i often see posts where people always seem to doubt themselves. people always ask “can i reach this level in __ months??” or “is this level of japanese enough to ___”. it doesn’t matter what level you are, even if you just know how to read hiragana, guess what, you already know more than 99 percent of americans (or anyone outside of japan for that matter).
i also see comments where people are like “oh you’re n5? haha you only know survival japanese so useless!!” i think people tend to forget that the things we learn at the n5 and n4 level (or any beginner-upper beginner material in ANY foreign language for that matter) are the things that we carry with us the entire journey of learning a language, and i often hear that the things you learn at the n2 and n1 level are a lot of different ways to say things you already learned (still important cause nuance and different contexts but you get my point)
so even if you’re an n5 or n4 level, you still know SO much more than the random person on the street. and, no, you’re not completely clueless if you know how to utilize all the grammar and vocabulary and kanji that you’ve learned so far. even if it’s limited, you can still get your point across somehow, and you should be proud of that.
i also see people say “omg you’re only n2??? that’s only the basics!!!” this used to scare me a lot, but if you know 1000+ kanji, over 600 grammar points, and 6k+ words and can’t utilize them properly, then that’s a you problem… sorry. and yes, i understand the jlpt is not a good measure for ACTUAL fluency in japanese, but this is just assuming you know how to use the words and grammar points in speaking and reading, and can understand the kanji in context as well.
my point is, don’t let anyone bring you down no matter your level. this language is a shitshow to learn, and at the end of the day, we’re still putting in all the effort. regardless on whether it’s your first day, or you know 20,000 words and 3000 kanji and every grammar point, be proud of where you are!
by lerixi_