Finally reached level 8

It took me quite awhile to reach level 8 but I finally did it. I stopped doing WK for a month. I recently got back to it recently again.

I’m never gonna stop again.

Also, I think it’s time for me to start focusing on grammar and being able to speak and read Japanese now. Any tips?

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I recommend the “Japanese from scratch” course from Cure Dolly’s channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdmU8hGK4Fg3LghTVtKltQ) because it gets some very common misconceptions of the language out of the way right at the beginning and really helps you understand how Japanese actually works. Another video course that takes a more conventional approach but is very popular is Japanese Ammo with Misa. The stuff she covers is very much condensed versions of a what a Japanese teacher would tell you in class if you went to one that followed Genki or Minna no nihongo. So maybe watch her beginner videos too and try to read along with the Japanese language subtitles as well as you can.
After you we’ve watched and taken notes on the first ten or twelve videos of Cure Dolly’s guide, I would start Bunpro to get some SRS training with Japanese grammar. When you review a Bunpro item, take care to read all of the hyperlinked material, which is generally very good stuff from Kim Tae and other blogs and stuff.
With the path I’ve outlined above, you shouldn’t have to buy anything except a Bunpro subscription if you like it. Many people will tell you to buy the Genki books, but I would actually stay away from them (if you watch Cure Dolly’s videos, you’ll understand why).

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I read other comments saying we should wait till level 10. But I guess that’s just a recommendation.

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  1. welcome back and Congratulations!
  2. watch out for “nevers” and “always”. They’re generally lies. Just do your reviews and lessons tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after. And on Christmas. And on the day the love of your life tells you she never wants to see you again.
  3. The Ultimate Additional Japanese Resources List! - #24 by Kraits
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well damn ok

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Unless your addiction to trying to understand Japanese kids books are what made her leave you. Then I would sit down and think about priorities for a really long time.

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Congrats on making it to level 8, I’m in the same boat :+1:
A lot of the recommendations that @mindjockey made I totally agree with.

Japanese Ammo with Misa is pretty good at explaining grammar and sentence structure but I do also watch Japanese Pod 101 YT videos from time to time. I just found a pretty good Basic Japanese Grammar video of theirs that explains Japanese particles which I still am trying to fully understand.

I also use Tae Kim’s A Guide to Japanese grammar as a supplementary resource when I need further explanation.

For speaking, I use Pimsleur doing 1 lesson a day. It’s very basic words/phrases at the beginning and builds on that making more detailed sentences. It does have the SRS technique as well asking you say a phrase you learned many lessons ago.

Good luck!:high_touch:

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You “should” wait because then you’ll be able to focus on the grammar and already know lots of the kanji.

It’s a moot point IMO. Grammar structures take longer to internalize than a few kanji so why not start ASAP? Japanese I resources all use furigana anyway and you really shouldn’t need to be WK lvl 14 to understand “the eraser is on the table.” Start when you want! :slight_smile:

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