Well, today is my 90th day on WaniKani and I am kicking myself for not starting years ago when I first heard about it. I lived in Japan from 2017-2019. And I have learned 10x more Japanese in the past 90 days than in that entire 2 years (plus the 6 months or so I attempted to study Japanese before leaving). If I had started back then I would be done by now, maybe even memorized the whole Joyo list and now I wouldn’t be searching all over the internet for how Baby Steps ends.
Most importantly, I’m so glad to find this community. You guys are awesome. Even if I don’t post much, I like reading what people are up to and what people are talking about. It is definitely motivating to see that there’s a lot of people on the same journey as me.
Anyway, unfortunately my progress is going to slow significantly due to some changes at work. But I plan to keep on keeping on. My goal is to be at least level 27 by December next year, which is when I’m expecting the next JLPT exam to be scheduled here in Toronto.
Today I completed 200 days streak! Didnt miss a single day for reviews and doing all the recomendation people here often give: apprentice below 100, 20 lessons a day.
I hope by completing 1 year I am around lvl 40.
What pleases me most is that I can now read regularly nhk easy news understanding 70% of each article
and also checking every other day the japan24news on youtube to see the news and the subtitles and now I can understand around 30% of it, since they speak fast the subtitles disappear so fast!
Also, in 6 months here I have learned way way more than when I was in japan for six months studying japanese using genki 2.
Awesome! Based on your level/streak you’re levelling up a little faster than me. But I’m very glad to see what is doable in 200 days. I’m also eager to start reading so thanks for the resources there. I did some calculations and if I don’t slow down due to my work, my current typical levelling time would bring me to the upper 30’s by next December. So I may even try for N3 instead of N4. So definitely getting that reading practice in will be super helpful.
Also, since level 11 I started Shirimono, recommendation by someone from here.
it is a SRS for grammar and it is free. It has been very helpful for me, I finished N5, N4 and N3 and just started N2.
I can understand better the nhk articles and some sentences on twitter after learning “connection particles” in a way to understand cause and effect, opposition, comparison etc
That’s a great start, just remember to do only what you can handle. There is no rush. As long as you enjoy learning nothing can stop you.
I’m currently at 150 day streak. I’m the kind of person who does everything to keep the streak, not that there is a reward for it, but it feels good to do so( for me).
I’m learning grammar from Youtube alongside with the Wanikani on the channel named Japanese Ammo. I find her lessons useful and it’s good for me to see some Kanji usage too, though that’s not the main purpose of it.
Good luck with your studies. I’m like you, I rarely write on the forums, but I’m enjoying reading the topics which come up.
Thanks for the tip! I just signed up. I was using Bunpro during the free trial, but I don’t feel up to paying for it right now. I will, eventually, but probably only after I reach Level 17 here on WaniKani (when all N5 Kanji is covered). So Shirimono is a great alternative for now.
Thanks. I have a pretty regular schedule due to work so I have set times throughout the day that I do the reviews. So it works out well. As I mentioned above, due to some changes I will likely slow down though… Currently leveling up every 12 days or so… my goal is not to let it get past 15 days. Hitting 2 levels per month would bring me within reach of my JLPT goals.
