Best way to go after WK?

I’m going to go ahead and link a similar discussion I started a few days ago which you might find helpful to peruse: Strapped for time, is there an "ideal level" to shift from WK to really hammering down grammar and reading?. There was some good discussion there about different approaches, but my belief that reading is the best way to learn remains unshaken (though you’re free to be persuaded otherwise :slight_smile: )

For context, I have about 1.5 hours a day to dedicate to Japanese (sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less). Taking that into account, I plan on shifting off of focusing on WK around level 35 to return to splitting my time between grammar study and reading with just a little bit of WK maintenance on the side (maybe 2x 15 minute reviews a day, slowly adding new kanji and trying to maintain reviews as best I can). As I get more comfortable with basic grammar, I plan on putting more emphasis on reading. The important thing is to not overestimate your reading abilities and jump into something way above your level. Reading is freaking hard. Back when I had time to read I was taking something like 30 minutes to an hour to translate an NHK Easy article even with Genki I and WK20 under my belt. I did find myself getting faster as I kept at it, but then I got busy and I decided to prioritize WK for a little while longer. After getting comfortable with NHK Easy I’ll probably use Satori Reader for a few months or longer to transition myself to harder material like LN’s and manga.

I’m primarily interested in literacy, so I’ll probably keep up that process for awhile and will be reasonably content to just maintain my literacy/grow organically through reading a little bit each day. If (IF) I find myself with time and interest, I’ll practice watching Japanese shows with Japanese subtitles to train my ear. You can also work language production into that somewhere if you’re interested in that, but I have nobody to talk to and other hobbies to pursue so I haven’t put a lot of thought into that.

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