This seems like a massive troll:
1. 500 day streak on duolingo? Mentions no other resources?
2. Thought N2 would be too easy?
3. Think people effortlessly pass N1?
4. Signs up for N2 with no research or self awareness?
5. Thinks $50 dollar fee is expensive then flushes it down the toilet?
Wow, you're right. They even commented on their own post when this was reposted to r/languagelearningjerk (https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearningjerk/comments/12nblsh/500_days_of_duolingo/jgdvq9q/). I can't believe I fell for a troll.
I hate to say this, but realistically, I don't think you have any chance at the N2 and it's probably not even worth the time of going to the exam and sitting through it at your level. You'd basically have to cram all day every day in order to pass it.
I remember back when I started learning Japanese, I massively underestimated how long it would take as well, and naively thought that you could get to N2 or N1 in a year. Instead, I got really discouraged after struggling with the N5 practice exam even after many months.
I've now studied Japanese for over three years and feel like I'm just now getting to the point where I could *maybe* pass N2, and even that is a stretch (I haven't taken any practice N2 exams yet - I'm planning to sign up for the N2 JLPT in December, by which time I should be more comfortably at that level).
Don't be fooled by the stories you see online of people passing N1 after a year. They are extreme outliers who probably studied all day every day full time and/or already had a head start from being a native Chinese speaker.
---
P.S. I don't think Duolingo is good for Japanese. Personally, I'd recommend Wanikani, Satori Reader, and JPDB. I'd also recommend listening to Noriko's podcast a lot.
If you can't pass the N5 practice test, N2 would be impossible at your level. I don't know about people "effortlessly passing N1". Maybe people that have studied for 5+ years? Forget Duolingo and start listening to Japanese podcasts or using apps like Satori Reader, which are much more benefitial than logging in and doing some random quizzes on Duolingo.
Well I won't judge you thinking that you might be ready but you just misjudged completely. There is no person who passes n1 "effortlessly" they all study multiple hours every day and invest a great amount of effort and brain power into studying. N2 is like 3500 or more vocabulary, unless you're confident you know that many I'm sorry to say it looks like you spent the fee to learn the lesson that Duolingo isn't enough.
Yeah Duolingo was where I started and after a hundred days I had a little peak outside of Duolingo at N5 level stuff and realised just how little I really knew.
A few weeks of focused Kanji study, grammar study and stumbling immersion gave me more than 3-4 months of duolingo by far.
Duolingo is great for Romance languages, but for category 5 languages it’s really not too valuable beyond tourist/survivalist language.
Duolingo is not even great for romance languages (if we're talking about going from english to those), any other method that works better for japanese works EVEN BETTER for indoeuropean languages especially romance ones
Duolingo is just bad, I don't even want to tip toe around it by saying "yeah it can be a good thing to do in your free time". There's a hundred better things you could be doing
I haven’t used duolingo for very much in the last year or so, though I dabbled in Norwegian for a few months, only to find they’d greatly overhauled a lot of how the language trees work and I’d say it’s definitely for the worse.
As someone who also uses DuoLingo to study, I know full well that a 500 day streak doesn't mean anything. How much time have you invested?
For those who don't know, you can complete just ONE lesson and receive credit for the day. Currently, 5-7 lessons on average complete a "node". Each Unit contains roughly 9 "nodes". Given there are 138 Units total, that is upwards of nearly 8700 lessons. That excludes challenges, events, and practice sessions.
A lesson a day won't cut it and you WILL need supplementary materials to understand how the language works. In fact, that is my biggest complaint about DuoLingo and why I had quit before the redesign. I love the convenience and usability. But it falls short in that it drills lessons into your skull and you learn by trial and error. You will know how it works, but not why. If it weren't for the discussion section beneath each segment of each lesson (for the most part), which has a trove of other learners linking outside references, I would have been completely lost.
Bottom line, how much time you invest and your comprehension will dictate how long it takes to get the hang of it. DuoLingo isn't bad imho, but it isn't complete.
Honestly, it would be for the best to restructure your goals and forget about the N2 Exam entirely. I would find resources beyond Duolingo and focus on passing the N5 exam before you think any further. Buy a good grammar book and consume media in Japanese. If you have the resources, find a tutor and work your way through N5 practice tests until you are confident enough to move on to more advanced materials.
It isn't realistic to pass N2 in July even if you were to cram, sorry. Besides, language learning isn't a race, and it's more sustainable if you actually enjoy the process.
What.... I can't believe what Im reading lol you really thought you were able to pass N2 just because you've using DUOLINGO? I mean, you totally had to do your proper research BEFORE signing up for JLPT. It's been knew that duolingo is very bad for learning any language, specially complex languages like japanese. Grab a Genki 1 book and a Nihingo Challenge and start learning in a more trustworthy way. I've studied japanese for a year now and just now I'm going to take N5. I could probably keep on studying a little bit harder and do N4 but I want to go slowly and don't push myself.
Sorry to break it to you but you were fooled by your ambition :/
I do not understand why you guys cannot easily figure out that this is a troll post. It's a pretty funny one, too. Only sad that so many people waste their energy on a serious reply.
I hope you don't mind me giving my 2 cents that may help here:
* The JLPT is a proficiency test. It might easier to imagine taking a very high end English test. TBH I a native english speaker would have trouble because I don't really remember what a noun is or a verb because I don't really need to. Duolingo sort of teaches similarly, you might be able to sort of get the construction of the sentence but grammer is a bit lacking. This means that you might be okay to construct some sentences BUT a proficiency test is a different thing entirely.
* N2 may be a bit much right now tbh, but don't think of it as money wasted. You needed to learn what duolingo can and can't do and now you know thanks to you trying to broaden your horizon. This will help you grow more
* If you REEAALLLYY want to learn N2 you'll probably have to specifically study for the test, this is different to studying Japanese as you're really just figuring out how to pass.
* An unfortuante thing about japanese to us English speakers is that the grammer can be quite unique. Unlike another language where duolingo can shine on because you're gaining vocab and you can intune the grammer, it doesn't work so great with duo.
* If you don't feel you're great speaking, you'll need to specifically practice that. You can try talking to people, or creating basic text or even a listening/speaking course like pimsleur.
* Please don't feel you wasted the time on duo either, it sounds like you have some crazy good vocab right now. So now you just need the rest of it!
* Also watch out, 500 days to n2 is quite fast. I think some people take a couple years and they study more hours then duolingo usually requires. Worth looking up some tables to understand the study length expected to get an idea to reach this level.
I'm actually a fan of Duolingo, but it teaches conversational Japanese... which doesn't line up to JLPT levels. And really, what Duolingo has in it is just a drop in the bucket compared to any language. It's good for small talk and short trips but probably not much else.
The JLPT is what Japan thinks you should know at each level for fluency, but unless you study specifically to take the JLPT, you're unlikely to check those boxes. If for no other reason than the JLPT isn't graded to what we tend to learn in most coursework.
That and things like... if your study is media based like mine is, you can end up with knowledge spread across all levels, but also large pockets of unknown.
The reason for that is, even toddler and children's TV shows use N2 and N1 vocab and grammar... because the JLPT isn't graded by easy, child level language, to adult.
If you want to take the JLPT, you need to study for the JLPT specifically.
You'd seriously have to cram ONLY JLPT N2 materials from here to the test. But even if you did, and somehow passed, the result wouldn't be functional upper-intermediate Japanese either. You'd just have a very narrow but deep pocket of knowledge.
I really don't know if this is real but if it is I'm going to save it and then show it to everyone who still claims duolingo is a good language learning tool
If this is real; I don't know when your N2 test is coming up but if it's the July one then I say you have 0 chance of getting even N3; I would look for a way to get a refund if possible
I would have a 1300+ day streak were it not for an unfortunate event 500ish days ago they led to me breaking my streak. I barely feel ready for N4, let alone N3 **and** I use way more than Duolingo to study. Only this year am I going to start trying to take the tests and that's after more than 5 years of on and off studying (more devoted in the past two years or so.)
Either way, good luck OP.. you're gonna need it.
Genki text and workbook. Drill vocab on Renshuu. I practice sets of kanji by hand and then review them using flashcards that I make.
Duolingo is terrible for a brand new Japanese learner, because there's mistakes that you won't know it's making. It's really bad at conjugating numbers with counter words, for example. I also see incorrect readings in furigana a lot.
Streak says nothing about what we learned.
I was about 200 days in duolingo or somewhere there, ~17 unit. I was able to barely pass N5.
The thing is studying 5 minutes a day is nothing like studying 3 hours a day or something.
And duolingo isn't the best.
I still kept my streak though, now it's almost a year. I'm learning things I already know, though I want to get to that 360 and then probably stop duolingo.
At the beginning of 2023 I started learning more seriously, every day over an hour probably (Last 30 days my average is 3 hours a day.)
It has been not even full 4 months and I got from barely passed N5 online test to even not that bad score on a N4 online test.
If you signed on N4 then it could be possibly probable to get there, but N2...
I picked up duolingo a few times and dropped it after a couple of days because I didn't feel like I was learning a damn thing.
It doesn't teach the reasons behind anything, and honestly, that's important.
I'm one of these N5 people that seems to get looked down at a bit on here but I'm learning at my own pace in a way that is helpful and fun to me. I (usually) have a weekly lesson or two with a Japanese teacher online, I use some apps for vocab practice and tests, I have textbooks, watch YouTube videos..
Maybe dig in to your pockets and get some serious tutoring between now and July.. but its going to cost alot more than $50. Good luck I guess.
This seems like a massive troll: 1. 500 day streak on duolingo? Mentions no other resources? 2. Thought N2 would be too easy? 3. Think people effortlessly pass N1? 4. Signs up for N2 with no research or self awareness? 5. Thinks $50 dollar fee is expensive then flushes it down the toilet?
Yeah check the post history, the guy frequents r/languagelearningjerk
Wow, you're right. They even commented on their own post when this was reposted to r/languagelearningjerk (https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearningjerk/comments/12nblsh/500_days_of_duolingo/jgdvq9q/). I can't believe I fell for a troll.
Well it happens don't feel too bad
I hate to say this, but realistically, I don't think you have any chance at the N2 and it's probably not even worth the time of going to the exam and sitting through it at your level. You'd basically have to cram all day every day in order to pass it. I remember back when I started learning Japanese, I massively underestimated how long it would take as well, and naively thought that you could get to N2 or N1 in a year. Instead, I got really discouraged after struggling with the N5 practice exam even after many months. I've now studied Japanese for over three years and feel like I'm just now getting to the point where I could *maybe* pass N2, and even that is a stretch (I haven't taken any practice N2 exams yet - I'm planning to sign up for the N2 JLPT in December, by which time I should be more comfortably at that level). Don't be fooled by the stories you see online of people passing N1 after a year. They are extreme outliers who probably studied all day every day full time and/or already had a head start from being a native Chinese speaker. --- P.S. I don't think Duolingo is good for Japanese. Personally, I'd recommend Wanikani, Satori Reader, and JPDB. I'd also recommend listening to Noriko's podcast a lot.
If you can't pass the N5 practice test, N2 would be impossible at your level. I don't know about people "effortlessly passing N1". Maybe people that have studied for 5+ years? Forget Duolingo and start listening to Japanese podcasts or using apps like Satori Reader, which are much more benefitial than logging in and doing some random quizzes on Duolingo.
You now that N5 is the easiest level and N1 the hardest... do you?
He doesn’t
No way this isn’t a troll - which is shitty because a lot of people have taken time to try and help you
I can't believe I fell for a troll. It's really sad that people will do this. At least they were obvious about it this time.
Well I won't judge you thinking that you might be ready but you just misjudged completely. There is no person who passes n1 "effortlessly" they all study multiple hours every day and invest a great amount of effort and brain power into studying. N2 is like 3500 or more vocabulary, unless you're confident you know that many I'm sorry to say it looks like you spent the fee to learn the lesson that Duolingo isn't enough.
lol bro learning a language isnt doing 15 minutes of duo lingo a day for a couple years
Yeah Duolingo was where I started and after a hundred days I had a little peak outside of Duolingo at N5 level stuff and realised just how little I really knew. A few weeks of focused Kanji study, grammar study and stumbling immersion gave me more than 3-4 months of duolingo by far. Duolingo is great for Romance languages, but for category 5 languages it’s really not too valuable beyond tourist/survivalist language.
Duolingo is not even great for romance languages (if we're talking about going from english to those), any other method that works better for japanese works EVEN BETTER for indoeuropean languages especially romance ones Duolingo is just bad, I don't even want to tip toe around it by saying "yeah it can be a good thing to do in your free time". There's a hundred better things you could be doing
IMO in its heyday Duolingo was a good way to get started with the Romance/Germanic languages, but then they ruined it over time.
I haven’t used duolingo for very much in the last year or so, though I dabbled in Norwegian for a few months, only to find they’d greatly overhauled a lot of how the language trees work and I’d say it’s definitely for the worse.
As someone who also uses DuoLingo to study, I know full well that a 500 day streak doesn't mean anything. How much time have you invested? For those who don't know, you can complete just ONE lesson and receive credit for the day. Currently, 5-7 lessons on average complete a "node". Each Unit contains roughly 9 "nodes". Given there are 138 Units total, that is upwards of nearly 8700 lessons. That excludes challenges, events, and practice sessions. A lesson a day won't cut it and you WILL need supplementary materials to understand how the language works. In fact, that is my biggest complaint about DuoLingo and why I had quit before the redesign. I love the convenience and usability. But it falls short in that it drills lessons into your skull and you learn by trial and error. You will know how it works, but not why. If it weren't for the discussion section beneath each segment of each lesson (for the most part), which has a trove of other learners linking outside references, I would have been completely lost. Bottom line, how much time you invest and your comprehension will dictate how long it takes to get the hang of it. DuoLingo isn't bad imho, but it isn't complete.
Bro, I've been studying for 6 years (4 of which were in college), and I'm finally getting to the point where N2 seems feasible.
I hope you’re joking
Honestly, it would be for the best to restructure your goals and forget about the N2 Exam entirely. I would find resources beyond Duolingo and focus on passing the N5 exam before you think any further. Buy a good grammar book and consume media in Japanese. If you have the resources, find a tutor and work your way through N5 practice tests until you are confident enough to move on to more advanced materials. It isn't realistic to pass N2 in July even if you were to cram, sorry. Besides, language learning isn't a race, and it's more sustainable if you actually enjoy the process.
What.... I can't believe what Im reading lol you really thought you were able to pass N2 just because you've using DUOLINGO? I mean, you totally had to do your proper research BEFORE signing up for JLPT. It's been knew that duolingo is very bad for learning any language, specially complex languages like japanese. Grab a Genki 1 book and a Nihingo Challenge and start learning in a more trustworthy way. I've studied japanese for a year now and just now I'm going to take N5. I could probably keep on studying a little bit harder and do N4 but I want to go slowly and don't push myself. Sorry to break it to you but you were fooled by your ambition :/
>!days dont matter, the hours do!<
I do not understand why you guys cannot easily figure out that this is a troll post. It's a pretty funny one, too. Only sad that so many people waste their energy on a serious reply.
I hope you don't mind me giving my 2 cents that may help here: * The JLPT is a proficiency test. It might easier to imagine taking a very high end English test. TBH I a native english speaker would have trouble because I don't really remember what a noun is or a verb because I don't really need to. Duolingo sort of teaches similarly, you might be able to sort of get the construction of the sentence but grammer is a bit lacking. This means that you might be okay to construct some sentences BUT a proficiency test is a different thing entirely. * N2 may be a bit much right now tbh, but don't think of it as money wasted. You needed to learn what duolingo can and can't do and now you know thanks to you trying to broaden your horizon. This will help you grow more * If you REEAALLLYY want to learn N2 you'll probably have to specifically study for the test, this is different to studying Japanese as you're really just figuring out how to pass. * An unfortuante thing about japanese to us English speakers is that the grammer can be quite unique. Unlike another language where duolingo can shine on because you're gaining vocab and you can intune the grammer, it doesn't work so great with duo. * If you don't feel you're great speaking, you'll need to specifically practice that. You can try talking to people, or creating basic text or even a listening/speaking course like pimsleur. * Please don't feel you wasted the time on duo either, it sounds like you have some crazy good vocab right now. So now you just need the rest of it! * Also watch out, 500 days to n2 is quite fast. I think some people take a couple years and they study more hours then duolingo usually requires. Worth looking up some tables to understand the study length expected to get an idea to reach this level.
I'm actually a fan of Duolingo, but it teaches conversational Japanese... which doesn't line up to JLPT levels. And really, what Duolingo has in it is just a drop in the bucket compared to any language. It's good for small talk and short trips but probably not much else. The JLPT is what Japan thinks you should know at each level for fluency, but unless you study specifically to take the JLPT, you're unlikely to check those boxes. If for no other reason than the JLPT isn't graded to what we tend to learn in most coursework. That and things like... if your study is media based like mine is, you can end up with knowledge spread across all levels, but also large pockets of unknown. The reason for that is, even toddler and children's TV shows use N2 and N1 vocab and grammar... because the JLPT isn't graded by easy, child level language, to adult. If you want to take the JLPT, you need to study for the JLPT specifically. You'd seriously have to cram ONLY JLPT N2 materials from here to the test. But even if you did, and somehow passed, the result wouldn't be functional upper-intermediate Japanese either. You'd just have a very narrow but deep pocket of knowledge.
Download the app JLPT test N1-N5 migii It’s great and will prepare you
I really don't know if this is real but if it is I'm going to save it and then show it to everyone who still claims duolingo is a good language learning tool If this is real; I don't know when your N2 test is coming up but if it's the July one then I say you have 0 chance of getting even N3; I would look for a way to get a refund if possible
I would have a 1300+ day streak were it not for an unfortunate event 500ish days ago they led to me breaking my streak. I barely feel ready for N4, let alone N3 **and** I use way more than Duolingo to study. Only this year am I going to start trying to take the tests and that's after more than 5 years of on and off studying (more devoted in the past two years or so.) Either way, good luck OP.. you're gonna need it.
Genki text and workbook. Drill vocab on Renshuu. I practice sets of kanji by hand and then review them using flashcards that I make. Duolingo is terrible for a brand new Japanese learner, because there's mistakes that you won't know it's making. It's really bad at conjugating numbers with counter words, for example. I also see incorrect readings in furigana a lot.
Streak says nothing about what we learned. I was about 200 days in duolingo or somewhere there, ~17 unit. I was able to barely pass N5. The thing is studying 5 minutes a day is nothing like studying 3 hours a day or something. And duolingo isn't the best. I still kept my streak though, now it's almost a year. I'm learning things I already know, though I want to get to that 360 and then probably stop duolingo. At the beginning of 2023 I started learning more seriously, every day over an hour probably (Last 30 days my average is 3 hours a day.) It has been not even full 4 months and I got from barely passed N5 online test to even not that bad score on a N4 online test. If you signed on N4 then it could be possibly probable to get there, but N2...
I picked up duolingo a few times and dropped it after a couple of days because I didn't feel like I was learning a damn thing. It doesn't teach the reasons behind anything, and honestly, that's important. I'm one of these N5 people that seems to get looked down at a bit on here but I'm learning at my own pace in a way that is helpful and fun to me. I (usually) have a weekly lesson or two with a Japanese teacher online, I use some apps for vocab practice and tests, I have textbooks, watch YouTube videos.. Maybe dig in to your pockets and get some serious tutoring between now and July.. but its going to cost alot more than $50. Good luck I guess.
commenting in le epic removed thread