I’ve always struggled with finding a tool that I could use consistently in my Japanese language learning adventures, but this time I think WaniKani has stuck with me. I love the UI, feedback and daily reviews, it’s a shame that there isn’t a first party iOS app.
What does everyone else like about WaniKani? Will this honeymoon phase end or do you still enjoy the grind?
Also, what supplemental material do you use to help strengthen grammar points or over all sentence structure/dissection.
There are some good options, though! I personally use Tsurukame. It’s free (actually, it’s open source) and it has some helpful features, such as a way to limit the number of Apprentice items you have and an option to undo an answer and try again.
Yes; I’m learning a lot. I can imagine that my enthusiasm will decline with time as I reach levels with lower-frequency kanji, but I like the structure WaniKani provides and I don’t think I could learn kanji as quickly without it.
I’m currently using Bunpro to learn grammar. I’m not sure everyone would agree about using an SRS platfrom for grammar studies, but I think it’s helpful as a beginner.
There’s no need to supplement wanikani. It’s the perfect Japanese learning tool made by gods. I would know. I reached level 666 in just over a year, achieved enlightenment and about to become the next prime minister of Japan.
Still early days for me too, so it doesn’t feel like ‘a grind’ as such.
At first I stuck to the SRS schedule (0-4-8-12 and so on) but now that I’ve also started grammar and additional vocab, I’m more lenient with the timing: lesson + one SRS review day one in the first half of the day, second review the next morning and carry on from there.
I’m completely new to Japanese, learning grammar and vocab from scratch. I’m using Genki but going through the lessons as quickly as possible then relying on Bunpro with its Genki path (grammar + vocab) for reinforcement.
Additionally for grammar I follow TokiniAndy’s Genki lessons in tandem with the textbook, and CureDolly’s additional explanations - both are on YouTube.
Planning to get started with reading (books) once I wrap up Genki I. That’ll hopefully aid with expanding vocab aquisition, grammar reinforcement and improving overall understanding of the language.
So yeah… read, read, read as ‘supplemental material’
I appreciate WaniKani because it’s solid, reliable, and well-thought-out, so I can reserve time and brain power for the actual learning (rather than trying to work out what to study, when, and how) – along with other stuff in life, of course. Being able to just jump in and out even when I have just a few minutes to spare means I can progress more than I would otherwise, and with less friction.
It’s sort of along similar lines to how I’ve settled on a specific exercise routine that I’ve stuck with: because I don’t actually want to exercise, I need to be prepared to just do it; if there’s any time for me to think about it, I will totally talk myself out of it.
But, for the record, I do actually enjoy learning Japanese, especially compared to exercise. I just can’t afford to be able to find excuses to slack off.
I like WK because it gave me a starting point. Before WK I tried flascards and working through Genki on my own, I took some japanese classes, but nothing stuck… WK gave me a structure and constant progess.
I love the SRS system, because I apparently need a looming punishment (an unholy amount if reviews ) to actually stay consistent with my study routine (sounds like I’m being sarcastic, but I’m actually % serious. I’m a bad student: nothing gets done without a deadline )
The thing I regret most is not starting earlier with grammar. I now use Bunpro, which is SRS based too. While I don’t feel too confident in my grammar skills, it helps tremendously in recognizing grammar structures.
Enjoy your time here!
がんばって!
Ahh yeah I’ve seen a few of his videos. I can’t wait until my understanding gets to the point of reading beginner level material and use it as context for learning grammar.
I absolutely think this is the key for me as well. When I would try other SRS based methods I would end up flailing around and doing 5% of one Anki deck here and then another 7% there, never sticking to a single source.
@northpilot I am on the exact same path as you just a couple weeks behind it would seem.
Tsurukame is an incredibly well-built app on iOS. I wish it had a bit more as far as listing statistics, selecting lessons, etc. but it is VERY solid.
I’m back and forth with Bunpro. I wasn’t very fond of the SRS for vocab when using the Genki Decks, but it’s been a great supplement for Grammar (using the default Bunpro decks) and the extra content for Reading Practice, etc. are all very nice to have available.
I’m also working through the Genki textbook and once Kanji was finally included in the lessons I very quickly understood and appreciated the Tofugu approach to learning Kanji and why so many people struggle with it.
Couldn’t recommend WaniKani and the Tofugu guide to learning Japanese enough.
Don’t mean to derail the thread but maybe this will be useful to others too.
I do like BunPro’s Genki path as it makes tackling the textbook lessons easier, however I’m having a bit of trouble with making the initial vocab pickup stick. The way WaniKani teaches it is more effective (with the explanations and mnemonics where needed) and BP not having a self-study quiz for vocab (like the grammar cram) isn’t… ideal. On WK I rely on the self-study quiz userscript for additional practice between the lesson and first review.
But their fully voiced sample sentences are good for understanding vocab use and pitch accent.
That said, whenever I run into new vocab that uses kanji I learned here (thanks, WK! ) it’s much much easier to make them stick.
My BP free month ends next week and I’ll very likely subscribe (grammar and reading practice, example sentences and so on… it’s worth the price, for me), just wondering if there’s something better suited out there for learning new vocab when you can’t build upon recently learned kanji.
Have you found another tool or a workaround for Genki vocab within BP’s system?
(Not Anki though, something ready-made with an SRS system like WK and BP)
Have you found another tool or a workaround for Genki vocab within BP’s system?
Not yet unfortunately.
I kept feeling like BP vocab reviews would just give me a blank with no context or a blank with the hint ‘formal’ and I’m supposed to figure out what word it wants .
It didn’t help that the first few chapters of Genki felt really awkward as there was such a heavy use of Romaji and Hiragana, but by skipping a few chapters the book started to feel a lot better, as they phased out Romaji and phased in Kanji.
I’m going to try using the default BP vocab decks here and there and when there’s a new word I want to add I’ll look for the BP vocab entry and manually add it and see how that goes.
I’m also going check out marumori.io.
I avoided it initially because it didn’t have a mobile app and most of my study time by that point was dependent on being able to use my phone, but I’ve found myself using a computer a lot more with BP so I think I want to give it a deeper look.
The whole ‘gamified’ adventure UI is a bit noisy and unnecessary, but it seems to have (potentially) some really good study enriching tools (Conjugation drills, Mock Exams) if I can get behind the SRS system they have.
I’ve switched vocab reviews to full sentence in Japanese and the reviewed word highlighted. It’s annoying that this style it doesn’t let you type in the English meaning like in WK but I’m typing my answers in a notepad (writing helps me with retention, I found) , then choose Good/Hard for the review. This way I feel I’m getting decent reading practice at least now that I’m still early into the “game” and the sentences are almost all new to me (no memorization of the examples… yet). Sometimes I’ll do shadowing for the pronounciation too when I have time to spare… it’d have been great if BP had a recording+playback feature like JP101 has, to compare your output with the native speakers’.
Funny thing is… on WK I always skip the sample sentences, mostly because they aren’t voiced. I realize that’d be a tremendous amount of work to record audio, but it’d be such a cool addition.
) to actually stay consistent with my study routine (sounds like I’m being sarcastic, but I’m actually 
% serious. I’m a bad student: nothing gets done without a deadline 
)
just a couple weeks behind it would seem.
) it’s much much easier to make them stick.
.