Hi, everyone 🙂
I started studying Japanese in 2017 and was actively studying the language for 4 years. Since I‘ve finished my bachelors I didn‘t really have the time to continue (especially since I had to take another language in my masters). I‘ll be going to Japan for 6 months starting in September and would like to up my level until then (rn I think I‘m a solid N3), but I‘m having trouble figuring out where to start/continue. I was wondering if anyone was/is in a similar situation and has some advice
4 comments
You could potentially grab some textbooks like Genki 1 & 2 and go through them as review. Otherwise, immersing in material, such as reading books, etc. (check out Satori Reader) or listening to podcasts or watching anime or dramas, etc. could help, too.
Review genki 1 and 2 grammar alongside the book and the youtube grammar playlists by tokini andy.
Get a journal. Write down anything that needs more review. Ask questions here, hellotalk, etc.
Shouldnt take more than a week.
Review the vocab in there as well. Itll be easy seeing as youre n3.
Get an n3 to n2 anki deck. Now.
U have enough time to get through quartet 1 if youre studious.
I recommend emphasizing listening more than anything.
Since its only 6 months youre not going to get a lot of experience to learn more complex things through repetition, and your main priority while there should be exposure to spoken language. Since reading you can do anywhere when youre alone.
Theres tons of podcasts. Immediately begin changing all of your media to Japanese content without english subtitles. This is what people should do when theyre mid n4.
Youtube has tons of people who have n5 to n3 vlogs with japanese subtitles. Where they dont use grammar beyond those levels to express what the video covers. These are my favorite to recommend at this level. Rewatch them.
Its amazing how much you can express with a firm command of up through n3 grammar and vocab.
Use the pause and rewind functions on anything you ingest on youtube and while watching anime/dramas. Keep that journal at hand.
If youre listening without actively translating and trying to obtain/identify vocab and grammar that didnt “click” right away youre doing it wrong.
Youre not ingesting to enjoy it so much as to use the material as a source for smoothing out the rough areas in your current and ongoing language journey.
If you catch yourself just watching it and not mentally making connections as you listen without english subtitles, youre cheating yourself.
You got this.
Review genki 1 and 2 grammar alongside the book and the youtube grammar playlists by tokini andy.
Get a journal. Write down anything that needs more review. Ask questions here, hellotalk, etc.
Shouldnt take more than a week.
Review the vocab in there as well. Itll be easy seeing as youre n3.
Get an n3 to n2 anki deck. Now.
U have enough time to get through quartet 1 if youre studious.
I recommend emphasizing listening more than anything.
Since its only 6 months youre not going to get a lot of experience to learn more complex things through repetition, and your main priority while there should be exposure to spoken language. Since reading you can do anywhere when youre alone.
Theres tons of podcasts. Immediately begin changing all of your media to Japanese content without english subtitles. This is what people should do when theyre mid n4.
Youtube has tons of people who have n5 to n3 vlogs with japanese subtitles. Where they dont use grammar beyond those levels to express what the video covers. These are my favorite to recommend at this level. Rewatch them.
Its amazing how much you can express with a firm command of up through n3 grammar and vocab.
Use the pause and rewind functions on anything you ingest on youtube and while watching anime/dramas. Keep that journal at hand.
If youre listening without actively translating and trying to obtain/identify vocab and grammar that didnt “click” right away youre doing it wrong.
Youre not ingesting to enjoy it so much as to use the material as a source for smoothing out the rough areas in your current and ongoing language journey.
If you catch yourself just watching it and not mentally making connections as you listen without english subtitles, youre cheating yourself.
You got this.
Review genki 1 and 2 grammar alongside the book and the youtube grammar playlists by tokini andy.
Get a journal. Write down anything that needs more review. Ask questions here, hellotalk, etc.
Shouldnt take more than a week.
Review the vocab in there as well. Itll be easy seeing as youre n3.
Get an n3 to n2 anki deck. Now.
U have enough time to get through quartet 1 if youre studious.
I recommend emphasizing listening more than anything.
Since its only 6 months youre not going to get a lot of experience to learn more complex things through repetition, and your main priority while there should be exposure to spoken language. Since reading you can do anywhere when youre alone.
Theres tons of podcasts. Immediately begin changing all of your media to Japanese content without english subtitles. This is what people should do when theyre mid n4.
Youtube has tons of people who have n5 to n3 vlogs with japanese subtitles. Where they dont use grammar beyond those levels to express what the video covers. These are my favorite to recommend at this level. Rewatch them.
Its amazing how much you can express with a firm command of up through n3 grammar and vocab.
Use the pause and rewind functions on anything you ingest on youtube and while watching anime/dramas. Keep that journal at hand.
If youre listening without actively translating and trying to obtain/identify vocab and grammar that didnt “click” right away youre doing it wrong.
Youre not ingesting to enjoy it so much as to use the material as a source for smoothing out the rough areas in your current and ongoing language journey.
If you catch yourself just watching it and not mentally making connections as you listen without english subtitles, youre cheating yourself.
You got this.