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Japanese learning method (toward fluency)

danki

後輩
19 Dec 2013
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Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and I apologize in advance because my English is getting worse and worse ._.
I'd like to ask you some suggestions about Japanese learning method, because I've started feeling a bit lost lately but time is running fast.. (sorry for the lenght)
A bit of background:
this is my 5th year at university and I should be on the advanced side of the language, but it isn't so, unfortunately. One of the reason is that I am also studying Chinese (really time consuming) and I have had tons of other exams to prepare so I couldn't focus properly on the language, even if that should be the first goal. Also, our studying isn't very much jlpt-oriented, and that complicates things even more because I still need to take the certification but have little time to study for that. [btw, we are using 文化中級日本語II at the moment]. Fortunately, this is my last year, I'm going to have more time to focus on my language skills. Unfortunately, this is my last year, so I need to "concretize" my studies.
Next goals:
-N2
-N1
-win the monkasho scholarship for research students
My current level:
I'd say upper intermediate.
I pick up grammar quite easily and do well in tests. I haven't tried jlpt yet because I felt lower levels were a waste of money (considering I'm taking a degree in Japanese), but I've gone through n3 books and mock tests about a year ago and I made really few to no mistakes so I guess I would have passed them.
I tried a mock test for the monkasho scholarship (out of the blue, without even studying for n2 before) and I got 10 out of 20 questions correct (well, I didn't focus properly on it, but the ones I could have answered were just 2-3 more so it doesn't make a big difference). General meaning was ok, my main problem was vocabulary, I knew many words from Chinese but I had no idea on how to read them in Japanese. (it was the reading part). I've started to have a look of n2 grammar, I already know some points but many others are entirely new to me.
Also, I have some problems with listening, in particular where numbers are involved (well, that happens in every language unfortunately, despite my scientific studies before getting into university -.-''). BIGGEST ONE, I get desperately embarassed anytime I speak with Japanese people. I can understand quite well conversation in Japanese on various subjects, and manage to talk with other people, but any single time is a 1vs1 conversation my mind goes blank (unless I drink a considerable amount of alcohol, but I guess I can't count on that XD. Well, I'm quite shy in general, is not just a matter of Japanese..)
Any suggestion? I'm looking for books, activities etc. At the moment I mainly use the "dictionary of (...) japanese grammar" for reference, and I'm planning to go through n2-n1 books, probably sou matome or kanzen master series). What do you think I should do for vocabulary? I'm not focusing too much on that for now because I already have more than a thousand kanji to learn to read and hand-write by June, plus hanzi from Chinese, but I need to improve a lot. I use anki for university (kanji/hiragana and hiragana/kanji cards, just words because I have reading and writing exercises on test), but I'm not sure about it in general..
 
Being fluent and passing JLPT isn't the same. If you just want to pass JLPT, getting a tutor is the best. I used 完全マスター series to pass JLPT 1. However even passing 1 will not make you fluent. No tricks or shortcuts, practice makes perfect quite literally.

Read Japanese books, watch TV, do some exercises, chat to natives. A tutor would be good or a Instructor led class is best for passing stuff like JLPT where there is clear structure.

If you struggle with kanji you will have to write these down repeatedly with some examples. If you are not native in Chinese, kanji hanzi will be very confusing. Many words overlap in meaning but have different nuances. I find Chinese words have much wider usage compared to Japanese compounds.
 
Thank you for you answer^^ I know it is not the same (and I don't like studying "to pass the exam", that is another reason why I haven't taken it yet), but I still need to take the certification (also to get more points for scholarships and the like..) Unfortunately there are no jlpt courses here (but I have several sensei I can consult if I get stuck in something in particular, so I guess I can menage to do it even without) I don't find kanji that difficult, but I don't think I can add too much to the ones I'm studying at the moment (at least in regards of hand-writing, recognization is not a problem).
 
Have you tried any of these test questions under timed circumstances - a lot of people complain about running out of time in the reading comprehension the first time they try N2. I suggest you try to do a timed paper for N2 soonish, and use that to work out where you are in terms of reading speed, which sections you're weak in, and plan accordingly.

At your level you should definitely be able to handle native materials and should be reading regularly, not just studying from grammar books/vocabulary lists. JLPT is weighted towards non-fiction, real life - office correspondence/discussions, interactions between company/customer or teacher/student, and in the reading section a lot of opinion pieces/essays, so ideally you should be including some of those sorts of text/listening.

Some general suggestions for short reading/listening bits that you could incorporate into your day:
小町 - Yomiuri discussion boards. A bit more upmarket than 2ch. ;) Sometimes has interesting discussions about social stuff - manners, dealing with difficult people, romantic troubles etc.

Net-TV news - basically an accumulator for youtube clips from various Japanese news stations (some I've found are not available from the UK, though). Tokyo MX in particular I find has a good mix of news + other types of clips. Lately they've been running a series called 減災防災マメ知識 about disaster preparation.

Blogmura - you could also try to find yourself a couple of decent interesting blogs, something that holds your interest enough that you'll read regularly but also that isn't just a series of pictures of somebody's cats interspersed with sentences ending in "wwww". At the moment I'm enjoying this (lots about 茶の湯).
 
I haven't tried yet any n2 test, but when I do (for example with the test for research student) I always time myself. I think my average reading speed is not bad, but of course there's always room for improvement! I guess my weakest point is listening. I often get distracted. Also, I should broaden my vocabulary. I know is mainly a matter of reading a lot, but for the moment I really have little time (I'm trying to plan things in order to free at least 30 minutes-1 hour/ day though, but it isn't that easy, considering I've also started again to study English grammar ,because my English is getting worse and worse due to the fact I mainly use it "passively".

Thank you for your suggestions, I didn't know about the Yomiuri discussion board, it seems really interesting. Also the news, I used to listen to japanese radio news in the past, but maybe video are better. I'll try to find an interesting blog and stay at safe distance from kittens :)
 
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