Hello, everyone! I’m Mickey and have been a member here since 2019. I studied Japanese a lot during 2019 and 2020 but eventually started slacking. Now, 6 years later, we’re picking it back up! The goal of this log is to keep track of any notes I take during the day, as well as to view my progress as I continue on this journey! Feel free to correct me as I go.
“Why is it the study log to end all logs?” – That is because I have a severe habit of writing notes in new notebooks each time I study. I never have one consolidated place for everything! This time is gonna be different, I swear!
Here are my daily goals as of when this was edited last:
- WaniKani: Do lessons and complete daily reviews cycle.
- MaruMori: Do lessons and complete daily reviews cycle for both vocabulary and grammar.
- Immersion: Read one page from a book OR listen to 30 minutes of content.
- Output: Write 5 sentences OR practice speaking/thinking in Japanese.
As all my previous knowledge has been lost to the sands of time, this daily list feels pretty substantial for the time being. I look forward to seeing how it changes over time! Here goes!
11 Likes
What the heck, you’re going to use your study log to end mine??? Never before have I seen such evil…
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Day 2 Progress:
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Learn 10 new words in my Kaishi 1.5k deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Add to and learn at least 10 new words in my Mining deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Read/translate at least one page of a book club book.
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Learn a new OR review a grammar lesson.
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Write 5 sentences using any vocabulary and grammar I learned that day.
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Update this study log.
Notes from the day:
While reading page 8 in my book, I learned a few things from the following sentences!
『泥畑という男の家でねむり薬をかがされて宝石をうばわれた』といっている。
- Little did I know, と can be used to end a quotation.
- I also learned about the use of と in という! In this sentence, it’s used to say “a man called Dorohata”. This was very confusing at first lol. I had never experienced this before, but this new knowledge came in handy in the following sentence!
でも、犯人といわれた男は、『なんのことだかわからない。その時間は家の絵画教室で生徒にに絵をおしえていた。』といってる。
- I struggled with なんのことだかわからない。I translated it as “I don’t know what that is.” But maybe it’s more like “I don’t know about that.”? Unsure. だか threw me off.
Also tackled は vs. が today… Wow… That was a bit more mind-bending than expected. I think I kind of get it now though! Here’s a few examples that show the differences:
は
ネコは魚を食べる
Cats eat fish (cats in general)
The cat eats fish (the cat we were talking about)
が
ネコが魚を食べる
A cat eats fish (a particular arbitrary cat)
The cat is the one that eats fish (a specific cat out of a group)
Sentences of the day:
今日は彼がおにぎりを食べた。彼女が水を飲んだ。昨日は彼がすしを食べた。彼女がビールを飲んだ。明日は彼が何を食べる？彼女が何を飲む？
3 Likes
Day 3 Progress:
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Learn 10 new words in my Kaishi 1.5k deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Add to and learn at least 10 new words in my Mining deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Read/translate at least one page of a book club book.
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Learn a new OR review a grammar lesson.
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Write 5 sentences using any vocabulary and grammar I learned that day.
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Update this study log.
Notes from the day:
More learning from the book I’m reading! Here’s a few sentences:
事件がおきたのは、きのうの晩だ。
I had never seen の used next to a verb before. This article helped shed some light on this! My translation ended up being, “As for when the case happened, last night is when.”
駅から四つめのかどをまがって、すこしいった赤いとびらの家の一階だ。
I also have never seen め used in such a way before. This article explains how it’s used after a number!
As for today’s grammar lesson, it was a refresher on the differences between ichidan and godan verbs. I also watched Japanese Ammo with Misa and went over the differences between は and が again.
Sentences of the day:
秋田さんは「これは私の自転車です。」と言う。
泥畑さんは「その自転車が秋田さんの自転車ですか。」と言う。
秋田さんは「はい。」と言う。
泥畑さんは「大嘘つきです！それは黒橋さんの自転車です。」と言う。
秋田さんは逃げる 。
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A Japanese native off of HelloTalk recommended these changes to my sentences:
秋田さんが「これは私の自転車です。」と言うので、
泥畑さんは「その自転車が秋田さんの自転車なんですか？」と答えた。
秋田さんは「はい。」と言う。
しかし泥畑さんが「大嘘つきです！それは黒橋さんの自転車ですよね。」と言うと、秋田さんは逃げた。
Day 4 Progress:
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Learn 10 new words in my Kaishi 1.5k deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Add to and learn at least 10 new words in my Mining deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Read/translate at least one page of a book club book.
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Learn a new OR review a grammar lesson.
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Write 5 sentences using any vocabulary and grammar I learned that day.
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Update this study log.
Notes from the day:
Not too much too note - went through my flashcards pretty easily today and reading the page of my book wasn’t too bad. Today’s grammar lesson was a refresher on the の particle. Found out that の can be used to nominalize verbs!
Also learned about the use of くて and で in regard to adjectives! I had no idea that くて was used with i-adjectives, and で with na-adjectives.
Daily sentences:
私の犬の名前はSukiです。
Sukiは可愛くて、私は大好きです。
Sukiは犬のおやつを食べるのが好きです。
お父さんの犬の名前はPigletです。
Pigletは私のベッドで寝ます。
Extra tidbits from the day:
I began reading ギャルと恐竜 1, which is what the Absolute Beginner’s Book Club is currently reading! Even from the first page, I’m learning something new! Today, I learned that に can be used to make an adjective into an adverb - in this scenario, it turned 完全, “complete/perfect”, into 完全に, “completely/perfectly”! Anyways, this manga is super cute and funny so far. I look forward to reading more when I have time!
1 Like
Day 5 Progress:
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Learn 10 new words in my Kaishi 1.5k deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Add to and learn at least 10 new words in my Mining deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Read/translate at least one page of a book club book.
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Learn a new OR review a grammar lesson.
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Write 5 sentences using any vocabulary and grammar I learned that day.
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Update this study log.
Notes from the day:
Flashcards were pretty rough today, but I got through them! Also, finished Week 1 of the Kitty Detectives 2 book club. What’s funny is I actually found some of my old posts from way back when, and god…. my translations were so bad. 
Pleased with myself now, though - doing way better at reading/translating.
Today’s grammar lesson was about に, へ, and から.
Daily sentences:
２０２６年に日本に行きたいです。
２０２３年に東京に行きました。
東京は綺麗でした。
日本人は親切です！
みんな、２０２６年にどこに行きますか？
1 Like
Daily progress thus far:
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Learn 10 new words in my Kaishi 1.5k deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Add to and learn at least 10 new words in my Mining deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Read/translate at least one page of a book club book.
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Learn a new OR review a grammar lesson.
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Write 5 sentences using any vocabulary and grammar I learned that day.
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Update this study log.
Notes from the day:
I ran into the phrase これで for the first time when reading my book! This post by Christopher Fitz was a huge help.
Today’s review of grammar was on negating verbs!
5 sentences of the day:
ファイナルファンタジーXIVというゲームをするのが好きです。
ゲームをするのが好きですか？
どのゲームが一番好きですか？
パソコンでゲームをしますか？
私はパソコンとSteam Deckでゲームをします。
Daily progress thus far:
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Learn 10 new words in my Kaishi 1.5k deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Add to and learn at least 10 new words in my Mining deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Read/translate at least one page of a book club book.
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Learn a new OR review a grammar lesson.
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Write 5 sentences using any vocabulary and grammar I learned that day.
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Update this study log.
Notes from the day:
Today’s grammar lesson was on i-adjectives!
Sentences of the day:
- コーヒーを飲みました。
- 夜にゲームをするのが好きです。
- 昨日は少し日本語を勉強しました。
- そのうち、日本に行きたいです。
- 今日は早く起きたけど、まだ疲れています。
Day 8 progress:
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Learn 10 new words in my Kaishi 1.5k deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Add to and learn at least 10 new words in my Mining deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Read/translate at least one page of a book club book.
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Learn a new OR review a grammar lesson.
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Write 5 sentences using any vocabulary and grammar I learned that day.
Notes from the day:
I’ve decided to take on the Read Japanese Everyday Challenge - Spring 2026! Considering I try to read/translate a page out of にゃんにゃん探偵団 2 every day already, I figured a little extra accountability wouldn’t hurt! Gonna try to read some ギャルと恐竜 1 while I’m at it, too.
Today’s grammar review was about past verbs.
5 sentences of the day:
- 今日は早く起きた。
- 昨日、少し日本語を勉強した。
- 最近、母はちょっと疲れている。
- 昨日の晩ご飯は何を食べた？
- 酒を飲むのが好きです。
2 Likes
Day 9 progress:
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Learn 10 new words in my Kaishi 1.5k deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Add to and learn at least 10 new words in my Mining deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Read/translate at least one page of a book club book.
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Learn a new OR review a grammar lesson.
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Write 5 sentences using any vocabulary and grammar I learned that day.
Notes from the day:
Today’s grammar review was about the て form!
5 sentences of the day:
- 宿題をするのを忘れた。
- この食べ物はすごく美味しそうです。
- 今日は外に行く気分じゃない。
- 日本に行ったことがある？
- 昨日は疲れたから、早く寝た。
Day 10 progress:
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Learn 10 new words in my Kaishi 1.5k deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Add to and learn at least 10 new words in my Mining deck, as well as review previously learned words.
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Read/translate at least one page of a book club book.
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Learn a new OR review a grammar lesson.
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Write 5 sentences using any vocabulary and grammar I learned that day.
Notes from the day:
Today’s grammar review was about the て form as auxiliary and giving verbs. This one kind confused me a little bit, but I’m sure that with practice, I’ll get the hang of it!
5 sentences of the day:
- ここで待ってください。
- 友達が日本語を教えてくれた。
- 助けてあげる。
- ペンを貸してくれますか？
- 先生に本を貸してもらった。
Day 11 progress:
- Learn 10 new words in my Kaishi 1.5k deck, as well as review previously learned words.
- Add to and learn at least 10 new words in my Mining deck, as well as review previously learned words.
- Read/translate at least one page of a book club book.
- Learn a new OR review a grammar lesson.
- Write 5 sentences using any vocabulary and grammar I learned that day.
Notes from the day:
Today, I decided that I’d stop hiding in the forums and return to actually using WaniKani as a means to learn Kanji. With that, I went ahead and reset my level to 1, and tomorrow morning, we begin again! This guide was incredibly helpful in… every aspect. I learned about the SRS timings, how to build a schedule, use third-party scripts, and so much more. I’m super pumped to get back on track!
With that being said, I’m changing my daily goals! My brain can only handle learning so much new material in one day. The last few days even, I’ve been struggling heavily with my reviews on Anki. I think my current pace of learning 20 new vocab a day is too much between my two decks. Now, adding WaniKani to the mix, it’ll be even more difficult. With that said, here are my new daily goals:
New Daily Goals
- WaniKani: Do 10 lessons and complete reviews on a 9am/1pm/9pm schedule.
- Anki: Learn 5 new vocab and complete reviews once daily with my Mining deck.
- Grammar: Learn one new grammar concept.
- Reading: Read one page from a Japanese book of my choosing.
- Writing: Write 5 sentences.
Day 13 Progress:
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WaniKani: Do 10 lessons and complete reviews on a 9am/1pm/9pm schedule.
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Anki: Learn 5 new vocab and complete reviews once daily with my Mining deck.
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Grammar: Learn one new grammar concept.
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Reading: Read one page from a Japanese book of my choosing.
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Writing: Write 5 sentences.
Notes from the day:
Today at 11:30am EST was when I started the 24-hour readathon! All today has been is reading, reading, reading, and breaks, breaks, breaks (pretty long breaks at times). Currently, I’ve finished my first goal, which was to read at least 1 hour’s worth of Japanese literature audibly, with no dictionary. I completed this with a bunch of graded readers from Tadoku.org! My voice was a tad strained afterwards, hehe. Anyways, as of right now, I’ve clocked 4 hours and 11 minutes of reading time! By 11:30am tomorrow, I hope to have at least 5 hours! We’ll see what happens!
Day 14 Progress:
Brain has been fried from the readathon yesterday. Besides doing my WK lessons and reviews, I have done absolutely nothing! And you know what? I think it’s okay. I think I deserve a day of reprieve. I’ll get back on the grind tomorrow, though.
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WaniKani: Do lessons and complete reviews on a 9am/1pm/9pm schedule.
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Anki: Learn 5 new vocab and complete reviews once daily with my Mining deck.
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Grammar: Learn one new grammar concept.
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Reading: Read one page from a Japanese book of my choosing.
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Writing: Write 5 sentences.
Day 15 Progress:
Today was…. not great in terms of study. I feel like I did the bare minimum instead of pushing myself harder like I normally do. Needless to say, I didn’t finish all of my goals. BUT! I did the important ones, AND I listened to an hour of Nihongo con Teppei on a walk outside today. So I still had a bit of immersion content.
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WaniKani: Do lessons and complete reviews on a 9am/1pm/9pm schedule.
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Anki: Learn 5 new vocab and complete reviews once daily with my Mining deck.
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Grammar: Learn one new grammar concept.
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Reading: Read one page from a Japanese book of my choosing.
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Writing: Write 5 sentences.
Day 16 Progress:
Changing up the daily goals again into broader categories so that I can give myself some grace. I don’t want to be as strict with my regimen, but I still want some core things to be accomplished.
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WaniKani: Do lessons and complete reviews cycle.
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Grammar: Learn or review one grammar concept.
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Immersion: Read one page from a book OR listen to 30 minutes of content OR both.
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Output: Write 5 sentences OR practice speaking/thinking in Japanese.
Unrelated to daily goals, I HIT LEVEL 2!! Yippee!! I’m going to finish off the vocab in WK before proceeding onto level 2 radicals, I think. My current pace is to learn 10 new things per day if available.