I think itâs far too early to worry about it, especially if youâre new to learning Japanese in general. Grasping the concept of onâyomi versus kunâyomi is a bit of a struggle at the start but itâll eventually be second nature (promise!) and youâll find new and exciting things to struggle with on your learning journey. Do your best!
Hey donât worry too much about it!
I only recently got through the early levels myself, you have no idea how long it took me to remember the different meanings and readings for ä¸ăă, ä¸ăă, ä¸ăă and ä¸ăă.
I think a lot of people go through the same problems when taking new vocab lessons, and itâs totally normal, even if you mess up the first 10 reviews for a word, youâll get it eventually. Trust me
How long have you studied japanese for?
Ah, so youâre not yet acquainted to japanese. In this case, yes it is normal that youâll forget readings and such.
If youâre new to the language, itâs very easy to forget readings as you described. Your brain isnât used to hearing or processing such sounds, so it has to rapidly adapt to a large amount of new information. Once youâve learned more words and become more familiar with the language and its sounds, kanji and vocab readings will start to sound more natural to you.
went exactly through this 2 days ago, keep trying and itâll stick
Do more studying outside of Wanikani. Most (not all) of the words and characters in the early levels are very common and should appear frequently in textbooks and native material. The extra exposure should help you retain more.
In addition to the advice that everyone else has already offered, I just wanted to add that memory is a skill like any other, the more you practice it, the better youâll get at it. So, perseverance is key with WaniKani. I truly believe anyone can learn Japanese, if only they stick to it and apply a routine.
Also, the only progress that matters here is your own. Everyone progresses at different speeds and itâs not a race. By simply trying your best and working at your own pace, you can be proud of what you have learned. Your achievements are your own. Not everyone on WK powers through, and some users spend 2 weeks to a month or more on a given level. Everyoneâs pace is different.
Anyway, I hope this alleviated your concerns somewhat.
No worries. Although I donât remember how many percent I got when I was at level 1, sometimes I got just 33% nowadays, but other times I got 100%, and in average 80 - 100%. Could be 60 - 80% as well. Before I joined WaniKani I thought my memory was weak. Doing reviews at WaniKani everyday proved that my memory is not weak at all.
What @Shadkat had said above was so true!
Getting something wrong doesnât mean youâre wrong, it just means itâs time to study it again. These arenât tests to measure how well youâre learning, just a way to tell when itâs time to learn something again. Keep going and you will either die or learn Japanese.
Youâre not alone. Keep at it!
Youâll get used to readings and meanings with time. Donât get discouraged, no one gets them the first time, and if they say they do, they are lying to you
It gets better with time. Itâs like your brain gets trained to focus on certain shapes and sounds. They are overwhelming at first. They become second nature after a while.
The most important thing is donât get discouraged. Itâs a long process and itâs normal to get frustrated at time. Just remember: we all were there. When you are struggling with a word and you keep mistaking it, remember that everyone of us has their own nemesis. Youâll get it with time. Is it going to be a week? A month? Six months? Doesnât matter, and itâs absolutely normal. Just keep going, keep studying, every day. Good luck
To whatever you apply this question, the answer is always the same: there is no amount not even a suggested one
As for studying grammar, just pick up genki and go through it. Genki starts really basic and itâs quite easy to follow, and it explains the vocabulary while you go through. If you feel overwhelmed, just slow down, if you feel like itâs a breeze, try something more
Try to find your own balance, the most important thing is to stay motivated. Try to do what sparks your interest. Try to not get stuck only with wanikani.
You may enjoy using an app such as https://www.lingodeer.com as a way to supplement your WK lessons. I know itâs much easier to remember vocab when I see it in sentences and Lingodeer is a friendly, easy way to practice reading sentences.
I donât think anyone here has asked so Iâll ask it even though it may be a dumb question. Do you know your hiragana / katakana? If so, how long have you been studying that? They will prove to be pretty important and will definitely help you if you havenât already learned them.
Bottom line is we all have issues with different things and thatâs what weâre all here for! Just take it one step at a time, make plenty of mistakes and donât give up!
I thought the vocabulary in the beginning was pretty challenging. It took some time to get used to onâyomi versus kunâyomi readings and knowing which to use when, and it felt like the first several levels had more exceptions than usual (hello, day/thing counters). Once you start building up more kanji though, more and more vocabulary will be jugoku words that use readings you probably already know.
On top of that, if youâre not familiar with Japanese grammar it takes a while to get a handle on certain ideas that make learning vocabulary easier, like (kanji)ăă just being âto do (kanji)â or -ă at the end of at least some measurements being the measurement itself (大 being big vs 大ăă being size, or éˇ being long vs. éˇă being length). Youâll start seeing some patterns and things get easier as you go.
(Disclaimer: I havenât studied all that much grammar/vocab myself and am likely making some mistakes, somebody more knowledgeable will likely correct this )
Donât worry! I think everyone is slow when first starting to learn a new language, because itâs so different!
When I was first learning Japanese, it took me a month to memorize 100 basic words, which I can now learn in about 4 days Youâll speed up once your brain gets used to it.
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