Level 5 at the moment. My goal is to hit level 30 by the end of the year, meaning I will need to average 8.76 days per level, so I’ll set my speed at 9 days per level.
I know that is completely NOT doable unless I don’t ever miss an important review (radicals/kanji) but that is my aim. I do well with setting up unrealistic goals and failing to hit them. Usually I WAY surpass what the ‘realistic goal’ would have been, and I’m okay with failure. I would rather fail an ambitious goal than succeed at a realistic one.
WaniKani Statistics says my estimated completion of level 30 is 2020-11-10, so if I keep at it, it is doable, just unlikely.
How are you accessing that completion time for level 30?
I don’t see anywhere on WaniKani Statistics where it estimates a completion time for specific levels. Maybe we are using different tools though.
I’m looking at this:
I guess they took the estimation tools out on the 2.0.
2.0 seems MUCH better at sorting what items are lagging behind (leaches) With 1.0, you only see what is locked vs unlocked vs burned.
It’s based on your subscription type.
White is free trial.
Light blue is paid by the month.
Purple is lifetime.
Gold is level 60, though I can’t remember if that’s a mod I’m using or if it’s standard.
Like @Bridden said, you can use wkstats. I just do my calculations in Excel. Then I have full control and can manipulate the numbers as I want.
I just got to level 10 and I level up every 10 days. New Year’s Eve is in 218 days. That means that it should be possible to level up 20 or 21 times before New Year. Then I know that level 30 is within reach if I keep me current pace. We’ll see!
I’m in! I just joined so I’m unsure of how realistic it is for me but currently the only thing that’s holding me back is waiting for the reviews! I definitely want to be level 21 by 2021 as I’m currently level 1.
Forgot to include my other resources…
I’m using WaniKani for quick Kanji acquisition.
I’m using Genki for sentance structure/grammar.
I’m using BurnPro for SRS grammar reinforcement.
Anki is amazing in general. You can learn stupid amounts of info in almost no time flat.
Finally I’m using Pimsleur for general ‘useful phrases’ to quickly respond to common speech. It also helps with listening and makes me FEEL like I’m making progress. That is important for motivation.
I initially used ‘Remembering the Kanji’ with Anki which allowed me to memorize 900 Kanji over the period of 2 months… but none of that correlated to language acquisition IMO.
I also listen to Japanese music and will be moving to Japan as soon as I get the thumbs up from my job. It has been delayed for 2 months now…
I miss doing Pimsleur on my commute. I feel like it would be really fun to complete a couple of courses and just go to Japan and try to interact with people using the basic phrases.
I took the free first lesson and found it great except for the fact that it thought me to say あなた (you) in conversation which is consider a rude way to refer to someone. Also it teaches you that わたしは is equal to “I” which is kinda not true since it is more something like “as for me” .
Other than that I think that the method was great.
Well personally I thought it was hard, but fun also. As for whether it’s a good way to learn, that’s a very complicated topic. As you’ve seen even in the first lesson they give very rough translations, and that kind of thing can actually harm your understanding of grammar and particles. The version I was working with seemed to be intended for someone doing a short business trip, so it really just stressed memorizing some basic phrases and courtesies. It was not written for a serious student of Japanese. I was working with a library version that was a little older, so things may have changed, but I doubt they’ve changed their entire philosophy.
Overall I liked it because it got me more comfortable with voicing Japanese syllables. Just because I know how to say something doesn’t mean my mouth can physically form the words, especially for longer sentences. I did pick up some vocabulary, but if anything it will harm your understanding of grammar. All in all I question if its worth paying for. I was only doing it because my library had it for free and my commute was just dead time otherwise.
If I was going to visit Japan or move to Japan sometime soon, that might make it a bit more valuable. It does get you very comfortable with the basic sorts of phrases that you need to navigate social situations. If I was in Japan and trying to learn by immersion it would really help to know some basic phrases, as it would encourage people to speak to me in Japanese. But I question how useful it is if you’re just learning on your own in America.
That’s awesome! I highly recommend learning some Japanese before you move to Japan as I knew absolutely nothing when I arrived here (I forgot the word for yes when I went into a convenience store because I was so jet lagged lol).
If you can, I would also recommend hellotalk to practice conversation (If you are looking for free resources). It is also a great way to make friends before you arrive in Japan as many people are looking for foreigner friends.
Side note:
One of the best pieces of advice that I have received for learning a language is to understand yourself and your learning capabilities while studying.
I have a bit of an obsessive personality so I have to restrain myself from studying 10-12 hours a day because I eventually burn out at that speed. Find what works best for you and your study habits and continue using that method.
I have found that as I tire quickly from using a single resource I tend to bounce around between a few of them.
I am using:
WaniKani (obv) for Kanji
KameSame for vocab practice
Genki - for some grammar practice
Japanese Ammo with Misa - for additional grammar practice and in depth lessons
People I have met in Japan - for conversation practice
I am also working my way through Pokemon and Harry potter for reading (with a couple graded readers thrown in).
In addition to this I will try and listen for words I hear often in Japanese speech and write it down to remember it later.
I have seen you before! good luck starting over and joining the club!
Been there now 4 times (oh god) and this time I feel I am really getting to grip with things.
We will make it this time
