How long did it take for you to learn Japanese

7 comments

1. Im not sure if there ever will be an “end point” to answer your question. Language learning is endless. I have been learning Japanese for about 2.5 years and Im on or above n2 (but below n1) if this helps answer your question.

2. Go at your own pace. Comparing against others is never a good idea, and it really doesn’t matter at all as long as you’re having fun! While it may sound very cliché, it’s something I learned the hard way!

   Also, you’re typing the kanji for 感じる. It should be 漢字 :))

3. The FSI has 2200 hours of classroom time for Japanese fluency (or whatever metric word you want to use) so match that up with about 1 hour outside of class and that’s around 4400 hours. At an hour a day that’s about 10 years of study. That’s not to dissuade you, but to show that you aren’t lagging behind others. You are probably right where you should be in your studies.

4. There’s definitely plateaus and since you’ll never have that native experience it’ll always take work. Learn to develop it as a hobby, something you casually enjoy but still can put hours into every day if possible. If you work a lot, rep Anki on your phone on break. Find an epub reader and load a book onto it. Listen to lots of podcasts passively while commuting, doing chores, gaming. What have you. I like Teppei on YouTube, he has hundreds of episodes recorded and still posts to this day.

5. I’m around N3, I’m finally moving past that after hitting a plateau for about a year (life hits you fast). I’ve been studying since 2015, not as seriously as most and I probably won’t get that sudden burst of studying power. Take your time in getting your goal, and even when you do learn know that there’s always more that you can learn 🙂 part of growing

6. The only thing I can confidently advise is to use Yomichan.

7. Started in 1997, got N1 in 2008, still studying today in 2022. It’s a lifelong pursuit and I have enjoyed every moment of it.