JLPT Exam - Best Practice to Prepare Vocabulary

In any language vocabulary has the important role to play.  If you don’t have the sufficient vocabulary to express you view, idea and thoughts, you can’t speak that language. With the help of strong vocabulary a person can express his view, idea and opinion in more clear and expressive way. A good vocabulary leaves a good impression on listener. 

Native Japanese language speaker develop the vocabulary over the period by listening, reading and learning the surroundings. But for a non-Japanese language speaker it is difficult to develop the vocabulary level up to the level of native Japanese language speaker.

Now the question is how a non-language speaker can develop the vocabulary outside Japan. Here I am sharing few good tips to develop the vocabulary.

1. Memorize 5 words daily

2. Revise the last day words 2-3 times before starting for today’s words

3. Revise all the words you memorize in a week, 2-3 times once in a week

4. Now take a test once in a month with help of your friends or teacher, and revise all the words you memories in a month

5. Start using these words in your conversation and writing        

Memorize 5 words daily

Pick any 5 words from any vocabulary list of JLPT exam or words related to your day to day job. Read the words 2-3 times, if possible write and practice. No matter how busy you are but once you start the exercise, don’t stop the practice. After one moth you would be having 150 new words and 900 new words in six months, in your vocabulary list. Always start with the small number, don’t go for 10-20 words per day in the starting. Once you feel you are able to practice every day and you can memorize more words, than increase the number of words per day. 

My friend, who has cleared his JLPT N1, told me that he practice 5 new words every day, and he has been doing this exercise from past 4 years. You can imagine his level of vocabulary (5*30*12*4= 7200) and he is still doing this exercise.

Revise the last day words 2-3 times before starting for today’s words

Revision is most important part of this exercise. Because whatever you memorize today, you will   forget 70% of that tomorrow, but when you revise you saving these words in your permanent memory.

Revision will not take much time; with revision you making sure that are not losing any word. 

Revise all the words you memorize in a week, 2-3 times once in a week

Revision of all the words you memorize in a week will help you to saving all the words in your permanent memory. Also you feel confident and motivated with you progress. 

Now take a test once in a month with help of your friends or teacher, and revise all the words you memories in a month

By taking a test in a month you can assess how much you are able to memorize, and whether your effort are going in right direction or not. 

Start using these words in you day to conversation and writing

Using these words in your day to day conversation and writing, will help you in improving your speaking Japanese. You would be able to convey your idea, thought and opinion clearly. 

Finally when people praise your speaking Japanese, you feel more confident and motivated.

In this exercise continuity is more important, people start with a bang that they will memorize 10-20 words in day but they stop this exercise after few days. Because they set high goal, when they are not able to achieve their target, they feel demotivated. So always start with a small goal and these small goals will lead you to a bigger goal.

The above exercise is very much tried and tested by me and my friends, if you know better techniques. Please feel free to share with us.