General vent session: It is the most frustrating thing when I feel like I have finally mastered the vocabulary and kanji that I’m working on to have my progress slowed because I didn’t realize it was asking for the reading and I type out the meaning or vice-versa. I know this is a super first-world problems issue, but have we ever considered implementing a thing that prompts you to ask again (like when you enter the kun’yomi and it was expecting on’yomi) for when you accidentally type out the English meaning when it expects a reading or asks for the meaning when you have clearly typed the reading? Again, I know that this isn’t a HUGE deal. But it is super demoralizing when I feel like I know it and have to wait entire extra days to progress because at 4 correct responses in a row I accidentally type something like “hon” instead of “book”.
Before anyone starts going off about how I just need to take my time more and read what it is asking me for more carefully, please know that I’ve tried. I struggle with ADHD, so the amount of organization and discipline it has taken me to even get consistent with doing the reviews as they come up has been a hurdle. I respect your thoughts about how I can improve my process, but please reserve your comments on my ADHD management for a more-appropriate time and place.
This script allows you to redo answers, so that you don’t unnecessarily downgrade review items.
Be careful though, and be critical of what you accept as correct.
Also, the word “Meaning” appears in black text on a white background, while “Reading” appears in white text on a black background. That somehow escapes the notice of a surprisingly high percentage of people here.
Honestly, get evaluated. I struggled my whole life and my parents didn’t believe I could possibly have ADHD despite my teachers recommending I be evaluated. They couldn’t fathom how I could have an attention disorder because I was able to read books like Harry Potter that interested me naturally. I was diagnosed as an adult, and it is still a struggle but recognizing ht issue formally and developing coping strategies (yes, including medication) has made a world of difference.
I do go through these quickly, and on a keyboard as opposed to on my phone. A lot of times, especially when I’m really sure of my response, I hit enter before I’ve registered what is showing up on the screen. Again, I know I should slow down. I’ve just been really grateful for the program automatically prompting me to enter kun’yomi instead of on’yomi and thought it would be fairly straightforward to implement something similar for meaning/reading.
Totally recognize that the site isn’t going to make fundamental changes based on my complaints alone, but I thought some other people might have similar issues. I always seem to get up to like level 6 or level 8, have something happen where I get derailed, take some time away from the site, and then come back and feel simply overwhelmed because if you step away for even a week you get buried. I’d like to not have that happen again. Maybe something changes if other people have struggled with this too. Maybe I just vent and other WaniKanians are sympathetic and I get through it.
In my time on the forums, I have seen this complaint quite often. I have had trouble with this as well in the beginning, and currently reflexively know what I need to write.
To add to my first suggestion, I think the Android app “Flaming Durtles” also has an option to make the input bar shake if you write the reading into the writing section (and maybe vice versa as well). It also has the double check feature I told you about.
@Belthazar makes a really useful point. Give it another few levels, and you’ll start to unconsciously associate the background/text colour with what you’re being asked. In the early levels, I kept having the exact same problem as you, but it mostly went away once that background colour sank in.
I do type readings in for meanings from time to time, but I have the undo script. Also, on the color issue, hu hu, I use the app in black and white to save battery life.
I really think you will get used to this very quickly if you stick with it. I rip through reviews usually not spending more than 1-3 seconds on each, and you will just develop the instant recognition that the screen looks different for meaning vs. reading and that you’re noticing western vs. kana characters appearing. Even without explicitly paying attention to it. It’ll be second nature.
To this day, I still don’t know how people make mistakes when it comes to this. If you enter a meaning in a reading, it won’t accept it, because it’s expecting kana. Entering a reading when it’s expecting a meaning, you characters aren’t being converted to kana, so you know what it expects.
I totally understand that this isn’t an universal issue. I’m just sharing my personal frustration. And I want to point out for the others who have told me I’ll just get used to it if I stick with it that I have achieved consistency on this website before. This is simply something that frustrates me and that I see as a barrier, and I don’t understand how this message, which honestly comes off as a little bit condescending, is going to help anyone. I’m sure you didn’t mean for it to read that way, but imagine my frustration for a second. This has bothered me so much that after starting over from scratch two or three times that I’m already struggling with it again as early as level 2 only to have people in the thread tell me that my frustrations are invalid and that I’m careless. I know I am! And I’m trying to be better.
I solved this problem by using the Ultimate Reorder Script On the left side you can force whether it should be reading or meaning first (personally I go for meaning first).
I use Ultimate Reorder script too, in 1x1 mode, to have the reading and meaning back to back, always in the same order. It’s probably a bit worse for retention but the speed gain is so massive that I can’t see myself doing Wanikani without.
