.

As for the other areas of Japanese, how much do you care about getting practice and having access to a teacher who will provide you criticism. Do you have other methods to practicing these methods, and how is your ability in more formal conversations as opposed to casual conversation.

Really, consider what is pushing you to go fast as opposed to the bonuses you would get from taking the class. If your still not sure, as long as your teacher is good, consult with her and go over your concerns. Usually the teachers at that level have a good idea on if it would be good or not to skip. Similarly, see if there is options for you to take on class and audit the other with a financial sponsor. (even though, I think that system is mostly dead at this point)

You should actually be in a better position to benefit from the class than I was. I felt I dwelled too much on inefficiently trying to memorize a small amount of vocabulary (all hail wanikani and other SRS tools, never looking back!) and as such didn’t benefit enough from what the class did well- teaching grammar and providing speaking and listening practice, as well as peers and a teacher to ask questions (and correct you when you’re wrong).

In fact, because you think you’re ahead of the game, you might be able to benefit from tutoring others. Teaching other people is an excellent way to reinforce learning.

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