How do I use reorder to maximize my time while not changing the quality of learning?

WaniKani API And Third-Party Apps
#4

For myself, I like a healthy mix, but not too much kanji at once. I’ll usually do a couple of sessions of only last level’s vocab… but interspersed with that a mixed bag session with 1-2 radicals and 1-2 kanji and the remaining 1-3 items as vocab (I have my lessons on the default batch of 5). So two separate sessions of 5 will equal 10 items for me… 5 old vocab, and some mixture (as stated above). But I’m not trying to level quickly… I’m trying to do what’s easier for me. I’ve discovered I’m pretty terrible at remembering kanji if I try to learn too many at any one time. Vocabulary is easier, because it’s building on the kanji I already know.

If you use the Reorder script to get all your radicals and kanji done right out of the gate so you can level up faster, just make sure to not leave your vocabulary behind. In the 2-3 days left before you level up, you can work on the remaining vocab (if you’re aiming for the quickest 7 day levels).

I’m totally a “Take it slow” person, though… so you’ll probably want more advice from someone on the Gotta Go Fast team.

#5

Main reason I care is to guru them. After that, I agree completely. (I know I know, I could just override it.)

I’m kinda team taking it… slowfast??? I’m attempting 15 days per level. Before that, I was doing about 10 days per level …

#6

As for me, radical names aren’t that hard to remember. Also, I usually remember Koichi’s naming and mnemonics. Usually not for Kanji names, though. Probably two reason, 1. Kanji reading distracts. 2. There are too many of them.

#7

My ideal time frame is 10-14 days a level, but since I’ve come back from my 6 month hiatus I’m all "who cares, as long as I’m doing something!"
I think the sweet spot was 12 days a level… that was doable when I was consistently doing 20 new lessons a day… but now when I’m doing 10, 5, and sometimes 0? Not happening.
*sigh*

But any progress is good progress.

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#8

Because I don’t want to retype:

[Edited to account for recent SRS interval changes]

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#9

I do nearly exactly the same as @rfindley, except at the beginning of the level I usually do my kanjis within the first two days instead of the first three.

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#10

It’s true that “your pace” is the right pace, in the sense that you can’t force yourself to go faster if you aren’t retaining stuff or if you simply don’t have time for reviews. But in this case, he wants to know how the mechanics work, because you can easily unintentionally stay on one level for a long time if you don’t know how the leveling works. By using reorder strategically, you can maintain a comfortable pace while shaving some excess time that came from simply not optimizing your review order.

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#11

I only recently started using the reorder script also. I tend to do all my lessons at once when I level up, and when I’m short on time, I use the script to give me the radicals and kanji first. The downside of this is that I end up with a pretty big review pile in the days after this, so the reorder script can really help out sometimes. It’s particularly useful for me at weekends, since I usually find that I have so many other things to get done at the weekend that using the reorder script to only give me my radical and kanji reviews means my level up time is unaffected. Then I can just catch up on vocab when I have more time during the week. :slight_smile:

#12

You are the voicie of wisdom. Pre-study is the key, at least for me too. And who cares about radicals.

#13

I did pre-study radicals with anki (it doesn’t have all the radical pictures tho) and did make really good mnemonics for all new kanji. Before i was mess but now i have 100 % rate with radicals and kanji. I will pre-study kanji too with anki now (luckily it should have all pics for those). I glance through new level stuff now and then too. For voc i let srs do it’s job, as it doesn’t affect lvl up speed.

Wanikani kanji page is good for studying too. I put row of kanji so that i can see kanji but meaning and spelling are below screen. Easy to speed check if you don’t remember some kanjis.

#14

When I was in Team Gotta Go Fast, I did pre-study by creating my own worksheet for the upcoming level and it worked very well as I recall.

I’d look at the mnemonics and rewrite them if I didn’t think they would work out.

#15

I’ve been swamped with essays all year, think I’ll have completed about 21,000 words by the end. I’ve been doing an average level up of 12 days without a reorder script.

My current strategy is to blast through every lesson 2 days after leveling up (pure laziness, do not copy) then it takes about 10 days to get stuff right. I got too hung up on muh levels so I’d sometimes guru the kanji before I’d properly learned the reading.

Do not guru kanji you haven’t learned.

If it takes you 15 days because some kanji just isn’t sticking, wait until you get it.

The vocab will reinforce the readings, and they prioritise the most common reading with more vocabulary to reinforce it.

Vocab is not only essential for conveying ideas, but it’s also essential in Wanikani for reinforcing the reading and providing examples for the meanings.

Here’s my progress so far to give you an idea of what mine’s like.:

WKP.png1141×374 30.7 KB

Bottom line, go at your own pace but don’t be lazy, and don’t think that by leveling up in 8 days instead of 12 you’re learning any better than someone who takes 15 days.

Good luck.

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#16

You say not to use your method but actually you’re just using SRS for what it’s good at.

Blasting through lessons is fine as long as you accept that it’s going to take a few goes at getting some of them correct.

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#17

Oh I should edit that, I meant do not copy the guruing unlearned kanji part :stuck_out_tongue:

#18

Ah right. :slight_smile:

#19

I really think this is really the key to OP’s question – most people realize you can level up faster by reordering to do radical and kanji lessons before vocab. But not everyone realizes that this actually allows you to go slower with the first batch of kanji and spread them out over a couple days.

Basically, reorder to do your radical lessons immediately on level-up (that should take you about 20 seconds), then take a deep breath. You can now take your time doing the kanji lessons, spreading them out over the next three days, without affecting level-up time.

You’ll still have to do the second batch of kanji lessons right when they become available, though. Couldn’t agree more with @polv about pre-study. For everything, but especially for the second batch of each level’s kanji.

#20

There is a fantastic script for this by @rfindley

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#21

Actually, the real reason I pre-study, is because I want to look up every Kanji in the dictionary, and and I can make a hyperlink in Anki.

For vocab, the reason is partly, I want to do EN->JP, and looking up words in the dictionary with a hyperlink. Another reason is core 10k breakdown.

I use reorder script to do Kanji first too, but I do all on the first day.

I might change my mind / strategy from level 46+ onwards, though.

#22

I agree with that. They did want to know about mechanics.

But, they also asked what the BEST settings are for the reorder script are BECAUSE apparently their speed is too slow by other people’s standards.

So, yes, mechanics and how others do it were requested, but I also believed it was necessary to address the underlying statement that the BEST way makes you go the FASTEST.

Which is why I attempted to address both in my original reply.

#23

15 seems to be a pretty good pace. I think I’m around 21 now…

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