Yako`s Study Log: ROAD TO N4

Japanese Language Study Logs (Public)
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Hey heyyyy!!! I want to hold myself more accountable with studying Japanese because I have some big goals I want to achieve in the next few years. I also hope to gain insight from others in this community. For these reasons, I have decided to start a study log!

Journey So Far (About Me)

I started learning Japanese around 6th grade (2014), and was very on/off until my sophomore year (2022) in college. I took a foreign language in middle school (French), so I think that deterred me from putting a lot of effort into my Japanese self-study. During middle school, I had learned hiragana and katakana so when I entered university I had that as a foundation. I took two years of Japanese, and (somehow) landed a job in Japan. I`ve been here for about a few months now and my speaking ability has greatly improved. I am forced to speak Japanese on a daily basis, and (with the help of google translate) I am able to hold some basic conversations. I would say that I am somewhere between N5 and N4, but I plan on taking the JLPT next summer to figure all that out.

I have completed Genki I textbook/workbook and I stopped around Lesson 17 in Genki II. I haven’t touched my textbook in like a year, but I plan to do so later this week. (Will update if I do or not LOL)

Currently, I am using WaniKani for vocab and kanji, Bunpro for grammar and hope to start Kumon correspondence around November (still waiting on paperwork). I try to write a few kanji everyday, but I do not have any structure and it’s basically only when I feel like it. I don’t have a study plan, which I think is hindering my study. (Hence why I’m signing up for Kumon lmao)

Long term goals (ordered most to least important):

  • Get comfortable with Japanese conversation
  • Attain Masters Degree in Japanese Language and Culture
  • Be able to read The Tale of Genji in its original language
  • Be able to play Yakuza 1 in its original language

Short term goals:

  • Pass N4 JLPT in Summer 2026
  • Finish reading one novel completely in Japanese before the end of the year
  • Study everyday for AT LEAST 20 minutes from now until the JLPT

There may be more goals added in future updates, but for right now I think this covers it! I know these are very big goals and will take me years to complete but I think it is important for me to have them as motivation. I hope to have weekly check-ins, but forgive me if I slip up!

I AM EXCITED TO START MY JOURNEY FOR REAL THIS TIME!

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Welcome and best of luck!

I’m sure you’ll get there as long as you stick to Majima Japanese Everywhere.

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Welcome!

If you want to get started with reading novels, the Children’s Novel Club is starting a new book soon!

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I will definitely check it out!!! Thank youuu

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lollll Thank you!!!

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(Week 1) October 11 2025:

WK LVL: 5 / BUNPRO LVL: 18

  • Finished WaniKani reviews (around 30 today)
  • Cleared Bunpro reviews (201 because I connected WK and it exploded…)
  • I wrote down a few kanji from WK reviews and reviewed stroke order for around 10 Joyo 1 Kanji

I started reading Ghost Story in the Library (completed two pages because I had to look up soooo many words). I like ghost stories and Halloween so I’m excited to continue reading even if it takes me around 20-30 mins per page.

I didn’t end up looking at my Genki textbook this week but I will restart Sunday and use ToKini Andy’s Videos to help. (I cannot remember who shared the resource but I really want to thank you so much)

This week was a pretty good week for studying and being productive. I’m able to consistently get around 2-3 hours of studying in everyday and when holidays come around I should have even more time! I think this is a good start and I hope to keep the momentum going. RAHHHHHHH I feel the Japanese language flowing through my veins (or maybe it’s the massive headache I have from studying for long periods of time haha).

Till next time… SIGNING OFF! :smiley:

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(Week 2-3ish) October 23rd 2025:

WK LVL 6 / BUNPRO LVL 19

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I’ve decided that I want to start posting screenshots of my progress so that I can be more motivated. I’m still trucking along with WK and BP but I have been unable to really touch the novel this past week and a half. Work has been a little stressful so when I get home I don’t do much in terms of studying… I complete most of my reviews at work so I only need to finish a few when i get home which has been manageable, but anymore than that well…. Yeah no.

With the novel, I have to look up every word and that takes up a LOT of time. I spend about 45-60 minutes translating and trying to piece together what is happening. WITH THAT BEING SAID I am not quitting but I have decided that I need to go at my own pace. I read a lot of other people’s language journeys and they all basically have the same sentiment of “your first book will be pain but the second will be pleasure” and I’m hoping that rings true for me too!

On the topic of Kumon: I am slated to start in December but I am a little worried about the postage situation. I’m living in Hokkaido and many of my coworkers are anticipating a large amount of snow this winter season… It should be fine for the beginning of December but around January I may find myself without worksheets which could be an issue. I am still excited to start and have some semblance of structure in my learning though! Will update if/when the weather starts to get worse, but as for now it’s just regular cold LOL.

In regards to textbook usage: I haven’t even TOUCHED my digital Genki book and I lowkey think that is the issue. I think I fare better with physical textbooks, so I will be buying a few in the coming weeks and would like some suggestions on textbooks (or graded readers/supplemental books/etc). I did my own research and found this series of graded readers (Tadoku) and if anyone has any reviews I’d love to hear about it. Other than that it’s been pretty steady in terms of language learning and reading other people’s study logs really motivate me to study more. (Especially the level 60 posts)

Thanks for reading!!! See you next week!

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Btw, tadoku also has free graded readers:

I’d also like to recommend this free app

and

In any case, best of luck with your studies! wricat

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Thank you!!! I will definitely look into them.

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Week 4-6

November 17th 2025

WK LVL 7/ BP LVL 20

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SRS Studying:

久しぶりです！！！！ I’ve been so drained after work these last few weeks that the most I could muster was completing Wanikani reviews at least once a day. (Although there were definitely days where I even skipped those). I have a lot of things on my plate as we gear up for the end of the year so I’m trying to finish many projects for work and a few hobby things before then. Japanese has definitely been on the back burner because of that LOL. I never ended up starting Kumon because I forgot to pay using the slip I was mailed so I will have to re-register and be issued a new one. STAY TUNED ON THAT.

Novel Reading:

In better news, I am slowly but surely reading Ghost Story In The Library and making sure to write down all the vocab I don’t know (which is about 90% of the book). As much as I would like to finish it before the end of the year I won’t be mad if it’s closer to the end of January/February.

Textbooks:

Haven’t touched any textbooks :frowning: But my coworker did give me a lot of jpn elementary school textbooks (grades 1-6) and I plan to use them to supplement the kanji I learn via WK. I hope by the year 2030 I’m at least at a 6th grade reading level LMAO.

Sign Off:

Definitely fell into a slump, but I’m slowly digging myself out! Next check in we should have some more progress!

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Ah- 久しぶりです！

It’s been quite a while since my last update. Life has been pretty overwhelming the last few months to say the least… BUT IM BACK TO STUDYING! I’ve recently gotten out of my slump and I’m ready to go.

The Future of This Study Log

Honestly, I still have no idea how I want to structure this and I’ve been getting inspired by the other logs in this community. For now, I won’t worry too much about format (unless it gets to be incomprehensible at some point then just yell at me).

2026 Goals

  • Pass JLPT N4
  • 50 Hours of Listening Practice
  • Finish Genki II Textbook/Workbook
  • Finish all Shin Kanzen Master N4 books
  • Reach Wanikani Level 30
  • Finish all of Bunpro N5 and N4
  • 24 hours of recorded speaking
  • Finish three graded reading textbooks

JLPT

As a resolution for the new year, I told myself that I would take on the JLPT N4 test! Registration is only a few months away and I believe I am around the mid-way point of N5. To prepare myself for the test I am putting myself on a semi-strict, daily regime which consists of:

  • five Kumon worksheets
  • Complete all available Wanikani Reviews
  • 20 reviews for Bunpro
  • Textbook lesson/review
  • Kanji writing practice

Honestly, it seems like a lot, but I do a lot of this at work during my desk warming time. I do my Kumon sheets at home just in case I need to leave from my work desk suddenly. This is because the Kumon worksheets require you to write your finish and start times, and I don’t want my teacher to think I’m spending more time on a sheet than I really am… I am currently Level E (levels go all the way to Level L which is around N2 if I’m not mistaken). If I complete Level F I should be able to comfortably take the JLPT and pass! Please wish me luck.

50 Hours of Listening

I don’t have a real concrete plan for how I will get the hours but I am going to do my best of watching more J-dramas and tv shows to practice listening to real humans communicate. Not to say that anime isn’t a good way to practice listening, but I like to shadow sentences that I think sound nice. Because of that, I think it’d be better for me to shadow from something a little closer to reality. If anyone has any recommendations for dramas or tv shows they like I’d love to hear it!

Textbooks

It seems like I have a vendetta against textbooks, because I refuse to open them. I think I may be traumatized after graduating university LOL. This year, I have to FORCE myself to finally finish Genki 2. I got to around L17-18 in my Japanese course at uni, but after graduating I haven’t even looked at it STILL! Will update on when I start going through the textbook again. After that, I will start my Shin Kanzen Master grind. I already have all the textbooks up to N2, so I just need to open them up.

SRS

I specifically want to achieve level 30 because (according to wkstats) that is when you should know 100% of vocab and kanji for N4. My goal for the year is to pass the test but also to SOLIDIFY what I have learned so that I can take N3 in July of 2027 and the next tests in the years after. I want to at least be “seasoned” in everything on N5 and N4. Right now I am fighting my demons (297 BP reviews) because I took a pretty long hiatus. Resumed my streak yesterday so today makes two! I want to do better at keeping my streaks on these sites but honestly if I can’t achieve a big number I won’t be sad. It’s more important that I’m continuing to study (but seeing a three digit number at the end of the year would be pretty nice). I also started JPDB, which I have been using to learn new vocabulary. I’m mostly just using decks from anime I have already watched (mainly parts 1-3 of Jojo) and a Doraemon movie that I have on my watchlist. I’m not taking that seriously at all it’s just something to do when I finish WK reviews but don’t want to do my BP ones LOL.

Speaking

Taking a page out of my old Mandarin professor who had us record ourselves saying vocabulary every night as a grade. I will continue on his legacy by attempting to do that in Japanese. I’m just going to watch/read NHK Easy and shadow while recording myself in voice notes. It’s usually around 5-10ish mins every session because I keep the recording going even when I mess up.

Graded Readers

I’m very lucky to have access to real elementary school graded readers. I work as an ALT and recently I was given ~15 text/workbooks from 1st to 6th grade and a few kanji writing books as well. I obviously won’t have a lot of time to dedicate to these, so if I can finish the 1st grader books this year I’ll be happy.

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All in all I’m excited to be back in business. Here is my current WK heat map to show I mean business. My current streak being 5 is getting me hyped up too! I am going to be better at logging and I will be better at keeping streaks. I need to stay consistent this year and the main thing motivating me is that I want to hurry up and attend university here in Japan and attain a masters. I need at least an N2 for that so… we gotta study everyday man. The road to passing N4 is upon us. So I ask once again, WISH ME LUCK!

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