My Language Learning Goals in 2020

As the new year has started I'd like to give input on my thoughts about my personal goals and feelings regarding language learning in 2020.

Much like in recent years, I keep on improving my Japanese. As I just passed N3, I already started studying for the N2 exam. It's a huge amount of more vocabulary, kanji and grammar I have to remember and understand.

I continue studying with the Anki app having a personalized deck, but I also downloaded a separate deck with N2 words. I study grammar with YouTube channels, and it's best to use some channels where the explanation is all in Japanese (like Nihongo No Mori, 日本語の森). 

Also, I can keep reading a lot of manga, but I feel that I should try reading an unknown story from a novel at some point this year. And manga with no furigana on the kanji would also be important. But for now I'm busy reading through all 42 volumes of Dragon Ball as well as catching up One Piece and Detective Conan with their recent volumes.

Also, as much as I'm able to read manga quite well, I still have lots of trouble understanding keigo in restaurants or combinis. Also it's spoken quite fast making me often unable to follow. Yeah, that's something I need to get better in.

Therefore, Japanese is keeping me busy on daily basis, but I also have some thoughts and plans regarding other languages:

As I grew up near Luxembourg, I speak a German dialect very close to the Luxembourgish language, and can also read news articles in that language. However, interestingly: I cannot really write it, I don't know the exact spelling of words. So I set myself also the goal to use the language more in written form, like texting.

And what about improving other languages? I know basic French and Spanish, but I've currently no ambition or even focus to pursue that. Could it be a something to focus on in the future? Maybe, but for now it's ok to just use it in a basic way, wherever needed. 

About learning any languages from zero? There are surely languages I have an interest to learn, but not this year. Another Germanic language would be interesting. I already understand and can read a bit of Dutch as it's quite close to my native German. 
Swedish or Norwegian would also be interesting. Or even Finnish, which is completely different language, but special in many ways. Also Italian could be interesting as I like the sound of it.

Other Asian languages? I studied a bit of Korean characters on my trip to Seoul by the end of last year and figured that it's actually quite simple. Still, when I sometimes see a name somewhere on social media I try to figure out the reading. Apart from that, I don't really have a connection to the language to further pursue it. And that's something which I feel is quite important. But I wouldn't exclude that there could be something which motivates me on that in the future...

Currently I have no deeper interest in learning other Asian languages. Learning Kanji can keep understanding a bit of Chinese. But I'm pretty sure I would struggle with the correct pronunciation. 

Anyway, I have enough goals right now anyway to keep myself busy. Let's see where this year will bring me.

「Ｎ３へ」上達したけど…「十二月の考え」

夏にはまた合格しなかった。今回、少なくとも去年より点が上達した。だから十二月のテストまた登録した…

じゃあ、まずは七月のテストの不合格の理由について書きたい。大きな問題はこの日にちゃんと集中できなかったんだ。東京で七月の上旬の天気は本当に曇りだった。この数週間に太陽全然見えなかった。この時たぶん覚えてるでしょうね。

だからテスト中の文法とテクストの分に集中できなくなった。答えは推測した、仕方なかった。少なくとも単語と漢字の分に集中できたけど、いろんな間違えしちゃった。テストの休憩にもう気ついた。例えばほとんど同じ漢字「線」と「緑」の意味とか。あと、最後の分、「聴解」に感じはほうが良さそうだったけどまだよく分からなった。

これはもう二回目だった、また合格しなかった？その通り、八月末に確認された。一回目より84点だったけど、またできなかった。でも次のテストに参加するのは知らなかった。
新しいビサを申し込んだんだけど、もらうのは大きな質問だった。でも九月に登録した、本当に「今回こそ合格」と思った。

でもビサもらえなかった、だから韓国に行った。そのあとテストのため日本に帰った！今回はいい感じだった。単語か漢字はいいと思った。長いテクストはまだ問題だった。まだ遅いんですね。聴解もカンペキじゃない。

じゃあ、合格するの可能性があるね。じゃあ、これから待っています。

N3 not passed - as expected!

As I live in Japan now I wanted go to the next level and tried the N3 last December, but it was clear that was it bit too early for me to pass.

Looking back, my JLPT history is certainly not the best read at the first glimpse:
- Failed N5 (07/2016)
- Failed N4 (07/2018)
- Failed N3 (12/2018)

But if you look at how much my Japanese improved during the last year is stunning. Taking part at the tests pushed me further even though I failed. Even one year ago I was considering trying N5 again, but then I thought that would not have given me the challenge I wanted.

And since I live in Japan since August I my level is increasing on a daily basis by conversations, learning vocabulary/grammar, reading manga (yes, currently on Volume 91 of One Piece), seeing characters every day,... Generally living here really helps.

Anyway, back to the test. The biggest issue I had was my lack of reading and understanding speed. Also lots of unknown words. But understanding is a big point and I'm in the situation many Japanese learners are: I understand what a text or a dialogue is about, but not exactly. Who is buying the shoes? Did she only really the yellow ones and bought the blue ones instead? Okay, this could be an issue in any language^^ But seriously, exact understanding is something I really need to focus on. That's why I need to comprehend the grammar better, it's necessary.

Although I thought that the listening was the easiest part I got still more than half wrong, the part of the test where I expected more as I knew I would struggle at longer texts. Maybe the same issue as before.

Anyway, there is still a lot to do, I keep on learning and this time I'm intending to take N3 again in summer. Not planning on N2 just yet, maybe in December if everything goes well in July.

Confronted with Chinese characters while learning Japanese

As I started learning Japanese from last year more seriously than before I faced a few times the situation that I saw Chinese characters and got extremely curious about their meanings.

Is it being at the airport, running through Chinatown or working in a factory, it's so easy to be confronted with Chinese characters. But when you are studying Japanese it can be confusing: You notice characters which look familiar and some you've definitely seen before. You even know their Japanese readings and also what it means... But you don't speak any Chinese language!

But as an learning addict your mind wants to figure out the meanings. Looking at food menus you often get an idea on what it means, but on the other hand I noticed some train stations in Singapore which I couldn't understand properly.

Then I was in a factory and I could read characters for example for milk. The characters don't feel like 'unreadable' anymore, it's amazing. 

You even start looking up characters via radical search with your Japanese dictionary app (e.g. Jsho) only to find out that the character is only not really used in Japanese. For example I found this on a package of a box:  姆

Looking at the radicals it means "female" and "mother", so it made me curious of course.

Also, I guy from Hong Kong I met in Australia told a good example of how meanings of a Kanji can differ by the example of 湯. In Japanese it's ゆ and a common term for hot water - especially at places like onsen. However, in Chinese the meaning would be "soup" (tang). I found that quite interesting. 

I'm aware that there are lots of examples, so if you know an interesting one, just let me know in the comments.

And how do you feel as Japanese learner being confronted with Chinese characters? Okay, of course it's clear to me, that Japanese Kanji are based on Chinese ones, so maybe I should rephrase: Are Chinese words confusing Japanese learners or make them rather curious?

Let me know^^

My 2018 JLPT N4 experience!

Last Sunday I finally participated at the JLPT N4 test in Düsseldorf. Let's review how it went...

During my time in New Zealand earlier this I decided to do the JLPT test level N4 during my 'summer break' in Germany. Back then I knew that there are a lot of kanjis to be memorized, lots of vocabulary to be learned and so many grammar rules to be understood and applied.

After failing an attempt for the N5 test two years ago I made huge steps recently making me confident enough to go even further. I could have played save trying the N5 again, but that wouldn't be the kind of challenge I needed now to move forward.

Back then I failed mostly because my reading speeding was way too slow for being able to finish and a lack of many kanji and grammar rules.

Ready for the test I arrived in Düsseldorf as many more than 500 other people did. Interestingly the most of the participants were applying for the N2 test which I found quite interesting leaving me respect for those reaching that level.

Of course also many were in the N5 one - most of them probably giving it their first shot. 

The test

In any case: I gave it a shot in the N4 test and the first session was the vocabulary and character test for thirty minutes. My general impression was quite positive, but in some cases I had to guess the answer since two kanji looked quite similar, but of course just one was the right one. 

The second part was the one hour grammar and reading test. I didn't felt really sure in much of the grammar questions since I often couldn't see THE answer, in my view many could have made sense. The texts were alright, I felt like I generally wasn't quick enough and fully focused. I felt that the time is running out and that I should get the 'save' points first, but generally it had an impact on my concentration. Not too mention, that it was also a very hot afternoon.

And as by the end the time really ran out, I had to guess the rest. Not sure, if I reach enough points to get through, but next month I'll know more.

Finally, the listening part came and it was definitely one where I felt I could make up points. The level of the conversations being played were way lower than the previous texts and mostly really easy to understand. The only thing was where I and others I talked to afterwards lost points was - again - the focus. If you drift away when the conversation begins and the questions are asked, you found yourself like: 'Ok, I understood the question, but what did they talk about?!' 

But definitely the easiest part of the whole test!

Final thoughts

The question is of course: Did I pass or did I not? Generally this test showed me in which areas I definitely need to improve and although I can read way quicker now then I used to, there's still a lot to be done.

For example certain grammar, I need to understand why certain things are correct and others are not. Plus: I noticed that in terms of kanji I rely too often on furigana. Definitely not the best idea, even though it's convenient. Maybe I should switch them of more often while reading the NHK Easy News.

So, what's next? With myself intending to go on Working Holiday in Japan by the end of next month I definitely plan to do some more courses in Tokyo. Will I even prepare for N3? Probably too soon, maybe I will even do N4 again.

Nevertheless I'm already increasing the vocabulary towards N3 level. Maybe in case of repeating the N4 one it's easier to be a bit more beyond this level. 

I met one guy in Düsseldorf even tried the N4 test now for the third time - without being certain if he made it this time.

So time will tell...

ではもっともっとがんばります。