The Philippine national hero Jose Rizal was said to be proficient in 22 languages, including Japanese. In 1888, he stayed in Japan for six weeks (from February 28 to April 13 to be exact), and in a letter to his family, he wrote, “… I’m learning Japanese. I can make myself understood in it, and though badly, I can express what I want in it…” In only six weeks, imagine that!
I have often wondered how fluent Rizal was in Japanese. By whose assessment was he fluent? Would he be able to, for example, call the newspaper agent and explain that the past two issues were not delivered even though the subscription was never cancelled? Or inquire about the requirements for a baby’s first series of vaccinations? Or take on the treasurer’s job and handle the finances of the after school program?
I have lived in Japan for about 12 years now, and the above were some of the things I have had to do over the years. I do not consider myself fluent. Far from it. I struggle to find words, often resorting to descriptions. For instance, having forgotten the word for dehumidifier, I said, “a machine that removes water from the air.” It wasn’t elegant but I was understood. I depend a lot on Google Translate and Deepl to make sense of print circulars and text messages. When we go out, my son would often reproach me for forgetting the deferential desu when talking to strangers.
And yet, somehow, I get things done. I was curious. What is my Japanese language level? How much do I really know?
The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is the standardized test used to evaluate and certify Japanese language proficiency since 1984. It tests language knowledge, reading, and listening ability. There are five levels (with N5 being the lowest and N1 the highest). N4 seemed too easy for me and N2 too difficult. At the N3 level, one is expected to have the ability to understand Japanese used in everyday situations. More specifically, these are the criteria for reading and listening:
- One is able to read and understand written materials with specific contents concerning everyday topics.
- One is able to grasp summary information such as newspaper headlines.
- One is able to read slightly difficult writings encountered in everyday situations and understand the main points of the content if some alternative phrases are available to aid one’s understanding.
- One is able to listen and comprehend coherent conversations in everyday situations, spoken at near-natural speed, and is generally able to follow their contents as well as grasp the relationships among the people involved.
The quest to determine my level became a quest to pass the test. In June 2019, I ordered three study books for the N3 (for kanji, vocabulary and grammar). Skimming through the books, I realized how much I still do not know. It would be impossible to pass N3 without putting in study time.
My initial fervor to study for the test waned. My inconsistent study periods did not build on each other. It was discouraging to realize I forgot what I had learned weeks before. And then the busyness of life took over. I got pregnant and gave birth to our third. The books gathered dust.
Early last year (2021), a friend at work told me she was going to try for N2 in July. That inspired me to take up the challenge again. July was too soon for me so I set my sights on the December test. Maybe, if I paid for the test (a not cheap fee of ¥6,500), that would push me to apply myself to the task.
My main problem was that I did not have long stretches of time to sit down and study quietly. In the few minutes here and there, I worked through the short quizzes in the N3 books. As the weeks rolled by, however, I began worrying most about grammar and listening. I was baffled by some grammar points. For example.
A はB ほど大きいくない。
The negative part of the sentence disoriented me and I could not figure out what hodo is supposed to do in the sentence. (If interested, the above sentence means “A, when compared to B, is not big.” or in simpler terms, A is smaller than B.)
I looked for free resources online. When I typed “N3 grammar” on YouTube, Ako Sensei’s videos topped the search. Ako Sensei’s way of explaining was simple, clear, and sticky (what I learned stuck). Aside from the videos, I listened to Ako Sensei’s podcasts. These miraculously boosted my confidence. I can understand an all-Japanese podcast! Through her podcasts, I discovered two other Japanese teachers. Comprehensible Japanese and Japanese with Noriko. The pandemic turned out to be the perfect time for web resources as many Japanese language teachers uploaded content to attract online students.
From the time I paid for the test till test day, a period of about three months, I did not read or listen to anything English. I watched Japanese movies with no English subtitles. Gradually, the stuff I was learning pooled until I happily realized understood more than I thought I did.
And then there’s an appreciation for the curious aspects of the language.
Before my self-imposed ban on anything English, I read Jhumpa Lahiri’s In Other Words, a book Lahiri wrote in Italian, translated into English by someone else. I was blown away by Lahiri’s dedication and courage to write in a language she learned after college. Throughout the book, her love for the Italian language is palpable.
I do not hope to write even a short essay in Japanese but I have, on some level, come to be keen on a language that, for many years, I resented. And this is enough to keep me engaged in the learning process.
For instance, I learned the phrase: お気の毒に (o ki no doku ni). The word doku means poison, and ki refers to one’s spirit, mind or heart. This phrase is used to express condolence, something I wish I learned earlier. “Sorry” and “That’s sad” were pitifully inadequate in responding to the loss of a loved one.
Some kanji seem to have life lessons embedded in them. Take this one which means excellence, superiority, or greatness: 優. This is also the character for kindness and gentleness. Only one who has learned to be kind and gentle can truly be great.
野心 means ambition or aspiration. The only reason I can remember this is because of 野球 which means baseball, a sport in which the ball flies high and far, a good image for ambition or aspiration.
そっと means quietly, and is oddly similar to the piano direction sotto voce, to play softly.
I am tickled by the kanji for change, 化. It is useful for remembering 化学, chemistry, the science that studies the ways matter changes, 化粧, makeup, something that changes one’s face, and, curiously, お化け ghost! (Note that pronunciations of 化 in each case is different).
For my N3, I got As ( 67% or higher correct responses) for vocabulary and grammar. My reading score was perfect (60/60). My score for listening, which I thought would be the easiest part of the test, was 48/60 and my language knowledge was 47/60. Not too shabby. Another 12 years and I’ll tell you about taking the N2.
becoming sherilyn 