What Level Are You?

[jazzbeans]

I'm not quite sure what level I'm at regarding Beginner, Intermediate, etc.

I call myself a beginner personally as I'm only really just starting to formally study the language. After doing a short test (85 questions or something), in which a place that teaches Japanese can evaluate your level and place you into the appropriate group, it said I was at Intermediate level but, err.. I really, really don't think so.

I feel that my level is nothing classifiable and so I don't know what to look at regarding studying. For example, I have basically 0% knowledge on how I would survive in Japan regarding asking about stamps, clothes sizes or something. Only thing I could do is have general conversations [sobs].

Perhaps I should really go back to basics completely, re-learning everything? But I have to say, it bores me a little. Not sure how to make "learning fun". So, I retreat back to relying on media and speaking with Japanese penpals instead. (Am in the process of breaking the habit of doing this).

Anyways, I wondered how you all determine what level you are? And whether you find material that is able to correspond to improve that level?

[louis89]

If I were to tell someone what level I thought I was, I'd use the JLPT scale, as I think it's probably a widely recognised standard amongst Japanese learners that most people have some idea of. So with that, I'm somewhere between JLPT3 and JLPT2.

As for finding material appropriate for you, what I'm finding perfect for me at the moment is a list of JLPT2 grammar points I found in a torrent. There's 191 of them, each with around three or four example sentences, almost all of which contain at least one word I don't know. So purely by reading this PDF, I can learn 191 grammar points, and at least 600 new words, which are much easier to learn when you have a sentence to remember them by. So I'd recommend that. I can't remember where I got it from though >__>

[mieth]

I think that if you can pass Jlpt2 you are a probably an upper level beginner of the language.

[melitu]

There is the self-assessment grid for European languages (but you could just as well apply it to your Japanese proficiency) to figure out approximately which level you fall in each of speaking, listening, reading, and writing...
http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/Langu ... entGrid/en

You can also roughly gauge your level while listening the podcasts here on jpod101. I personally started out listening to Newbie and Beginner lessons. At some point, I found it wasn't enough of a challenge, so I started listening to more Intermediate lessons. Now, I listen to all the lessons, except maybe Newbie, which feel really slow for me. I still listen to the Beginner dialogs because there's generally few words here and there that I don't know that well. The lower intermediate is probably about the right level for me right now, but I enjoy the upper intermediate as well. And... the audio blogs are fun because I gain a lot of new vocabulary when I listen to it while reading the transcript with rikaichan turned on. My problem is my listening comprehension is way ahead of my ability to actually speak and write -- I'm trying to work on that now.

If you want to go through grammar, there's an online guide that might help --
http://www.guidetojapanese.org/

media and speaking with Japanese penpals instead. (Am in the process of breaking the habit of doing this)

If this is the fun part in your learning, I don't think it's a "habit" you need to break. You need to keep the learning fun! But in the meantime, you can also work on filling in the gaps in grammar, vocabulary (if you want to learn about shopping for clothes, etc, do that), and learning kanji (if you need).

If you need something *really* concrete, studying for and taking the JLPT might be right for you, too.

[Jessi]

I think that if you can pass Jlpt2 you are a probably an upper level beginner of the language.

Do you mean JLPT Level 3? I could see calling JLPT 3 Upper Level Beginner, but I'd say anyone who can pass JLPT 2 is well past beginner and is in the intermediate stages (getting pretty close to advanced, even).

[mieth]

hey Jessi, I guess what I was getting at was that in overall terms of the language as a whole jlpt 2 is upper beginner. I passed the test about a year ago and at that time if I were to turn on the TV and watch live Japanese I could understand maybe 20% .. somewhere around there. Even at that level actually communicating is very difficult. The test is paper and doesn't move. Making your own sentences and understanding what you are being told is a little bit different than a test. Right now if I turn on the tv I can understand maybe 30-40% but it is still requires a lot of strain. I am also going to a University here and all my classes are in Japanese. During class I also understand about the same 30% or so and that is a year after passing the jlpt. I also average about 4-6 hours of listening a day since a year ago when I passed.. I think Ive heard your japanese in a couple of the lessons? (is that you?) anyway its pretty smoking. I am jealous. but don't you find your level now and actually being able to participate in what is going on and understanding almost everything you watch on tv etc as being far off from the Jlpt 2 level? I am certainly not saying Jlpt 2 is a low level. Academically speaking I think it is a high level for second language learners but the difference between paper and the real world are huge. Anyway keep trying to hook us up with great lessons.