Well, I did it. I finally passed the highest level (N1) of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. My long journey has finally come to an end.
Having passed N1 can mean different things to different people. I think for many, hearing that someone passed N1 means the person had to have self-discipline and work hard to pass. The test is not something you can half-study for and expect to sail through.
For me, passing the N1 is a huge personal achievement. Coming this far seemed like such a faraway dream. I never thought I would make it to N2, much less N1. Emotionally, it feels like the equivalent of a new lawyer passing the bar exam.
What’s next?
Does this mean I’m a Japanese expert? Not at all! I’ll be studying and learning Japanese until the day I die. I’ve got to keep improving all of my language skills. As I make new habits for learning and find new resources, I’ll be sure to write about them on KuroPixel. Stay tuned!
Congratulations!
I just found your blog. I read your posts. From now you are my biggest motivation to continue learning Japanese. Thank you for sharing it here. Congratulations on passing the exam! If I can ask for something, make more posts, especially about learning and how you did it all. Once again, big congratulations! It’s really amazing :).
Joanna, thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. 🙂 I really appreciate it!
I don’t know where you are in your quest for learning Japanese, but I wholeheartedly wish you the best of luck. Feel free to contact me if you have a question or anything.
Also, thanks for the request. I’ll try to post more.
Hi 🙂
How long, do you guess, would it have taken you to reach the N1 level (let’s say from N5) if you’ve only had about five hours per week to study while living in a japanese environment? I’d just need some rough indication for myself.
Btw I think you’re doing a really good job with your blog, I’ve already found a lot of helpful information here! Thanks and congratulations!
Everyone is different, so it’s difficult to say. If you keep at it and don’t take long breaks between periods of study, and start reading Japanese news articles in addition to eventually prepping with N2/N1 reading comprehension material, it could be 2-3 years. (Assuming you’re starting at N5 and constantly studying/reading/learning vocab)
Thanks for stopping by and good luck.