Dirk's 日本語 Log

Japanese
#1

Okay, why not?

I restarted today after getting a little headway into N3, which I was pretty proud of. But after doing some hundreds of reviews and missing an uncomfortable amount, I decided it was best to just start from 0. It’s something I do a lot and want to stop doing, but I figured I had the time to do this before the N4 this year. I took too long of a break, unfortunately, but I’m back and planning to stick around until I complete N1 grammar and vocab. I really enjoy using Bunpro, and have for a long time, and it’ll be a cool achievement to finally complete all the material.

I don’t often set a real goal for myself when it comes to Japanese. Not one that sticks anyway. I just know I want to pass the N1, and just generally be comfortable consuming media in the language. I decided today though that being able to play Pokemon Black/White in Japanese is a goal of mine. I haven’t beaten it in English yet, but that’s not necessarily a requirement.

My daily goal is 5 grammar topics and 25 vocab words a day until I complete all the N4 material. I don’t plan to take days off, if I can help it. I’m also doing Migaku’s Japanese courses alongside this, but I plan to prioritize Bunpro.

I don’t know how often I’ll update this, but I’ll try to at least when I’ve hit certain milestones. A quarter of the way through N5, halfway through, when I hit N4, etc. Maybe I’ll have things come up that I want to jot down along the way. We’ll see. If you have any questions/comments, feel free to leave them here.

Thanks for reading!

8 Likes
#2

A Homestuck reference? In this economy?

Anyway, good luck with your studying! Make sure you don’t burn yourself out!

4 Likes
#3

:sunglasses:

Thank you, I’ll try! Your icon makes me really miss FFXIV.

3 Likes
#4

Good luck in your study!
Be carefull 5 grammar and 25 vocab will quickly add up with the srs. If you are ready to do 2 to 3 hours daily then it should be manageable, don’t hesitate to take a break if you are getting overwhelmed. It’s totally fine to not add words for a few days to get rid of your reviews.

Pokemon should be playable around N4, don’t hesitate to jump into it so you’ll quickly see your progress in understanding the game!

1 Like
#5

Thank you! I will try not to burn myself out. I’m just trying to zoom through what I already know well enough, and I might adjust it later if it gets too overwhelming. I’m kind of trying to kick my butt into gear so I can actually do N4 this year, but I’ll do my best not to burn out so badly that I quit again.

As for Pokemon, that sounds promising! Once I get through the N4 material again, I’ll jump in and see how I do. :slight_smile:

1 Like
#6

You can mark the word you know as mastered.
I do that for most katana word (terebi,paatii, etc etc) and the the basic one (arigatou, kawaii, itadakimasu etc etc).

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#7

I wouldn’t recommend skipping katakana words, as knowing some of them well, makes it much easier to make up words and generally know what would work well and would not while making them up

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#8

So, a quick update.

I decided to try the N3 this year after all. So much for taking it easy on myself. I’ve decided I want to take the N2 next year, so this seemed logical to do. I’m trying to break into translation as quickly as I can. I want to be around N2 asap and start building up a decent portfolio of media translation. I think I’m a little crazy, but wish me luck?

4 Likes
#9

The best decision always have a bit of crazy in them.
That’s great that you have a goal to aim for now.
Ganbare!

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#10

I agree! Thank you. 頑張ります！

1 Like