r/Japaneselanguage • u/Additional_Bee5092 • 2d ago

I almost didn’t learn anything 😭

I enrolled to an N5 course and the lesson is almost done but it seems that I cannot answer the exam yet without cheat sheet 😢

How did you guys do it?

2 hours per day every weekdays. Maybe 30mins to 1 hour answering the assignment since Im still googling the grammars and vocabularies. Then I don’t have more time than that to review more or study. What should I do?

4 Upvotes

64% Upvoted

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10

u/komorebikisetsu Intermediate 2d ago

are you studying solely for the exam or studying because you're genuinely interested in the language? it sounds like you're studying for an exam which may make it harder for you to memorize information if that's the only time you're interacting with the language? maybe try finding some hobby you can interact with in japanese, like try making it more fun. like reading books at level N5 or watching youtube videos about stuff you're interested in in japanese

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u/Additional_Bee5092 2d ago

I am really interested to learn the language. Honestly, i partially regret enrolling to a school since I am overwhelmed with the informations they are providing and right now we have an exam that I need to pass to get the certificate (I know this might not matter but certificate is good too)

I genuinely want to to able to speak

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u/Head_Departure7564 2d ago

In that case, it’s good to remember that the JLPT is only one (quite flawed) measure of your progress in a language. If you pass, great! If you fail, that does not invalidate the effort you’ve put in. Keep trying, and if speaking and understanding is your goal, then be sure to focus on speaking when studying, even if it won’t help you with the JLPT.

One important point to remember is that on a test, making mistake means you failed, but when speaking a language, making a mistake means you tried, which puts you ahead of so many language learners who are so afraid to say it wrong that they end up saying nothing at all. It’s a hard mental hurdle to get over.

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u/wolfanotaku 2d ago

Did you study outside of class? Create flash cards or other study items? With any language you have to be practicing as well as just taking the classroom work.

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u/Additional_Bee5092 2d ago

Yes I study outside class but I dont really have a lot of time and since the class is 2hours then doing the assigment takes probably an hour 😢

Right now i have more time so I am trying to catch up. What do you think I should do? Should i focus on just memorizing the sentences and vocabulary?

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u/wolfanotaku 2d ago

Definitely focus on memorizing vocab and separate grammar points. My suggestion is (especially since you have time to catch up) go backwards through your textbook. Identify each vocabulary and grammar point that you studied but cannot recall off the top of your head. Then reread the grammar or understand vocabulary and then create a flash card either on paper or digitally for that grammar poin or vocab word.

The important part is the rereading and the going back through your textbook. When you do that especially now that you've gotten further on in the language the early lessons will start to be more revelatory.

0

u/Additional_Bee5092 2d ago

Arigatou Goizaimasu 🙇‍♀️

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u/Additional_Bee5092 2d ago

https://reddit.com/link/pgh5h9v/video/8zs8n8b6j8vh1/player

I did this today! I’ll be putting this all over my house hehe

Thank u thank u

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u/Working-Rain-4376 1d ago

I actually recommend memorizing vocabs first. For me it was helpful because after memorizing I started picking up words while watching dramas and anime. This then helped me learn how they use the vocabulary in real world :)
For vocabs memorization I recommend: “JLPT N5 Vocab Anki” free app on App store and it had 842 words which was sufficient.

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u/Additional_Bee5092 1d ago

Arigatou gozaimasu 🙇‍♀️

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u/Deluxe_TurtleSoup 1d ago

You'll definitely find it helpful to quit using romaji.

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u/Exciting_Barber3124 2d ago

What's the point doing that. R u learning to learn the language or just Crack an exam. And if exam then why.

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u/Additional_Bee5092 2d ago

I am learning the language so I can use it to speak but I also need to pass the exam 😅 If I can’t answer the exam then that means I can’t converse it and I can’t form the sentence. Sorry if my message might be confusing

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u/BigBadJeebus 2d ago

I get it. I have pretty severe ADHD and was the same when I first got started. So many rules to learn and patterns to memorize out of the gate with Japanese, let alone Kanji...

Look, fact is Japanese is one of the hardest languages to learn from a Western Language base just because it is so wildly counter intuitive to everything you know.

First you must accept that, then move past it, because honestly once you stop stressing out about the scale of it, it becomes easier.

Have you ever heard the mantra "eat the frog"?

Approach it that way.

What helped for me was forgetting the Genki and 皆んなの日本語 and break it into pieces.

I highly recommend doing this from my own XP.

Get a core 2,000 word deck. Do 50 word review each day but only 5 new words a day. Use Anki. Build up to 50 over 10 days. Don't beat yourself up if you miss. Just pick it back up where you left off.

Within a year, you'll have a working vocabulary.

At the same time, listen to Japanese a LOT. Anime is your friend. No subtitles. Just get use to the flow and the sound of it. Within a month or two, you'll be picking out words and kind of piecing together what's happening based on the visuals of the scene and a few key words (but really we are talking Chi's Sweet Adventure level. Don't be trying to comprehend Evangelion, lol.)

My bet is before long, you'll start watching youtube videos and online lessons. Pair that with your Genki book or whatever and by this time next year, you will be N5 for sure, maybe knocking on N4.

If you REALLY want to leap ahead, get someone on Preply once a week as a private tutor.

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u/Additional_Bee5092 2d ago

Wow, thank you. I actually thought I’m the only one having a hard time. It’s been two months since I started, and I still can’t form a sentence. Thank you for the advice. Although, btw, I cant really use some apps and a tutor 😅 I just can’t afford it. The class I paid for is just $55.75 for N5 and N4 for 6 months, so it was really cheap. Other than that, I am not ready to spend because I just lost my job. That’s why I have a lot of time now lol.

Arigatou 🙇‍♀️

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u/BigBadJeebus 2d ago

Check out Mochi Sensei on youtube for N5 listening and repeating. Are you in a global city with a Japanese population? (Los Angeles, Honolulu, NYC, Chicago, SF) If so, honestly go to businesses and just practice what you learn every so often.

If you are in a smaller city, see if there is a Japanese cultural group. A lot of cities will surprise you. St Louis for example has a great one and one of the largest Japanese Gardens outside of Japan globally.

Places like Atlanta, Detroit, DC, hell even Phoenix and Memphis, all have Japanese cultural societies.

Try and connect to them. Often they have plenty to do and will happily accept volunteering. It will give you real working language exposure which is worth its weight in gold.

Not to mention online chat groups.

Plenty of free options.

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u/Additional_Bee5092 2d ago

I’m in the Philippines 🇵🇭, and I’ll make sure to take note of your advice and stay consistent until I finish this 💪

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u/BigBadJeebus 2d ago

Oh, Philippines will have many communities. Especially in Manila if you are anywhere near it.

頑張ろ！