Just wanted to reach out to the community and see if my current plan is a good one.
As of the current date, I have been studying Japanese since march 2021.
I have been studying the cure dolly grammar lessons (on about video 45/90~ish) and (as you can see) level 12 in wani-kani.
I am trying to branch out to consume some actual Japanese material in the wild but I am not exactly sure of the best approach. My goal is to learn to speak, read, and hear Japanese(I have no practical interest is writing Japanese at this time). I would like to get there in about 3 to 4 years(thatâs just my idea of having a timeframe. im not really sure ho long its gonna take).
Currently I have been watching an anime called Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san (Skilled Teaser Takagi-san) and I am on episode 3.
My process is that i watch it with only Japanese subs the first time and just try to listen and pick up what i can. Then i re-watch it Japanese and English subs and try to see how each sentence breaks down and to try and catch all the things i missed.
The unfortunate part of my strategy that has not panned out is when it comes to adding new words to my anki deck. Its hard for me to add new words when i come across them because most of the common words in the anime are either kanji or kanji-hiragana words. Either i already know them from wani-kani or i dont have a good way to memorize them. its hard for me to store kanji in my brain without breaking them down into radicals and using mnemonics(which is something I have used for my entire life, long before i started wani-kani)
My question(s) breaks down to this, is this a good strategy for learning the Language? I feel like without the ability to learn new words, I am sort of only getting reinforcement of the words i know, which isnt bad, but i wouldnât mind a better way if there is one. Should i switch to an easier, more low level show or perhaps read graded readers and start with just reading first?
Also, when would be a good time to try and start speaking? I know some kanji and hiragana words at this point, and have studied the grammar, but i really have no clue on how to put sentences together in my mind and then say them aloud. Is there a way to practice that isnt going to stress me out about all of the things that i feel like i dont know yet? I really want to learn the listening/speaking component and get it to my English level (which is my native and currently only language) but i am uncertain if i even know enough to start trying yet.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as my language journey has just been sort of just making it all up as i go along. Im not really sure how far along I am in progress but i am sure i must know more then when i started in March 2021. If anything I have said is unclear or needs more clarification, i would be happy to elaborate.