I’ve learned enough to be at N3 level, and I’m happy with that. My question is, what comes next? I don’t plan on moving to/working in Japan, and I don’t know many people who speak Japanese in my city. I enjoyed the journey of learning, and it’s definitely satisfying to be able to read things I previously couldn’t.
So my question for all of you here is, if you’ve reached a point of being satisfied with your Japanese skill level, what comes next?
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Enjoy. Watch movies/ read books/play video games/ television all in Japanese and enjoy the language
Languages are the new borders as everything is online now. If you think your Japanese is sufficient then try crossing it. Even though Japanese is not among the most spoken languages its knowledge base is one of the best (this is just my opinion, I don’t actually have sources for it). Chinese is another one.
So my point is, try doing whatever you like online but in Japanese. You will have a good time if you’re into Anime, Manga, and Video Games. If you’re in tech you will be surprised with the hidden knowledge that can only be found in Japanese. If you’re not into either of those things, things like DIY, cooking, reading, and music are all abundant in Japanese.
As Japanese have a very diverse taste in hobby, you probably will be able to find something for yourself.
So wait… you are satisfied at N3 level? You cannot even read a light novel at that point, or the newspaper. You are pretty much at the edge of enjoying actual content, but you will still have a lot of work ahead of you.
I was stuck in this annoying spot for quite some time due to lack of motivation – it was not that I was satisfied with reading the simple constructions, it was that I could not do anything written for natives without looking up words all the time. The reality is that N2-N1 is where you can reasonably start enjoying materials and reaching that ‘enjoyable’ comprehension level. Otherwise all it is work/study to get through even Shounen Jump manga.
I have some insane-level goals which are novels that are in Japanese only, and until I can read them effortlessly, I will not be satisfied. I decided that Legend of Galactic Heroes (the books) would be fun, that or Lord of the Rings just to see how it was translated.
I have not reached that point of satisfaction, and I probably won’t even until I die…so I can’t answer your question lol