Length Query

Hi All,
Brand new to WaniKani but been studying JApanese now for roughly 5 months. (Wish id knew about this site earlier) from my studies my grammar is moving on at a really good pace in my eyes, however im now getting caught out not being able to read kanji at a decent pace thus alot of my writing and reading gets slowed down checking kanji i dont know (and even re looking up kanji i know but not memorized to heart)

Anyways i Digress, my major question is that i currently study Japanese 3 hours a day, i am now planning to split my studying into 2 hours a day for Grammar, Reading, Speaking ETC (textbook learning) and then 1 hour for Wanikani a day. Under that how long do you guys reckon it would take to hit level 60 under an hour a day?

Unfortunately due to life and work 3 hours of study is really the max i can pull out, so 1 hour a day kanji study is my limit, thus i want to get an idea of the time frame I’m looking at.

(My aim is to be able to move to Japan to work in the high speed rail industry in the next 3-5 years., 3 lets me go at age 30 so this is my aim)

Any response All is really appreciated!

Look forward to studying with you all!

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3 hours every day is plenty. But perhaps you shouldn’t set a strict limit on your wk time. The time will vary depending on your level and lesson rate.

In the beginning the workload is light but then from lvl ~5 it’ll start ramping up. Levels 20-40 are probably the toughest. I think I was spending around 1.5-2 hours per day on wk back then.

Also even if you stick to 1 hour per day I think you can finish wk in 2-2.5 years. But make sure you do at least two review sessions per day to optimize the review timings.

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Hi Hermit,

Thank you for the reply, a 2 year time frame sounds great especially for the goals ive set,
the only reason im so strict on the 3 hours a day studying, is to be honest i shouldn’t really even how time for that, but know i have to hit 3 hours i manage to fuddle it in where i can to the point ive hit that third hour, then im happy with the days work.

And on that im not opposed to raising the amount of study time for wanikani, but feel that 1 hour currently suits well, between my further study with Tobira / An integrated approach to Japanese and my review sessions with Genki 1 & 2. i feel like as time goes on and text book usage becomes lower, i could raise Wanikani up.

But on that ill also keep in mind of staying on top of the reviews.

Thank you!

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I finished WK in a bit over 2 years with around an hour per day max.


An hour a day is all you need.

The key is:

  • split it up into 3 sessions: morning, noon, and night or similar to catch the first two apprentice reviews on the same day
  • 20 max lessons per day
  • Keep apprentice items under 100

If you want to really optimize things, I present to you the Ultimate Guide:

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Where do you get that daily average time chart?

I use Tsurukame on IOS exclusively for WK, and that’s the Screen Time graph.

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I think the time you put in isn’t as important as the understanding that you get out.

That being said, everyone has their own pace. I wish you the best of luck with your WK journey.

You’re 5 months in so you’re probably more advanced in a lot of areas than me! that being said everyone here on the forums is friendly so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

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I think an important consideration is how you break up that 1 hour. Two 30 minute sessions ~12 hours apart will be much better than one solid 1 hour session. Three 20 minute sessions would be even better.

This has to do with the frequency of SRS items, and that from brand new I think your first reviews hit at +4 hours and then another +8 hours, if I recall correctly. Getting those early reps in helps a lot with memory retention and advancing the cards along. If you were to wait a full 24 hours it puts you behind.

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Welcome!!!

Try to fit listening in somewhere.
Keep us updated on everything.
Race you to 60! (I’m slow so let me know when you pass me)

Thank you Lewby! knowing ive came into a welcoming community is a really big bonus!. With regards to the five months its mostly just Grammar, I like to think my grammar comprehension is okay for my level, but as noted my Kanji recognition is pretty meh haha, Ive memorized completely the kanji for alot of verbs, but given i use them alot in the textbooks im not surprised but random kanji for the odd adjective here and there, oh no haha

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My Tutour said the same thing about listening,
im currently watching Anohana (Recommended by my teacher due to the slower japanese in it) and writing down what they say (even if i dont understand) to get used to listening.

But ill keep everyone updated!

See you at 60!

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I think i could quite easily pull off the 2 30 minute session as i get a 30 minute dinner break in work which i can squeeze WK in, and then a second session on the evening. Trying to find 3 seperate periods would be tough though.

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