I’m almost 82 years old. Yes, it’s harder with age, but WaniKani won’t let you level up until you’ve mastered the kanji. I’m really learning them this way — and thoroughly enjoying the puzzle. When the pieces start to fit, it’s awesome.
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Yeah, this definitely matches my experience. Maybe my brain was theoretically better able to learn languages back in the day, but I didn’t have the motivation to care about it or do much more than turn up for class and do the homework. The language learning I’ve done as an adult has all been because I wanted to do it, so I’ve put in more time and effort and had more fun doing it…
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I’m halfway into my thirties.
You can still access the kind of neuroplasticity required to really learn, but the older brain needs specific concentration and error feedback to produce the kinds of chemicals that effect long-term change.
Look up focus, balance and resistance exercises and how to incorporate them into your studying. There is good science that suggests these methods have positive results.
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just circling back around and i think the learning is a lot easier, the real issue is time and responsibilities lol
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For me I’ve always been, honestly speaking, useless at learning languages. I was terrible in school and I’m just as terrible now. Memory like a goldfish. But SRS and sheer bloody mindedness helps, and despite being in my 40s I’m actually making progress. So for me age hasn’t really made me any worse, as I was already so bad to begin with, but hey, I’m slowly crawling towards level 60 I guess I’m not a complete lost cause.
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Well. I am now 70. I started my Japanese journey during covid as it coincided with my retirement. To keep my mental faculties active I felt I needed a challenge and choose Japanese.
In terms of the learning experience it is hard work. I find I have to revisit things more than I expected but I have surprised myself often with what I do remember. Persistence is the only answer for me and to work at it every day.
The upside of being a geriatric student is that I have the time and the patience so if I don’t get it the first time I can try again and again and again till I do.
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Glad to know there are other people on WaniKani over 40! I’m 64 and was definitely feeling my age, scrolling through earlier posts. I totally get what you said about pieces starting to fit - I lived in Japan for a couple of years in my late 20s and it’s amazing what I’ve been able to dredge up from the depths of memory. I get a little thrill when I see a word in one of my lessons and realise I know the vocabulary. I didn’t make much of an effort with kanji when I lived there, but could have basic conversations. Ganbatte kudasai!
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はい。いつもがんばりましょう！
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Definitely harder. But I’m OK with that.
I learned Spanish when I was 12, got fluent in French and Djula (a West African language) in my mid 20s, and worked on Arabic (but it never completely sunk in) in my early 40s.
I’m 65 now, working on Japanese for 8 years and can speak it like a four year old. I’m embarrassingly illiterate in it though, so here I am. I love the puzzle of WaniKani! I’ve quit doing crosswords 
I think languages have come easily to me throughout my life because I became bilingual before my brain finished developing. I didn’t just learn my second language, I learned HOW to learn language.
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