Hi everyone,
I’m about to take the JLPT N2. After that, I want to jump into immersion learning, mostly by trial and error. Honestly, I’m a little nervous about going all in. I’m not sure if I’m approaching this the right way.
If you don’t mind, I’d love some guidance from people who’ve been through this.
Reading
Should I look up vocabulary before I start reading new material? Or is it better to read through first, then look up words? I worry that looking up everything beforehand might slow me down and make it less natural. But maybe it helps build confidence. I’m torn.
Writing
Where do you usually practice writing for casual or polite daily conversations with native speakers? And for more formal essay or structured writing?
I’d like to find good examples or spaces where I can practice and get feedback, but I’m not sure where to start.
Listening / Watching / Conversing
Right now, I’m stuck on chunking phrases when I listen. I can’t really predict or interpret conversations word for word yet.
Should I push myself with harder materials to get better faster? Or focus on easier content where I can actually understand most of what’s going on? I’m worried about feeling overwhelmed, but I don’t want to plateau either.
General immersion thoughts
If you’ve gone through immersion, what are some unexpected lessons you learned by trial and error? Maybe things you only realized after making mistakes, which others might not know?
I’d really appreciate any honest stories or insights.
Also, I like this skiing metaphor I heard once. It’s about tackling three black diamond slopes so that beginner slopes feel easy afterward.
Have you ever pushed yourself that hard during immersion? What did you learn or feel after that kind of challenge?
Thanks for reading my long post. I hope I’m not asking too much. I’m just trying to figure out how to learn well without getting stuck or frustrated. I appreciate any advice or encouragement.
by neworleans-