Finished N5 Grammar - what's next?

Bunpro
#9

I’ll cherry pick the easy one:

Go to Decks
Click on the deck
Upper right → Deck Settings button
Toggle off “Actively Studying”

–
I did N5 with only wanikani and bunpro N5 lessons. You will be fine. You’ll think the written sections are ridiculously easy. And you will get killed on the listening section. I managed to pass, but I was convinced I failed until the scores came out. It was probably my very high scores in the other sections that saved me, all I had to do was get the minimum section score in listening.

I would recommend before the test, do any random ‘N5 vocabulary’ list on the internet, not SRS, just free-style. It’s not that many things. And do something involving listening on YouTube, lots of it. There are a lot of “N5/N4 simple conversation” youtube videos.

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#10

Thanks @ctmf ! DId you do both Grammar and Vocab on Bunpro?

#11

No I just did grammar (this was several years ago). They didn’t have vocabulary yet, and now even the grammar is more fully explained, way better than it used to be.

I don’t think I’d attempt to brute-force memorize a LONG list of vocabulary without a helper system, but N5 was manageable.

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#12

For talking to people you definatly need to work on your listening.
I put the CD that came with my textbook in my car CD player. As you haven’t been learning with a textbook, my current strategy of using anki is probably a better fit.

Download an anki deck and change the reviws from reading to listening by changing the card template to
Front is:
{{Audio}}

Back is:

{{furigana:Reading}}

{{#Meaning}}{{hint:Meaning}}{{/Meaning}}

in my deck
audio is the audio of the sentence
furigana:Reading has the sentence in kanji with furigana above
{{#Meaning}}{{hint:Meaning}}{{/Meaning}} means if you click the word meaning you can see the definition. I have it hidden by default so I read the japanese sentence before the deffentition
Q1 if you like learning grammar than sure, but I think your better off working on listening and vocab if your goal is conversation
Q2 yeah, the audio is only once.
Q3 maybe? you didn’t notice a weak vocab in the practice test so you might be fine.
Q4 On the screen shot for Q3, you have the ablity to study just n5 vocab. Each day study N5 vocab and grammar through this screen. and I would leave the other words in till I get around to them. You do mostly know them from wanikani

I do recomend studying more vocab to make Japanese friends. I recomend learning some katakana words. Once you have a feel for them you got an easy method to talk awkardly.

in kids books like readers and on the n5 there is no kanji, only hiragana. I skipped to manga which has furigana so I could use kanji knowlage. You can change your review type to ‘translation’ or ‘reading’ so you can use the kanji to guide you.

Q5
I also liked watching old enough はじめておつかい which is currently on Netflix when I was around your level. I recomend reading the sentence out loud. I got the advice to shadow, but It’s really hard

Last week I struggled with IME. Right click IME, settings (the gear), then customize keys and touch, your options are ctrl space or shift space. or keys that aren’t on an american keyboard
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#13

I use bunpro n5 so far and it is not bad.

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#14

Thanks so much, @Noxsora !
I have yet to download any Anki deck. Trying to find the sweet spot for my workload right now. But yes, I love はじめておつかい!!! So cute!

#15

It’s been a year and I looked at my original post. I am happy to say that I have met some of my goals (passed N5) and still continuing with my studies. Here’s a list of what I’m doing and maybe someone at the same level can use these tools too.

  • WaniKani and BunPro (Grammar) reviews are still daily activities. I don’t go on vacation mode even on vacation as I ended up forgetting a lot.
  • I have an online Nihongo tutor (1x/week) who’s helping me with the speaking and listening as we go through grammar in Genki II. So I only add new grammar in BunPro once I am studying it in Genki. I also watch Tokini Andy’s video for the same Genki II Lesson as he explains it better and he sometimes has additional useful info too. BTW, I skipped Lessons 19 and 20 for now because they deal with the very polite terms which was just too much for my brain when I haven’t mastered the basic grammar.
  • I am reading Yotsuba& using this: よつばと! - Bilingual Manga
    as I couldn’t find a copy in any of the bookstore while I was in Naha. Then I watch the comprehensible input video of Iroiro Nihongo https://youtu.be/Xe8AV2VcGoE?feature=shared
    as he’s great with explaining things. My biggest issue is understanding (more like RECOGNIZING) the meaning of the furigana I’m seeing when I know it in Kanji because of WaniKani.
  • For more listening practice, I’ve created an account with Comprehensible Input Japanese
    https://cijapanese.com
    I’m still using the free videos as I just started.
  • For reading, I bought Doraemon Vol 1 and can understand more now than last year. But I am enjoying にゃんにゃん探偵団 (Volume 1) more because the language isn’t so slang/childish AND the font is not miniscule. LOL. There was a book club for にゃんにゃん in WK and I’ll check it out but I may not end up sticking with it.
    にゃんにゃん - Kitty Detectives - Vol. 1 - Book Clubs - WaniKani Community
  • During Covid, I wrote down the Japanese dialogue of Samurai Gourmet (Netflix). I recently reread the first episode’s dialogue and realize I understand more now. So I rewatched my favorite episodes (1 and 3) in Japanese. It’s still very fast and I don’t catch everything. I may or may not rewatch the other episodes of that show or the anime From Me To You. But I recommend those 2 shows.

What’s next:

  • I absolutely need to get better at CONJUGATION 活用 - hypothetical, passive, potential, etc. Good thing I was looking through my long list of (webpage) bookmarks and remembered these:
    Don's Japanese Conjugation Drill
    Random Verb Conjugation Practice
    So I’ll try to practice more.
  • Continue with Comprehensible Input videos
  • Read more regularly - with the books I have and NHK News Easy.
  • Practice speaking more. Most likely with my sensei and also repeating what’s said in the CIJ videos.
  • I may do the N4 Test but it’s not a requirement. Honestly, the passing score is so low it’s shocking. As a nerd, it’s too low. But I’m not the one making the rules. It also doesn’t mean I can speak well enough. I mean I’m definitely better than last year but I default to basic sentences still. However, I may still take it because it’s still an objective milestone.
  • EDIT: Just saw this in another thread: practical reading practice of signs around Japan
    https://youtube.com/@nihongosigns?si=4p9Cqsk3ZNZFBM3B

I do want to thank everyone who has recommended any of the tools I’m using now. It’s because of the great community here in BunPro that I even found out about these tihngs. THANK YOU and let me know if there’s anything else you recommend.

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#16

Congrats on your progress and persistence!

My goal is the same as yours, conversing with Japanese folks.

Below are a few notes based on my experience over the years. They may or may not resonate with you, but just wanted to offer a summary of what has worked for me. This is also just for casual encounters, not a workplace environment.

・Have an outline of a ごしょうかい in your mind for use in conversation to explore points of shared interest. Practice this so you can articulate your thoughts smoothly. And continue to update it as your life progresses.

・Learn vocab for your areas of interest

・Watch native Japanese YouTube content in your areas of interest

・Most importantly; practice, practice, practice. The more you speak, the more it will become second nature. Do not go a long stretch of time without practicing. At a minimum, have a conversation with yourself out loud. Perhaps practice your ごしょうかい and turn it into a mock conversation.

・Don’t feel bad if you revert to basic Japanese grammar structures. I often revert to basic Japanese since I can speak it more quickly without thinking. Although I try to incorporate new grammars into my speech, for the most part its mainly useful for me in listening comprehension.

・Don’t feel bad if you mess up, its always a learning moment and it becomes a mistake you hopefully wont make again. In my experience, people have always helped by gently correcting me or asking clarifying questions. I think most people are just happy that a foreigner is trying to learn Japanese.

・Get used to the flow of conversations and usage of appropriate aisatsu (both verbal and non-verbal)

・Practice with as many people as possible since people speak with different speeds, dialects, slang, etc.

・Practice at local meetups if available (usually free)

・Practice at local izakayas if available and if staffed/frequented by Japanese. Sit at the counter. Offer the staff-san a drink. Likewise, if you are able to strike up a conversation with a fellow patron, offer them a drink as well. (associated cost)

・Practice with various conversation tutors on italki if possible (associated cost)

・Practice with people on HelloTalk (make sure to explicitly state in your profile that you are not looking for a relationship to avoid weirdos) (free)

・And the most obvious one, try to visit Japan when you are able to and completely immerse yourself in the culture and speaking as much as possible.

When I have a great conversation, it is the biggest motivator for my continued studies.

Best of luck in your language learning journey and I hope you are able to achieve your goals.

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#17

For conjugation practice, I use an app called “Japanese conjugation city”. It’s £1 on the App Store but you can set it to drill only conjugation patterns you have learnt and use it for adjectives and verbs.

I do mine from dictionary form to all forms that I have studied at N5 and N4 level, but you can do it from other forms (such as て to ない for example).

I don’t use it to learn verbs and adjectives, I use it to drill the patterns.

Hope this helps and good luck on your study journey :slight_smile:

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#18

THANK YOU SO MUCH for the extensive list! Great tips on the ごしょうかい and aisatsu. I hadn’t thought of that but it is a great tool to break the ice. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

#19

Awesome, tip! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

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#20

Hi. Hope it’s not a bother to ask here, since I’m in a similar situation and I’d rather no create a new thread for it. Sorry if there’s anything worded weirdly, English isn’t my first language and I haven’t had my coffee yet.

I finished the N5 Grammar deck just yesterday. I haven’t mastered everything, far from it, but since I plan on taking the N4 exam in December, I want to start drilling the N4 Grammar deck. The thing is, I plan on learning three new items a day, I did six items a day for the N5. Is this a good pace or should I add a few more items?

My main concern is the vocabulary. I have an easier time learning vocabulary than learning grammar, but even though I learn twenty new items a day (and having taken a few vacation mode days) I am only 400 out of 1100 items into the N5 Vocab deck.

My question then is, given my situation -that is taking the N4 exam in December- should I start learning the N4 Vocab right away? Should I instead reduce the learning pace for the N5 to ten items a day and add ten N4 items so there’s a balance?

Bunpro N5 / N4 pace for the JLPT
#21

Hi @flaneur !

I can’t really provide specific advice apart from: it depends. How much time do you have? Do you absolutely have to take N4 in Dec because of a job requirement or something?
In my case, I don’t have a job or school requirement to take the JLPT exams. I just want to get to a point where I can speak Japanese with locals. If it takes me years, I’m fine with that and right now I am still motivated. I also know that every day I stick to it still brings some improvement from the week before and especially the year before. Just last week, I was able to have a conversation with my Japanese hairstylist. I’m happy to say that I was able to do a back and forth conversation in 100% Japanese. Mind you, it was easy topics: travel and food in Japan. BUT I understood 90-95% of what she said without having her repeat what she said, except for 2 instances. I probably didn’t say everything correctly either or with all the grammar points I know now. But she understood me and I understood her. So I’m pretty happy with that.

Good luck!

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#22

You need to learn 1900 vocab until december, if you do 20 words a day that will result as 95 days of active learning so according to my calculation it’s reachable within 5 months (4,75 precisely) if you study 5 days per week. which means that if you start today you should be ready by end of november for you exam in december.
Honestly I think your best shot is to aim N4 in July. This way you can adjust your pace (since the more words you’ll learn the harder it will be)

as for your plannification of new words : I think it’s best for you to get rid of the N5 vocab asap before starting N4 vocab. You’ll be exposed to new vocab when you do your reviews, make sure to check on them even if they are not in your queue yet.

As a rule of thumb I think it’s best to solidy your base before moving on to the next level.
However when it comes to grammar I think it’s okay to learn N4 grammar even though you don’t know 100% of the words in N5.
You’ll also do the same with N3, N2 and N1…
If you don’t 100% your vocab deck and you keep adding the others you’ll end up with unfinished decks until you reach N1 and that’s gonna be super frustrating…
It’s a long journey until you’ll reach the 10k words required to N1. Keep it up and don’t burn up I believe in you !

#23

Sorry for the late reply. I actually created a new topic not long after that post.
I already have a pace I’m quite comfortable with. To answer one of your questions that isn’t answered on that thread: since I’m planning on doing a working holiday I’d like to have as many doors open when it comes to job opportunities, I’d like to stay for the full year, so getting a job will eventually happen. I’ve seen many job ads asking for at least N4 level, and even more asking for N3 and N2. Of course, I’d also like to immerse as much as I can and be able to speak to people, not just have the minimal interactions when buying groceries or checking in to a hotel. I know I’m lacking in the speaking and listening departments, and it’s not going to be easy to practice that while not being in Japan.

#24

Don’t have advice; but I wanted to send you a bit of encouragement. You are definitely not years away from being able to have a conversation in Japanese! I’ve been to Japan 4 times now. I’m nowhere near what most people would consider conversational. I know most of the N5 vocab and only about half the grammar in Genki 1 (grammar is my weakest spot, that’s why I’m using Bunpro haha). Anyway, with my limited knowledge I have been able to chat with locals on every trip. Is it engaging conversation about deep topics? No, but I can talk about my job, my family, the weather, my height, whether I prefer dogs or cats… which is what I would be talking to most people about in English anyway. If you have done all of N5 grammar than you definitely know more than me. You got this!!

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#25

Thanks for the encouragement. I do remember chatting with our tour guide in Okinawa last year and I started by asking him if he was born in Okinawa. Once I get started it’s not too bad but I get nervous beforehand. With a bit more practice, it should improve. :slightly_smiling_face:

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#26

I don’t know much about your studying progress. But I know this, when you finished something, AWESOME. Also, time to “GO Next”, be it finishing N5 vocabs or touching on N4 grammar, or reading a simple Japanese novel. Keeps on with the Japanese journey! 頑張って！

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#27

Hey, thanks for the encouragement! I’m keeping up the pace, some days I feel like I’ve progressed while others I feel like they were not really productive, but I remind myself to trust the process. I got curious about those simple novels, so I was wondering if you had any recommendations or knew where to find some!

#28

Yotsuba is cute. Here’s where you can read the anime series:

So try reading it first. Then, here’s where you can listen to someone explain it:

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