Hi! need advise

Hi Guys! I’m new here and I am not sure I will subscribe to the website yet.
I’m 40 and I a have been studying Japanese on and off for about 20 years. Due to this pandemic and need to occupy my mind with some other stuff but my problems I have restarted learning Japanese using duolingo (which is not very helpful on the long run) and recently discovered wanikani.
I would like to ask you what is your experience with wanikani and how has wanikani helped you achieve your goals?
I would very much appreciate to hear from you!

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Before WK I couldn’t read anything. After 2 years of WK I read 2 novels.

Overall, highly recommend because it gives a structured approach to kanji learning. You just need to spend an hour or two a day and you will certainly learn the kanji.

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wow! how much did you learn in 2 weeks and what have you read? Anybody else wants to read Murakami in the original language? :stuck_out_tongue:

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Amazing. I can read books now

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I already knew some Japanese before joining WaniKani, but kanji were my biggest weakness. Doesn’t matter how good is your grammar knowledge or how many words you can recognize (from hearing) if you can’t read anything. Whenever I tried to read anything the number of unknown kanji was so big that I couldn’t manage to get through it.

Now thanks to WaniKani I recognize the majority of the kanji I encounter and looking up the rest isn’t as draining anymore. I just started reading my first novel and it’s super fun.

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In 2 weeks? Well in the beginning it would take me about 2 weeks to level up. So I learned roughly 30 kanji and 120 vocab items in 2 weeks.

I read コンビニ人間 and このすば. I also started 雪国 but didn’t get very far. (I don’t read much in any language, so I am not the best example). But I read some manga like Made in Abyss from time to time.

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Welcome! I am reading lots of Murakami lately. I’m only level 27 right now, but I must admit my actual kanji knowledge is much higher since I dropped Wanikani for a few years and focused on other methods. I’m continuing with it now to fill in some gaps in my knowledge. I also haven’t officially passed it (due to the tests being cancelled!) but I’m around JLPT N2 level based on mock tests and such. Most of Murakami’s stuff isn’t that difficult though—if you have a good grasp on N3 grammar and are able to look up any unknown kanji, you could probably start with some of his short stories fairly soon.

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Wanikani has helped me learn kanji in an organized way and retain it.
I like that I can learn on my phone so I can study anywhere. It is very convenient.
You’ll need to substitute with other materials to improve reading, vocabulary, etc.
Just as a resource Wanikani has been very valuable and effective for me.
The community also helps with a variety of questions that pop up with learning.
I 100% recommend it.
Also welcome to wanikani :slight_smile:

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Thank you!

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Thanks! :purple_heart:

Murakami’s 1Q84 is actually being read by a book club here on the forums too right now :blush: See the bookclub’s home thread: Hashing out the details for reading Murakami Haruki’s 1Q84 (Intermediate/Advanced Book).

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Wow! Thanks!

do you think one can pass N3 by using WK and some other books… but just by self learning ?

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I’ve learned Japanese very inconsistently. I’d do a lot in a week and then drop it for a month. Thanks to Wanikani I manage to learn consistently every day and study grammar once or twice a week. It made learning Japanese a continuous habit for me. The bookclubs here also really help me with starting to read native material.

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I’d recommend LingoDeer, if you enjoy app based learning of grammar and vocab, etc.

I didn’t go in with any particular aim, but I’m already recognising more kanji in pictures and books. I’m not there enough to read anything in full yet, but it’s a big confidence boost when you see something you recognise.

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Thank you very much for your recommendation, Joeni!

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Even aside from teaching you how to read, I think wk gets you in the habit of using mnemonics to learn new things that would normally just be straight memorization, which helps in the short and long run, imo.

In college, I was about an N2 level but could barely read anything :grimacing: I took a break and forgot SO MUCH. Last year I made it my goal to learn to read, and since then, reading is my best skill, but all others are behind!
So definitely continue learning grammar, listening to media (TV, music, podcasts), and practice speaking with someone on HelloTalk or iTalki to balace your studies.

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Absolutely! Although you will need to hit the books pretty hard. Don’t expect WK to be sufficient for anything except learning kanji.

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I’ve only been using WaniKani since the end of January, and I already find myself recognizing kanji on food labels. I also came here from duolingo, and though I will probably go back to using that once I have a better grasp on kanji and grammar, right now I find WaniKani to be my main method of learning and beginning to understand Japanese.

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I started using Wanikani in June of 2020 due to the pandemic and having nothing to do. I’ve wanted to learn it, as it’s a pretty sweet language and I came across this site. It got me hooked instantly and I haven’t missed a day since. It’s never too late to learn a language, so I say go for it

The thing about Wanikani I find the best is that it gamifies the learning of kanji, which makes it much easier to do than just sitting down once a week and trying to cram them into your head.
What I recommend is trying to do as many sessions a day for reviews as you have time for, as the SRS system works the best if you do your reviews instead of letting them pile up and it helps you stay motivated, as seeing 30 reviews feels better than seeing 200 and having to do them all at once.

As I’m low level I haven’t really done anything too useful with the knowledge I’ve gained so far, but singing along to certain Japanese songs while reading the kanji feels pretty good. Similar to this, I’m starting to understand more and more words and sometimes even full sentences while watching anime, which is also quite nice.

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