And Sometimes Why

Tag: JLPT

  • JLPT N4

    Here’s a picture of my test voucher enabling me to sit for level N4 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test today. Though they sound different, it’s the same difficulty as the level 3 test I failed last year, due to the system being reorganized.

    The JLPT tests applicants’ knowledge of vocabulary, kanji, and grammar through listening comprehension and reading comprehension in Japanese. The hardest section for me (and most of my friends who’ve taken the test) is the grammar section, mostly because Japanese particles are a serious PITA.

    I passed the former level 4 test (the current N5 test) two years ago, but this one is (of course) harder. N5 tests your knowledge of about 100 kanji and 800 words, while N4 tests your knowledge of about 300 kanji and 1500 words, so you can definitely see the difficulty ramp up.

    Anyway, I think I passed, but not by a huge margin. I’d been taking practice tests with my Japanese teachers and regularly passing them, but the actual test seemed noticeably harder. Having now spent Â¥12,000 (~$145) just for this level (Â¥6000 each for last year and this), I certainly hope I passed this time.

    I’d like to know soon, but because this is Japan and only the trains are efficient here, applicants don’t get the results of this scantron test for two months. Keep your fingers crossed. (^_^)

  • Milestone 0.004 & JLPT 4

    I recently read a sentence in Japanese and fully understood every word.

    It was no big deal, just a piece of labeling on a pamphlet accompanying some classy souvenir sweets, but I realized after reading it that it was the first sentence in Japanese (standard kanji and hiragana mix not simplified or intended for learners) that I’d read and understood. It was one of those slow motion realizations that only hits you a minute or two afterward. I was particularly proud of myself because I just learned most of the kanji in the last few weeks running up to the JLPT.

    I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m sitting for a national Japanese test this Sunday. It’s called the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT for short), and it’s the national certification method used to gauge one’s Japanese ability. There are four levels (4-kyu through 1-kyu), and I’m taking the lowest one, level four.

    I had my last Japanese lesson before the exam this morning, and it went reasonably well. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been taking practice exams in my lessons, and steadily improving my scores. I think I’ll pass the test with a decent margin.

    In other news, I came to the realization that unless I blog more often than I do interesting things, I’ll never catch up. It’s in that vein that I’m making this post right now. I have a huge backlog of pictures and potentially interesting things to describe, but they’ll have to wait until at least next week.

    Hey, just be glad I posted this. 😉