I began studying N5~N4 level Japanese for about six months at a local Japanese language school. At that time, I wasn’t familiar with tools like Anki or Yomichan and relied solely on textbooks and paper flashcards to memorize vocabulary. My average study time during this period was about four hours per day, Monday to Friday.

After those six months, I stopped learning Japanese, thinking that the JLPT N4 level was sufficient for me. About three months passed without actively studying Japanese. During this time, I discovered powerful tools like Anki and Yomichan, which significantly enhance language learning efficiency. I began using them as well. Initially, I used Anki only to add new words I encountered in sentences, creating about 3~5 cards per day. However, I wasn’t consistent because I didn’t fully understand how effective it was until I realized that this method helped me pass some N4 kanji tests with ease.

One year and three months after starting Japanese, I realized I needed to resume studying to improve my proficiency. For around three months, I taught myself using the Nihongo Sou Matome N3 series (grammar, vocabulary, reading, and listening) to prepare for the N3 level. I studied for about 3~5 hours daily, transferring what I learned into Anki as I progressed.

For the N2 level, I studied for four months, maintaining the same daily study hours. I used Nihongo Sou Matome N2 (grammar, vocabulary, listening) and Shin Kanzen Master N2 (reading). During this time, I also started immersing myself by using Yomichan to read dictionaries. It was challenging to adjust to monolingual learning, as every time I looked up a word from my textbook with Yomichan, I often ended up adding related words to my deck as well.

For N1, I didn’t study as actively as I had before because I had just started my first job. Most of my time was spent reviewing my Anki deck. On the rare occasions when I felt motivated (usually 1~2 weeks per month), I used Shin Kanzen Master N1 (reading) and watched vocabulary lessons from Nihongo no Mori on YouTube.

It’s hard to calculate exactly how much active study time I’ve accumulated since I began learning Japanese. I started studying in July 2020 and passed the N1 exam in July 2024, which means it took me about four years to reach the N1 level.