I joined WaniKani In January 2017 (although I started paying for a subscription Dec 2018 i think, so technically I have ‘committed’ for 2 years so far. )
It’s October 2020 and in the span of nearly 4 years I am at…level 8.
I haven’t been able to come back to wanikani for a month becuase I had to spend time getting ready for my self study Uni Course which I’m currently doing part time.
When I logged back on today I had 350 reviews in my pile, so I’m thinking about resetting back
down to 5 or 4, which really pains me because I was going at a decent pace for a good 6 months (at least I thought I was).
I just feel worried about how far my motivation will keep carrying me. It’s just going this slowly for 4 years and then having to go backwards a few levels feels daunting. I feel like I’m doing something wrong, I feel like I must be because it feels like my reviews take so long to do, even when I don’t go at full speed with my lessons for a while.
I have reset before (16 levels down) and I have regretted it - unless you have literally 0 recollection, it’s just not worth it.
There is a grand total of 1256 items in levels 1 - 8, so even if everything ends up in guru 2 or below it is still very doable. Don’t do any new lessons until you have your reviews under control, and while you are working on your currently learned items don’t do any more reviews in a day than you will be able to handle when they come back at you layered on top of future newer material.
Motivation won’t carry you very far at all, as it only works when you feel good about doing something; what you need is a routine and a mindset - “I’m a Japanese student who always does my lessons right after breakfast”, “I’m a Crabigator devotee who always makes sure I’ve done X number of reviews before I go to bed”, that sort of thing.
I’m also pretty new to the site, but I don’t really struggle with motivation. I just do my reviews and lessons as they come. I’ve been on WaniKani for about two weeks, and I’m almost at level 4. The next levels have more vocabulary, so they’ll probably take a bit longer, but that’s fine. I understand how it can get overwhelming, though. After finishing 180 reviews, I once got 50 new lessons and had to repeat them multiple times in the same day. Learning a new language definitely takes time and patience.
If you’re motivated and have the time, WaniKani can be great for learning. But if you find it hard to keep up, maybe it’s not the right method for you. Everyone moves at their own pace, some reach level 60 in a year, while others might take five years to get to level 10!
Edit: I actually took a four-year break because I had other priorities to focus on. I was at level 7 when I stopped, and there was so much more to learn that I can see why people lose motivation. I’ve decided to reset and start again from level 1. It’s a fresh start, and I’m ready to give it another go!
As Rowena says, there are over 1200 words that you have learned in a vastly different language to your own, that’s no mean feat! Even if you only fully memorise a small amount, you should take pride in the fact that where others haven’t even started, you’ve dedicated your time to this and made progress, even if it is a little slower than you’d like.
One of the great things about Wanikani is that you’re not punished for getting a word/item wrong - the opposite in fact. If the right reading/meaning doesn’t come to you after a short while, just type anything and have the correct response appear to jog your memory. The more you get things wrong, the more the correct answers will be imprinted on your memory. It’s much harder to be motivated when you spend a long time really trying to remember a response only to get it wrong, rather than having a quick think and then having a reminder if you can’t remember. You’re not being scored here!
If you carry on, you’ll learn some amount of new words/radicals. Even if it’s a small amount, it’s more than you’d learn by stopping.
In short, don’t overthink answers nor be afraid to get things wrong, and be proud of the progress you have made!
I wouldn’t reset. The number 350 might sound bad, but it’s really not if you do it in a systematic way. Install the reorder script and reorder the reviews by level. Now just do however many you feel comfortable in a session.
It will have a very similar effect to resetting without actually losing the progress you’ve made. Once you’re through the pile you can just uninstall the script if it isn’t something you want to continue to use.
I would advise against resetting because you may recall some words better than you suspect. I’m guessing the thought of 350 reviews is overwhelming and that is what is discouraging to you.
I started studying Japanese back in 2000 and it was on and off for about 6 or 7 years. I just didn’t like studying anymore and I didn’t see the value of putting my time into it at that time. Then this year came. With everything going on, I figured I’d go ahead and give it another shot since I can’t really do much else. I don’t remember the last time I had so much free time so what’s the harm? When I started, I was a bit surprised to see I had been able to recall so much in spite of how little progress I had made in about 6 years some 13 or so years ago.
The point here is discouragement will come and go but you might surprise yourself every once in a while. If its something you value, don’t give up.
Best advice out there: form a habit and commit to that habit. It’s healthier than smoking and if done correctly, twice as addicting! Feeding the beast with lots of Japanese films and music (and later, things you can start to read at whatever level you are at) usually keeps the machine clicking along. Find your own flow and do that. Good luck
I totally understand your feeling. Been doing wanikani for years as well, on and off, with 3 or 4 resets now. Life just finds something new and important to throw at me everytime! I would recommend mannually checking how far back you remember any readings or meanings and reset to that level. Better to learn something a second time than never learn it well at all.
As far as motivation, some people here have already said it. Motivation is a great way to start, but forming a habit is a great way to keep going. Wanikani must happen everyday. That doesn’t mean you need to add new lessons, but at least do your existing reviews as a habit. After breakfast or dinner works well. Then, on days that you are feeling motivated, do new lessons.
You’re not alone, there are many of us tortoise vs hare folks lurking around
It is okay to move at a slower pace. If it’s financially viable, buying a life time subscription during December sale is a good idea. You can move fast or slow without worrying about financial implications.
As for motivation, start doing 1 review a day for a week. Then 2 reviews a day for a week. Then 5 reviews a Day for a week. It will help build the daily habit of logging in and trying. You can have a lot of support here on the forums. You can join any one of the threads and just read the discussions. You will learn a lot from that. If something is not working or you are feeling down, just let us know and we will be more than happy to help you
Hi Rowena! Sorry I didn’t see your message! I only checked in this morning because I’m considering buying the lifetime subscription I’m still a bit all over the place because of Christmas and Covid, but I have done some small things like making wanikani my homepage, just little things to make it slightly easier for me to do my reviews. I hope you’re having a great christmas!
