What are your goals for Japanese in 2022 and have you been able to reach your goals for 2021?

[pocketcat]

@pocketcat

• Read 5000 pages.
  • Yes, the same as this year. I purposely set this to a number I could likely blow out of the water if I tried because I want to read more blogs/web articles/etc and not feel like I’m ‘wasting time’. I’m not sure yet if I’ll track web articles, or how I will do so.
  • This is between 13 and 14 pages per day.
• Listen to 400 hours.
  • This seems like a manageable commitment for me again.
  • A little over an hour a day
• Write on 300 days.
  • Pretty open ended on purpose. I didn’t track days this year but I probably wrote for 100 or fewer. The aim with this is just establishing more of a habit.
• Professional conversation practice (ie, with tutor) for 104 hours
  • 2 hours a week

We’re only ~41% done with the year according to my spreadsheet! But it’s close enough to the halfway point, I suppose.

So how am I doing?

• I’ve read 2869 pages, or 57% of my goal. Right on track.
• I’ve listened to 149 hours, or 37% of my goal. Whoops, need some to add some audiobook walks in to get this back up.
• Pretty much immediately fell off the wagon with writing, whoops. Didn’t even track it properly.
• 42.5 hours completed of conversation practice (tutors and language exchange partners*). This is 40% of my goal, so I’m risking running behind but mostly on track.

*We do 30 min English, 30 min Japanese so it’s easy to track hours and also be fair. I also speak some Japanese randomly with Japanese people I know in my area, but because it jumps from language to language and it’s not timed I don’t track it.

[dunlewy]

My biggest accomplishment last year was getting to the point where I can read Japanese, at least to a 1st grade level. I never thought I could do that, so I really surprised myself. I read 23 Graded Readers and three other short stories. For this year, my focus is on learning a LOT more grammar and doing a lot more reading.

[Souldark]

My average is 17 days per level and this level is going slower than that due to going on vacation. So it’s a struggle.

[potatonaught]

@DIO-Berry

A DS game I got recently that helps elementary schoolers practice Japanese has been a major help. The language based logic puzzles and questions wear me out, but they also help me learn and retain so much better than anything else I’ve found so far. I hope to make a thread/post outlining what the game is, why it works, and how to get it.

I’m definitely interested in learning more, even if it ends up being an @-ping with the name of the game and nothing more lol.

[windupbird]

Oh look, it’s my post from December Thank you for reminding me, Discourse~

Guess it’s time for a 6-month check in - let’s see where we are.

@windupbird

• Make progress on reducing my backlog of unread manga/books - I’m sure I will find new ones to add to the pile but I’d like to at least not have the same ones still sitting in the pile xD

I think I am actually doing reasonably well with this - I don’t have exact numbers, but I haven’t ordered anything new since…January? And I have definitely been reading since then, so I feel like I must be making some progress on the pile.

@windupbird

• Keep doing the Read Every Day Challenges

Done so far!

@windupbird

• I have a couple of 365-day books (one about colors and one about life in Japan), so I’d like to try to read those every day.

I did keep up with daily readings in both of these for the entire duration of the first Read Every Day challenge (so through February). But then I kind of burned out on them, I think that maybe keeping up with 2 daily books at once was a bit too much for me. I haven’t really been back to them since the challenge ended.

@windupbird

• Finish both High Speed! light novels - I read about two thirds of the first one during the fall Read Every Day Challenge, so I’d like to finish that one for sure, and maybe read the second one too ^^

I…have made no progress on this. I don’t have an explanation for it.

@windupbird

• I was thinking about how to tackle/advance my grammar, because pretty much everything I have tried to do so far has failed one way or another xD I had a thought that I might try to just read through Japanese: The Manga Way, like one entry per day. The entries are pretty short, if I remember right, so that might work. I’m not sure if I’ll keep up with that (especially if I’m trying to do a lot of other “daily” reading things), but I was thinking it might work well if I pair it with the Read Every Day challenge. But I also don’t recall what the grammar level of that book is - it may turn out to be too basic, which…puts me back at square one, trying to figure out how I can study grammar without wanting to claw my eyeballs out. Maybe I’ll look more into the grammar dictionary I have and see if that might make for good nugget-sized grammar bites.

As usual, no progress was made on this. Super duper honesty time, I’m not really feeling like I’ll do much with targeted/formal grammar study during the rest of the year either. I’m just interested in other things right now - like, if I’m going to pick something up in terms of formal study, it’s going to be Korean at this point rather than Japanese. I’m sort of ok with where I’m at for the time being, just picking things up through more exposure in reading. It’s meandering, but that feels better for me right now.

@windupbird

• Start a Listen Every Day challenge??? Maybe this summer??? Just a nugget of an idea right now, but the Read Every Day Challenge has been working so well for me that I’m sort of wanting to see if I can expand on that success.

Well, I didn’t start it, but it is happening! And I plan to participate in it, so that’s good.

@windupbird

• Stop forgetting about my goals - even if the first half of the year is busy, there’s still the whole other half of the year, windupbird

Well, I did forget about them, but luckily I ended up doing some of them anyway xD

[Phryne]

Good idea to do an evaluation of how things are going so far!

@Phryne

Finish the KKLC.

On track to finish by the end of October

@Phryne

Read 30 books, of which 4 novels.

Pretty much on schedule, I think Read 12 manga, 2 children’s books (ふしぎ駄菓子屋銭天堂 and 佐賀のがばいばあちゃん) and 1 novel (地球星人). Depending on book club scheduling I might end up with three novels and a bit, but I’d be fine with that.

I was hoping to whittle down my manga collection, a lot of which are random manga I received from Box of Manga. I was reading one a week before I got corona, but I never really got back into the swing of things… I am currently trying to figure out if it’s ok to decide I don’t like a manga within the first 20 pages and move on to a different one or if I should give them a bit more time to get interesting? I think I am discovering shoujo is really not for me

@Phryne

Read a little every day (though 250/365 would already make me plenty happy).

Doing pretty well here, thanks to the 📚📚 Read every day challenge - Spring 2022 🌸 🌱 challenge! It really got me into the routine of reading a bit every day (even if it’s only 3 pages some days lol).

@Phryne

Continue with at least 2h of conversation practice a week.

I have been doing lessons on the Asao Discord server with the same two teachers the past 5 months. I might add in some extra lessons with their trainee teachers over the summer holiday, though I always think it’s a bit awkward when you’ve had the third lesson with a trainee teacher and don’t want to upgrade to weekly lessons Might have to get over that…

@Phryne

Get into the habit of doing listening practice during my commute.

Started with Nihongo con Teppei for Beginners, but quickly realised it was a bit too slow and repetitive, so I switched to Nihongo con Teppei Z. I might give Noriko a try soon to get some variety (because everyone has their own way of speaking, with their own favourite vocab and grammar points).

@Phryne

• Continue daily(ish) penji and brush calligraphy practice.
• Start daily(ish) shadowing practice.

Oops Not sure if I’m lazy/undisciplined or if it was a bit too ambitious to want to add two more daily activities on top of the kanji/reading/piano I am already doing every day. I might give calligraphy and shadowing another go in the summer holiday and see if the habit sticks in September.

[Redglare]

@windupbird

I’m just interested in other things right now - like, if I’m going to pick something up in terms of formal study, it’s going to be Korean at this point rather than Japanese

Hello I’ve been thinking about picking up Korean as well. There’s a certain milestone I want to reach in my JP language studies first tho, so I’m trying to focus on that for now Trying my best to hold back the Korean urges Learning simple words through osmosis exposure will have to do for now.

[polv]

@Redglare

There’s a certain milestone I want to reach in my JP language studies first tho, so I’m trying to focus on that for now

There are also one or two languages I want to pick up, but I am focusing on Japanese and finding it hard to focus on anything else. I am not even sure if the milestone will come…

[Redglare]

@polv

I am not even sure if the milestone will come…

Any specific ones you have in mind? Generally, if you just continue with your studies, you’ll get there sooner or later. Enjoy the journey and persevere at a consistent pace.

[polv]

@Redglare

Any specific ones you have in mind?

Primary:

• Enjoy and can use Japanese materials (Wikipedia, news and general Googling) as a reference
• Enjoy, discuss, and sympathize with Japanese communities

Secondary:

• Useful (to myself and companions) as a (future) traveler
• Small talk with Japanese natives everywhere I meet
• Studying in Japan, if it is worthy; and perhaps also if I have a scholarship or something.
  • More possibly, as an exchange student. I still take courses in a local university nowadays.

It’s not going to be as strong as chances of an exchange student, or an academic excursion; but not like primary goals will be met easily.

Target within: 12 months

• Coincidentally, my birthday is in this month; and I feel that somehow, 6 months might be too short. 12 months might be possible, but no guarantee.
  • Monthly / trimonthly reflection would tell. The thought started from Read Every Day Challenge, so I have to be thankful to that.

[Redglare]

Ahh, I see. Rather than milestones, I would call those ‘goals’. I say that because the ones you’ve written can hardly be measured. Milestones can double as goals, but they are usually measurable ones. For example reading 10/50/100 books or passing any of the JLPT levels. So the difference is that milestones are clear-cut, while goals aren’t necessarily that and can be kind of vague.

[polv]

@Redglare

reading 10/50/100 books or passing any of the JLPT levels

Number of books and even JLPT levels are only tangential to goals, though. What matters most is whether I do well in tight situations, or when situation requires and something can be helpful.

Of course, unless I need a certificate.

[Wantitled]

I’ve been going back to edit mine whenever I complete a goal but I may as well do a halfway check up post! It’s really weird to think it’s already been 6 months since I made this post, this year has gone quick so far.

@Wantitled

• Get to level 60. Surely this time I must be able to get to level 60, I’m only 11 levels off now.
• Pass N2. Hopefully by actually learning the N2 content in my textbooks.
• Restart my lessons.
• Tied to the last one, but improving my speaking to the point of not having to look up words every 20 seconds when talking to someone.
• Finish a book. Literally any book I have. I have a few now, surely one of them is interesting enough to stick to.

Additional Goals since apparently those goals may not be enough:

• Read all the manga I currently own (like 13 volumes).
• Finish my N2 prep books (even though I’ve already passed N2).

Additional Non-Japanese Goals since I want to put them down somewhere:

• Finish all the front end development courses on FreeCodeCamp.
• Write a script for WK; it doesn’t have to be useful or good, just as long as it does something.
• Take at least 10 pictures I’m proud of.

So I’ll start with the ones I’ve done, and first off, passing N2. So I actually had passed N2 before I even set that goal, considering I took the exam in early December. I just didn’t find out until February. To be honest this one was up in the air for 2022, so passing it in 2021 was a shock . it’s been a bit of a curse though because I’ve lost a lot of the urgency to study grammar that I would have had if I failed it. Still though, I’m very pleased and still shocked a few months later.

Getting to level 60 - I’m glad I finally did it after so many years! I slowed down when I hit level 60, only doing reviews for a while, but I’m finishing off the level 60 lessons now. Not much else to say about this one.

Write a script for WK - This was an additional goal I added like back in March/April so it’s not really 6 months after setting this one. It’s not actually Japanese related but I decided earlier on in the year I wanted to pivot my career into development and so my Japanese has slowed down massively as learning that must take priority. I did technically write a script, albeit a small one. I actually started work on another script but it ended up getting so big, it kind of became its own standalone thing. I probably wont make another script for WK for a while since all programming I do needs to be for my portfolio/career, but maybe eventually.

I don’t want this to be too long since it’s only 6 months so I’ll quickly go over the uncompleted goals.

Restart my lessons - This is a reference to my physical Japanese lessons that I stopped because I was too broke. Well, I’m still broke, so nope. It’s actually one of the many reasons I want to change jobs. I doubt it’ll happen this year with my focus being shifted, but hopefully early next year if I can get a job. I really miss it.

Improving my speaking - It’s very very slow progress, and again not something I can dedicate a bunch of time to right now.

Finish a book - Not yet.

Read all the manga I currently own - I’m uhhh… Well I bought more manga since then but I’m actually reading it. I’ve since bought 2 books and I’ve almost finished the second one so hopefully I can get back to the original 13. At least I’m reading them though.

Finish my N2 prep book - Nope, I’d love to but I don’t have the time to dedicate.

Finish all frontend development courses on FCC - I actually moved off those onto more targeted things since I’m trying to work up a portfolio, but I do want to return to those after I’ve got a good grasp on the things I’m currently working on. The list is big though, there’s so much to learn.

Take at least 10 pictures I’m proud of - Off the top of my head I’ve definitely taken at least 1, maybe as many as like 4 so far, but this one is heavily dependant on my ability to go and take pictures, which itself is dependant on money. Basically, I’m too broke to complete half these goals .

So that’s where I’m at with my goals so far! I would say this year has generally gone pretty good (especially compared with every other year I’ve done this), although the direction I’ve been going in has taken a pretty dramatic shift. I haven’t been happy with my job for quite a while and finally working towards a career I’m excited about feels good. And the prospects of having a job that pays decently also feels good! Having to push to much to the side for it is a bit of a pain, especially when I feel so much motivation towards studying Japanese right now, but it must be done. That being said, I’m still reading manga and doing my reviews so I haven’t completely stopped. But for the most part it will have to wait!

[WaniTsunami]

I mean… it’s not impossible, but your aim is really only gonna be to finish Wanikani. I remember booking it from 20 to 30 and feeling like I lost the plot halfway because I got too caught up in the grind and out of the learning process.

[NihongoLearner19]

Update June 2022:

Halfway through the year, I’ve…

• Read 2/3 novels
• Read 5/15 volumes of manga
• Reached level 45 of WaniKani (in April) and decided to quit since I wanted to spend more time immersing
• Reached an N3 level (I did the practice Qs on the JLPT website and only got 2 wrong, so I’ll call that good enough!)

Plans for the second half of the year:

• Read at least 1 more novel
• Read 10 more volumes of manga
• Use Tobira flashcards to solidify my grammar knowledge

[Stulti]

Almost half the year done and i read my first complete light novel all by my lonesome so i can check my first goal of the list
Kind of proud of myself for not giving up even though there were some difficult words/ kanji which i forgot the moment after i translated them and put them down in my notebook and the next time it came up i couldn’t remember it nor find it in the notebook so i had to check it on jisho again
I even think i understood most of the nsfw and the mental health stuff though i shouldn’t show anyone my jisho/ google browser history anymore

But i’m so happy that i read the book, because i loved it and the experience really motivated me.

[coicoy]

Reflecting on this post:

@coicoy

I reflected on my goals for 2021 here .

Goals for 2022:

• Review Minna no Nihongo みんなの日本語 初級 2
• Complete a so-called Intermediate textbook (either Tobira or Quartet or both, maybe MnN).
• Maybe reach the upper 40s on WaniKani (although I am not in a rush here. My main goal is confidence and steady progress). I’m basically on the 5-year plan now.
• Finish Tango N3 and possibly start/finish Tango N2
• Go through all of the material in すぐに使える 日本語会話超ミニフレーズ200 (Speak Japanese!)
• Complete one volume in a manga book or two, either Conan or Major or both.
• Understand my family better

I actually haven’t met most of these goals this year, except the last one. However, I did find myself getting recommitted a little here on WaniKani after slowing down quite a bit in the spring.

Textbook-wise, the main thing I did was to review Minna no Nihongo みんなの日本語 初級 2.
I also got into the beginnings of the Intermediate textbooks, but I only completed about two chapters in Quartet, two chapters and a peek at the third chapter in Tobira, plus one unit in Minna no Nihongo Intermediate.

The main progress I made is in my listening, where I understand my family and general conversations now, and I can randomly communicate in broken Japanese when in situations where I’m forced to use it. My exposure to the language has been regular, so I’m more confident and gather the gist… but I do feel that I need to level-up eventually. This last year, my progress has been gradual and feels a little more like osmosis.

As far as reading, I basically didn’t commit to any one single bit of material, but I think I likely won’t try to read Conan (though I do like watching the anime). I may try reading Major again sometime, but probably the one I’m most inclined to read is Slam Dunk. Or find some sort of light novel. Recently, it’s been a little hard to find material that is interesting to me. I’ll eventually need to develop new habits… but I’m waiting until the end of next month to do that…

[NihongoLearner19]

Update November 23, 2022:

• 9/3 novels read!
• 15/15 volumes of manga read!
• Passed N3 practice test I took over the summer, so good enough for me

In general, I’ve met or exceeded pretty much all of my Japanese learning goals for this year, which I’m really happy about! I feel like this is the year where I moved to somewhere between an N3 and an N2 level, so I’m hoping to practice all 4 of my skills enough next year to fully solidify my knowledge at an upper intermediate/lower advanced level.

[Jonapedia]

@Jonapedia

My goals for Japanese for this year? I’ve only got one: reach the N1 level by July 2022, ideally by March 2022. Part of it is going to be finishing all the test prep books I’ve got myself in time, but I also hope I’ll manage to read more news articles and finally start speaking more comfortably.

I’d nearly forgotten I’d said this!

Well, the main goal was accomplished: I passed! When exactly was I ready? I have no clue, but I know I was still rushing through my grammar book just before the exam, so… maybe I wasn’t. The details didn’t go as well though: I couldn’t finish my books, and I didn’t read much of the news either. I’ve got into a lot more Japanese conversations this year though, and while I’m rarely the one speaking, well, speaking does feel more natural now.

[Iinchou]

@Jonapedia

I’ve got into a lot more Japanese conversations this year though, and while I’m rarely the one speaking, well, speaking does feel more natural now.

That’s awesome! I am also trying to get more speaking practice and it’s also mostly the teacher speaking, but still I think it’s worth it.