What level of the JLPT ranking should I be to be able to immerse myself into the language? I’m not talking about complete fluency here but just enough to be able to get around on a day to day basis in Japan. Allowing me to increase my language skills at a faster pace.
10 comments
Effective immersion starts at around N4 level
At least N2? (When you want to increase your language skills only by exposure of Japanese, without studying it)
For me everything started to make sense midN3 to early N2. Around those levels I had more comprehension when listening and reading youtube videos and practically any native material. I mean, I could catch some grammar and vocabulary up before but when I acquired more comprehension between those levels that I mentioned above, is when I felt more comfortable watching native material without having to stop the video every minute to look up for a word or a piece of grammar.
But immersion by itself only helps you to review and test what you already studied on paper and this is when you’re a beginner-intermediate learner.
When you’re an advanced learner immersion helps to immitate and reproduce the language as a native, understanding phrases in context without translating to your native language in your head.
That’s my personal experience. If your goal is using immersion as an advanced learner you only need to study and practice more.
For me everything started to make sense midN3 to early N2. Around those levels I had more comprehension when watching youtube videos and reading practically any native material. I mean, I could catch some grammar and vocabulary up before but when I acquired more comprehension between those levels that I mentioned above, is when I felt more comfortable watching native material without having to stop the video every minute to look up for a word or a piece of grammar.
But immersion by itself only helps you to review and test what you already studied on paper and this is when you’re a beginner-intermediate learner.
When you’re an advanced learner immersion helps to immitate and reproduce the language as a native, understanding phrases in context without translating to your native language in your head.
That’s my personal experience. If your goal is using immersion as an advanced learner you only need to study and practice more.
N4 is a mid-intermediate level, which should be enough to get by in Japan for most uncomplicated everyday needs.
Most folks I know who moved here with “some Japanese,” but don’t really actively study plateau around the N3 level. That’ll get you to basic conversation (but not complex or nuanced ones). You’ll be able to handle all basic needs at a shop or restaurant, but will still need help doing more complex things like renting an apartment or non-routine medical procedures. If you keep actively studying and putting yourself in situations where you have to use more complex Japanese though, you can avoid plateauing and keep improving
Absolutely depends on what you practice and your proclivities. I passed the JLPT N3 with plenty of points to spare in every category, but I only feel like I can immerse myself while reading. Even simple audio immersion is overwhelming for me if it isn’t intentionally geared towards learners of Japanese as a second language.
With that said, I’ve spent most of my study time focusing on reading and writing, and I’m naturally good at standardized testing.
Are you talking about just shopping and low level stuff? N4 – pre-N3 would be enough. A lot of things in Japan are simplified down to visuals so you’d end up learning words you don’t know through immersion (interacting with the world). Granted, it’s going to feel hard at first when you realize your true level versus a native. But over time of true immersion, you’ll start to develop an ear for Japanese and naturally learn a ton of words/expressions/kanji through context. It it isn’t magical. It takes time. **You will hate yourself at first.**
If you move to Japan and spend the majority of your time, speaking Japanese and trying to do things in Japanese only, your language skills will skyrocket and you can possibly get to speaking/listening N2. You’ll still need to study grammar/reading/kanji to pass an actual test. But for day to day life, you’ll be fine.
That being said, you won’t pass the N1 without studying. Eventually your immersion will plateau as you learn all the words and expressions you need to survive. Unless you push yourself to experience new things or read harder and harder text, you’ll get stuck at about pre-N2 thought immersion alone.
So I’d say that the sooner the better, but like N5 is probably the earliest you can start while understanding whole sentences here and there if you start by reading stuff like よつばと
All native materials are written beyond N1 level. There’s N1 vocabulary and grammar in Pokemon. Some people look at this and say “you should be N1 before you even consider immersing”, while almost everyone I have heard of who has passed N1 in less than 2 years did so by studying through immersion from the beginning.
Honestly, the JLPT ranking isn’t a good indicator of one’s ability to handle immersion. When I got here, I was self-assessed at N3 because I hadn’t really (and still haven’t tbh) studied kanji, but I could 100% the N2 listening without issue. Compared to the other non-native Japanese speakers around me, I had a much easier time in Japanese-only environments. I was used to immersion without formal study, so I think the test level means very little in the context of immersion and communication. The sooner you start experiencing immersion, the better off you’ll be.