I can’t believe it. It finally happened. I started this long journey casually in June 2015, about 9 years ago. I made a conscious effort to take WaniKani very slowly as I had other priorities happening in my life. There were many periods that I needed to take breaks, but in the end, I always came back eventually.
In the 9 years since I started, the following things happened to me:
Changed careers (twice)
Moved to Japan (twice)
Passed JLPT 4 → 3 → 2 (in that order)
Made many new friends but sadly lost a few along the way
Got married
But through all that, WaniKani was a constant thing on my mind. There was a time I thought I would never finish (around level 30), and I was going through a dark period in my life. Luckily, I had a friend around me racing to Level 60 who encouraged me to continue during a time I hated learning Japanese. I’m forever grateful to that friend for pushing me towards this unending goal.
The main thing I learned was not to give up! Eventually, you’ll get there. I used a lot of different resources to learn Japanese. I used textbooks, Anki, videos, online classes, meetups, language exchanges, etc. Eventually, I earned my N2 and didn’t really have a need for WaniKani anymore. Still, WaniKani was like a good friend who kept me company for an hour daily over many years.
Moving forward, I will be burning through the items as much as possible, but I can now take it even slower (if you can imagine). We all have different goals when using WaniKani, so please do it at your own pace for those who still need to finish. As for those already at level 60, I’m extremely grateful that I can finally become one of you! I’ve read countless celebration posts and always felt encouraged by everyone’s unique journey. I’m proud to say I’m finally part of the celebration!
Congratulations! Consistency wins again! It’s nice to see someone else doing Wanikani while having a real adult life. Sometimes we need to slow things down because life happens! I’m happy you kept at it, otherwise I’m sure you might think back to it later in life and regret it.
Yeah, I appreciate the sentiment. Being an adult is rough, and I wish I didn’t have so many responsibilities and could focus solely on Japanese. However, if you love something enough, you can accomplish it. This Japanese thing is not a race between each other but a lifelong journey we take together and support one another through.
Congrats! That’s impressive dedication over a long period of time.
I’m generally really good about having the discipline set a schedule and stick to it, but doing something sporadically for something approaching a decade without getting demotivated is not something I’m sure I’d be able to do.
if I take 10 days per level, I would be there in March 2025, roughly almost 3900 days to reach Level 60.
I’m not rushing as I want to make sure the grammar, listening, reading, and conversation develop to the same pace. Very difficult, but I will try.
Yeah, there was definitely a lot of ups and downs. I took long breaks during moments, and vacation mode was my friend and enemy. I took so long for me to adjust back to a consistent schedule. For example, I’d have 1000 apprentices for a month.
I only planned to get to halfway through (Level 30) by the end of the year, but at the pace I’ve been going the past couple of months, I have a feeling I will go beyond that by a fair bit.
This is my favourite “Lv60” post so far. Most people brag about their speed and storming through reviews and averaging 10 days on a level, and it really gets me down that I’m so slow. I often wonder why I’m bothering when it will take me so long.
So to see this post with proof that you can make it even after a long, long time is really comforting. I’m only on Lv11 but I’m taking my time and that’s okay. Thank you so much for sharing!
It’s honestly very impressive that people finish in a year or under. It’s also impressive that people finish at all! Once I accepted that it’s life long journey, I was more at peace. No matter what you can get it done!
Love it. Huge congratulations! I feel the same way. I had (and continue to have) so much change on my journey, and Japanese (and wanikani) are some of the constants always along for the ride. Best of luck in your future learning endeavors!
It finally happened. I started this long journey casually in June 2015, about 9 years ago. I made a conscious effort to take WaniKani very slowly as I had other priorities happening in my life. There were many periods that I needed to take breaks, but in the end, I always came back eventually.
