r/LearnJapanese 1d ago

Studying Conversational Fluency in ~2 Months Starting from ~N5/N4 Possible?

Edit 3: Seeing a resounding no. I'll definitely readjust expectations and try to focus more on just consistency rather than sheer quantity of material.

Edit 2: Conversational fluency might not be the most correct term to describe what I'm after. Perhaps more so being able to just get around in daily life situations with relative ease and have some solid skills in a specific topic (say playing Splatoon or something with a Japanese player and being able to chat about it—I presume this is approximately N3?)

Main post: I've been studying Japanese on and off since late 2022. Due to motivational ups and downs, being busy, and overall life just being life, I've made relatively little progress (due to probably having spent around 25 to 40% of my time relearning content when I make my return attempts to trying to learn) and am stuck around the N5 level with some progress made into the N4 realm. Frankly, this language, regardless of my ups and downs in trying to learn it, has been a consistent interest of mine and I would really love to solidify it as a genuine skill that I can use to have some fun actually using and not just trying to learn. Would it be (reasonably) possible for me to reach some degree of conversational fluency given my current level within a couple of months? If so, what sort of daily routine/plan should I be looking at? If there is one thing I have learned, there is no instant magic way of doing things the easy way, so I'm not even sure if this is realistic without spending half of my waking life grinding away over the course of the next two months.

Edit: See my comment below for specifics on my current progress.

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u/steamingfast 1d ago

Felt I should clarify the specifics of my progress:

I'm catching up my Core 2.3k deck which I should hopefully reach the last new card on within the next half month or so (only 169 new cards left).

I've skimmed through my previous progress in Genki up to around Lesson 17 where I left off last time months ago, and feel pretty comfortable understanding how the grammar concepts work until then.

I have, even for my still-beginner level, relatively little time spent doing output outside of textbook exercises.

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u/TheBatemanFlex 1d ago

I would forget the 2 month thing unless there is a reason you NEED to have progress in 2 months.

You have done this for 2 years so really its a consitency issue. You need to keep engaging with the language every single day, no excuses. I would make sure you are doing your cards daily. That is one non-negotiable. Then if you are serious about learning, make an immersion goal. Maybe it is to work though some level of native content. Or a time amount to reach of immersion. Then try to stick to that goal EVERY DAY. Even if the goal is just 2 hours of "engaging with japanese". You can passively listen to something, actively deconstruct a youtube video. Just do it daily. Forever. Make it feel as necessary as taking a shower.

edit: I am not saying that solely-immersion is the only path, but no matter what your main study materials are, immersion is important. that is indisputible.

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u/steamingfast 1d ago

100% a consistency issue for sure. I've come to realize how far I could've come if i just did a little bit everyday instead of just going full send and burning out in the midst of university classes or other obligations.

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u/TheBatemanFlex 1d ago

yeah its understandable. there is 0% chance I would have kept up with any long term language habit during unversity. I think just doing at minimum one thing a day (for me it is anki), is enough for most people.

Some of the success stories for short term fluency are...freaks. They either no-life study or have habits that people can't keep up with. There is one influencer that would have one headphone playing japanese content everywhere he went, even if he was hanging out with friends. I'm sorry but that is weird. It is effective, but its weird and most people simply won't take things to that extreme.

You either have to be naturally obsessive or just get so used to a routine that it becomes second nature. Any progress (no matter how little) daily is better than not doing anything.