Why you should (maybe) try to pass the JLPT N1

Hey KoreKara Squad, 

Welcome to the KoreKara newsletter! I know how hard it is to be consistent with Japanese sometimes. The goal with this newsletter is to deliver you the best tips, immersion recommendations, and words so you can get better every week. No spam, I promise. 

💡 Tip of the week

If you haven’t taken the JLPT N1 yet, you’ve probably heard a lot of people talk about how it's useless and unnecessary. While it’s true that even if you pass it doesn’t mean you’re good at Japanese, the truth is if you’re actually good at Japanese, you should be able to pass easily without directly studying for it. 

Wait, but isn’t N1 like hard even for natives?

The better I’ve gotten at Japanese, the more I’ve learned that JLPT N1 is kind of the starting line for actually calling yourself fluent. Once you reach that level, it makes getting better exponentially easier. Most of words on the N1 are actually very common in daily life, you’ll hear them in many TV shows and anime. There’s still a lot to learn, but at this point you can now just watch shows comfortably and get better passively, or freely have conversations and learn words in real time.

There’s a reason why Japanese companies filter for people who can speak at JLPT N1 level, because although it doesn’t mean you can fluently speak, it’s an indicator that you can probably understand what’s going on. (There is an auditory component after all.)

Ok, but why should I make that my goal?

IMO, having a goal makes the whole process a lot more tangible. In the beginning, I had heard of people who were able to pass the test, but still were not fluent. Regardless, I still wanted to make it a goal of mine. Having that clear target, especially with a cut and dry pass or fail, made every Anki rep and immersion session way easier. It gave me a deadline and also a baseline of ability that I knew I had to keep pushing for. 

So maybe you should try to pass the JLPT N1, but just don’t directly study for it :) 

This is my story of passing btw.

📺 Immersion of the week 

Lately I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube, and here’s an immersion tip for you if you aren’t doing this already - change your YouTube’s language into Japanese. You can make a new YouTube account with the same e-mail and and only watch stuff in Japanese so you only get stuff recommended in Japanese.

How about watching MrBeast in Japanese? (select Japanese audio in the side) He targets a younger audience, it’s dubbed by the voice actor of Naruto, and it’s hyper-edited to be super engaging — the perfect immersion trifecta that won’t bore you out. 

✍️ Kanji of the week

So I was thinking of giving a word of the week or kanji of the week here. If these are too easy I can up the difficulty, just let me know 👿

This word means to aim for a goal. For example you can say “JLPT N1 目指してる” which means you’re aiming for the JLPT N1. If you break down the kanji, it’s 目 (eyes) and 指す (to point). So essentially, eyes on the prize :) 

🗣️ Q&A 

If you have questions about how to learn Japanese or you’re stuck, just reply to this e-mail and I’ll shoot you a response. 

Oh yeah, I’m curious, what level of Japanese are you at?

If you liked the newsletter, share it with a friend who’s studying Japanese. 🙂 

Alright I gotta back to immersing, またね!

Eric