I was just wondering if you finish all your vocab before moving on or if you keep learning new kanji while doing the old vocab. I just finished level 11 and it has given me 57 new level 11 vocab along with all the new level 12 stuff, would you guys finish everything from level 11 before going to 12 kanji/vocab? I have a reorder plugin so I was just wondering. Thanks!
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waitā¦ u can do thatt?! xDD I had no clue
I used [Userscript] WaniKani Lesson Filter to learn kanji and vocab together (3 kanji / 9 vocab per day). It was less stressful for me that way.
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I use reorder script, so I just always do Radical > kanji/vocab first. at least 20 lessons per day, and Iām still catching up with the lessons with an average 9 days~ per level. Usually 5/10kanji + 10/15 vocabs per day.
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For the first 30-ish levels or so, I did all the lessons for the current/previous level before moving on to the next. However, for the remainder of the levels, I started doing this scheme, which kept me going at a level up pace of around 8-10 days per level:
- Did the radical lessons for the new level right after level-up
- Did about 18 lessons a day, with 6 of the lessons being kanji from the new level, and the rest being vocab.
3-4 days into the next level I would have gone through all the vocab lessons from the previous level, and then started doing vocab for the current level, continuing the same scheme as described above until no more kanji lessons were left. After all kanji lessons were done, I would do 18 vocab lessons a day.
Basically, I think you should experiment with different configurations until you find something that keeps you going at a reasonable pace.
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Personally I always to all lessons in order, as I find it has the best flow for me. Although saying that, I am actually suffering right this minute after having gone through 70 vocab lessons to get to my new kanji. Stupid? Very. But at least I donāt have to worry about falling behind on the vocab lessons. Theyāre there to help with the kanji after all.
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Sounds interesting! Iāll give it a try, thank you!
Iāll give it a shot, thank you!
Thatās what I did all the way up to lv 60. I highly recommend it as it helps you retain the kanji readings and expose you to the alternative readings (mostly kunāyomi for vocab) while the kanji is still fresh in your memory. There is just no reason to rush ahead of that process, just to level up faster and get yourself a backlog of lessons.
I always found the vocab lessons the more fun part of WK anyway. Theyāre what youāll actually use! So, spending time on them is always going to be worthwhile. Kanji is just a way to understand/read the vocab.
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It took me getting to Level 30ish as well before I finally learned a better way to progress. Right now it takes me 7.5-10 days to finish a Level thanks to my extensive Memory Palaces for each Level. I finally got sick and tired of these Lesson dumps and found a way to space it all out over the course of a week. For me itās about restraint. I do the Radicals right out the gate, then 7 Kanji day over a period of 5 days. Whenever I pass 7 Kanji, there are 12-22 vocab that will inevitably unlock that same day. By spacing out my Lessons over a stretch and marking my schedule to do Reviews at Peak availability, I can make more consistent progress with less stress. My goal is to complete each Level in 10 days, not the 7 days my brain wants to do. You have to keep in mind that every Kanji has similiar Kanji and these Kanji will come up in later vocab over and over again. When you pass a Level that wonāt be the last time you see that Kanji. So no, fight the urge to zero out your vocab before moving on to the next Level. And fight the urge to do more Lessons than the inevitable Review pile you can handle as a result. Donāt rush. Be consistent. Pay attention to the nuances of details with each Kanji. That means really understanding the radicals well. You got this!
Do you find that all your similiar looking Kanji are coming to haunt you now? I swear, I canāt wait to be done with the Hell Unit! I welcome Paradise!
Well zeroing out the vocab means I donāt get to see it in the next Level at all and that has proven to be bad for me.
How long have you been at Level 60? Are you resurrecting burned Kanji to keep things interesting? How long did it take you to pass each Level in the past? What other apps would you say help with applying what youāve learned with WaniKani and how well has WaniKani prepared you for the JLNP1?
I 100% recommend doing all your vocab. Itās not about learning those words, itās about remembering all the different kinds of readings a kanji can have, and about catching the nuance between similar kanji. Do the vocab please. Youāll crash and burn in a 10-20 levels if you donāt.
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Itās been almost 2 months now. You can find all my stats here:
As for the JLPT1 test, I donāt plan on taking it. But, WK is not enough for that anyway. Youāll need a lot more stuff: grammar, reading and listening comprehension and even more kanji and vocab, the latter especially you need to pick up on outside of WK. You can find other threads here on WK that discuss the JLPT.
I donāt really use any apps. I just read manga I like, listen to Drama CDs and music, watch Japanese movies and anime and play games. Iām the immersion learning type. But, lately, Iāve also been reading Kamermansā āAn introduction to Japanese - Syntax, Grammar & Languageā for grammar.
I donāt plan on resurrecting anything as you can quiz yourself on burned items with the Self-Study Quiz to do a refresher when I feel like it. Iām doing a bit of that right now, which you can read more about on my study log here on WK. 
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Thanks! Yeah.
Well I have Rosetta Stone for basic conversational practice to get started with hearing Japanese.
I also have Bunpro which is actually really great for grammar. I hope to get through JLPT3 by the time I also pass Level 60 in December. Then I will spend 6 months focused on reading, writing, and grammar more deligently for the JLPT1.
This has been one heck of a ride so far! 2 years in the making! I will check out that book!
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Iāve done it the same way as @ekg all the way up until now. I prefer to finish all the previous vocab and reinforce those kanji before I start a new level. Iāll even stop a lesson session early in order to pick up the new level items the next day.
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Youāre soo close to the finish line now! wooot! 
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I agree with the way you are going about things. I think if you only learn kanji you only learn one reading. Not very useful when using vocabulary as the readings will change. I always thought I was a bit slow as it takes me around 16 days to fully complete a level. Now I realise why some people do it in 8 days. Oh well onward and upward (slowly) lol
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Iām also in the former camp. I have the reorder script, but I only use it to immediately do the radical lessons after levelup, so that by the time Iām done with the previous levelās vocab, all the current levelās kanji are unlocked.
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I do. I canāt/ am not smart enough to download scripts on mobile. I just go in the original wanikani order
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