So I’m starting to run across kanji I don’t know in Genki. We’ll take for example 映画 (movie). Now I know the second kanji means picture from WK. How would you guys make a flashcard for the first kanji? Or would you? My options are a) make a flashcard with just the whole word and try to learn it that way b) make a second flashcard with just that individual kanji so I can learn it and hope it helps me understand the word movie. Or c) something else.
So basically how do you guys try to learn non WK kanji? I’m using kitsun if that helps to know.
Two things:
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映画 will be coming up in WK shortly, so I wouldn’t worry about making a card
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If you are using Kitsun, there is a pre-made Genki pack that already has 映画 in there
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I’ve been making my own kitsun cards. I did make one for 映画 but I’m wondering if I should try to learn the 映 kanji independently to help with my understanding. I’m sure it does come up in WK! I guess I’m asking in general how people learn kanji that hasn’t come up in WK (yet or ever).
I can’t fathom why you would be paying to use resources like WK and Kitsun while ignoring that both of them already have the item you are asking about. It sounds like a make-work project to be duplicating cards.
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Well I haven’t gotten to it in WK yet so theres that. I assumed it was there somewhere but didnt’ know till you told me. I tried using a Genki Kitsun premade deck and didn’t care for it. I find I learn better making my own cards in that (and only Kitsun) area. I just wanted to get advice on how other people learn kanji they haven’t come across on WK. I use kitsun for the SRS intervals because I don’t like Anki.
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You don’t need to assume - the WK kanji page for 画 shows you all the vocabulary that uses it, and I don’t remember but I’m pretty sure it would have been among the examples shown during your lesson for 画.
I do understand that taking the time to make cards can help things stick, but I am concerned that you are not being efficient in the way you are making use of the resources you have at hand, and so also with your Japanese-learning time; it’s a marathon not a sprint and burnout happens (been there, done that, have the T-shirt). The workload is going to get much larger over the next 10 or so levels, so I am just cautioning against adding to it unnecessarily.
All the best, over and out!
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For now I am only using WK for proper kanji study. I have an Excel sheet in my Google drive where I pop interesting words that I come across outside of WK, but I do not make cards for them or anything.
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Technically I don’t 
Outside of WK I go for vocab words only. So in your example I’d make a card for 映画. But not for 映 nor for 画.
I usually add some context sentence for the vocab and create audio (tts) for the context. In case I can make the description in Japanese I try to do that. E.g. I already know a synonym or I know the vocab with opposite meaning…
I don’t SRS outside of WK for study sake only though. When I do make a card then it is for vocab I encountered while reading or listening to podcasts. If I understood correctly, in your case that is the Genki textbook. And I think it makes sense to learn the vocab words from your textbook along to WK since the following lessons will rely on them.
@rowena senpai already gave good advice to try to make use of the pre-made decks, I think. I don’t know the kitsun platform but is it possible to simply modify the existing cards instead of making them from scratch? This may save you time and energy you can use for other stuff
On WK I encountered 映画 recently which makes it a level 13 or 14 vocab.
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I personally use the whole word for a flashcard but look up the meaning of each part just for fun.
My cards look like this
Front- 映画
Back- えいが、movie
→seen in genki book
I think I just checked the vocab list as needed for Genki. Actually doing flashcards is probably the smarter choice though.
I would probably just learn 映画 as a word in this case, but if you want to study 映 here, making cards for any words that only use 映 and kanji you already know is alright (like 映写 or something).
Hi, I should know around 100-150 kanji by now (I probably don’t, but I should). I just started with WK and I am using Anki for some time.
For kanji from textbook I usually create vocabulary cards, preferably with words covering all kanji readings, but not kanji itself.
To be honest, I don’t know what the perfect system would be with all that kun-, on-yomi, rendaku readings, so for now it is what it is
Thanks to you (and everyone else) for the feedback! I did make a card for movie but I think I’ll hold off on individual kanji until WK teaches it to me. At least for now, that may change as I get reading more.
Regarding making my own flashcards, I actually really enjoy it (for now) if that changes I will try out the premade decks again. I appreciate everyone’s concern regarding burning out and will keep an eye on how I feel about the process.
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At some point this probably boils down to one’s personal study preferences and goals, I guess. And your current approach learning the different readings associated with vocab sound pretty good to me
Also, I personally think it is totally fine to learn more complex kanji in multiple steps. For example, if someone shows me 下 or 生 I’ll probably instantly say something like “ka, ge, shita” and “sei, i” for the readings. Although, if someone shows me the terms 下関市 or 生む I’ll read them respectively since I’ve learned these additional readings over time as well.
Nice to read you’ve found a way to go with that feels comfortable and enjoyable for you Good luck with your further studies.
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