Where do I go are we only on second life and Vr chat and how to join?
Do I need my Genki books?
Do I get homework or work sheet like real class to keep track.
Are this classes or grouop online every day as I am on central midwest of the Usa as hopeing custom times.
Do we have telegram or Discord grouops?
Also Can I print Usa printer Janpanese note book paper with space to wrigh Japanese as it feel diffrent formats?
Do I need headphones or MIc.
I am also a mix of englis spanish person but grammer kinda not lower high school as I moslty use english but my spanish voice sound louader as I wacth 90 percent anime enough emmersion as I also want to play on Japanese game services.
So, are you actually an old wanikanian returning to the site after several years? if so, there are plenty of people still hanging around the forums + all the new folks, of course.
I canât say Iâve ever heard of a Second life or VR chat in connection with Wanikani.
Well, if youâre new to Japanese, you will need to learn grammar sooner or later. How you do that, is up to you. Genki is popular, but WK doesnât offer any classes - thatâs not what this site does. Itâs a kanji learning site, and so, you will have to study other aspects of the Japanese language on your own, outside of Wanikani.
That includes, grammar that Genki can teach you. And of course, language production, reading, listening, but also vocabulary. WK teach some vocabulary, but mainly to reinforce the kanji readings youâll be taught. Itâs a good start, but not nearly enough in the long run. Reading and consuming Japanese media can be a way to learn more words.
WK is also a Spaced Repetition System (SRS), so there is less focus on âlessonsâ and âhomeworkâ, but itâs a system to make your study time more efficient. It does that by stretching out the learning process across âreviewsâ with increasing time spans. You can read more about how it works in detail here:
and here:
Again, this isnât a language program or a class, itâs a kanji learning app that you do on your own - everyoneâs SRS timings are unique. That being said, youâre not alone to be from the US and there are collective study threads on here where people discuss their study techniques, share in tips and tricks and so on. Iâm sure you can find some of them as you brows the forums.
There are a couple. You can search the forums to find links.
You donât really have to do any hand writing to use Wanikani, but some users do. it will certainly not hurt your learning to put more effort into it, but itâs strictly not necessary and can be time consuming as well. Itâs up to you in other words.
You donât need either of these. Headphones are nice, but not necessary. And there is no language production training on Wanikani where you talk, so no need for a mic.
Finally:
If I were to add one word of caution, itâs that this is inevitably an app that teach you Japanese through English. There are plenty of non-native users that use this app, but how feasible that is, depends on your level of English comprehension.
There will be increasing abstraction in English meanings youâll learn, as well as increasing narrow definitions of specialized meanings, be it anatomy, botanical terms, juridical terminology and so on.
Youâre still on the free levels. try it out and see how you like it before you commit and maybe check out some of the upper levels as well. You can add user synonyms, and those can be in your own language, BUT unless you can understand the meaning explanations well enough, itâs going to be an uphill struggle.
I just noticed that youâve asked the same questions in the Yokai Appreciation thread. So Iâll copy and paste my answers from there.
âWhere do I go? Are we only on Second Life and VR Chat, and how do I join?â
The virtual class Iâm part of is using only Second Life. The two links below should explain further how you could join this virtual Japanese class Iâm attending.
As stated in the posts, it was already full after the January 2022 registration. However, the number of active participants started to naturally dwindle over time due to a myriad of reasons (time differences, ease of use, slow lesson speed, etc.).
At the moment, each class (Genki 1 and Genki 2) has about 4 active students. So I think a couple more new students who are interested and donât mind catching up mid-way wouldnât burden Yoshi Sensei or slow down the rest of the class, IMO.
The latest Genki 1 class homework is 164ăăŒăžăźBăLessonïŒăźDialogue and Genki 2 is on 126ăăŒăžăźBă127ăăŒăžăźâ ą-A. Sorry, Iâm too lazy and just copy and pasted Yoshi Senseiâs notice.
âDo I get homework or a work sheet like in real class to keep track?â
Via Genki textbooks, we do get homework after each class, and weâll discuss the answers the next weekend. So there are no real worksheets used, unless you choose to use them yourself.
For example, some of my classmates donât even take physical notes and answer the Genki questions on the fly (theyâre the more advanced learners), and only a couple of students took screenshots of their homework to show Yoshi Sensei at a later time on Discord.
âAre these classes or groups online every day as I am in the central midwest of the United States, hoping for custom times?â
Unfortunately, the class times are pretty much set to Yoshi Senseiâs free time, which is once a week, on Saturdays at 9 p.m. JST (Japan Standard Time). I do notice that itâs hard for our American classmates to attend as itâs too early for their time. Nonetheless, that didnât stop one of them from attending regularly, despite being half-sleepy most of the time during classes.
âDo we have Telegram or Discord groups?â
We do have a Discord group for homework updates and other general discussions, but I could say itâs not that active.
âAlso, can I print US printer Japanese note book paper with space to write Japanese as it feels different formats?â
Regarding Japanese note books, Iâm not well-versed in that matter, as I just wrote mine in a normal notebook (blasphemy for some people I know, lol).
For example, I havenât even shown Yoshi Sensei my handwriting yet. I still think my handwriting is ugly, so for now, all the written homework is only for my personal reference.
Most of the homework answers are discussed over voice chat anyway each week, and Yoshi Sensei will do his best to elaborate and explain if learners are faced with any difficulties.
However, maybe some of the threads below could help with the notebook questions:
âDo I need headphones or mic?â
Yes, and I highly recommend you test them ASAP while itâs still on the weekdays now. Our next class should start on May 13.
âI am also a mix of English and Spanish, but my grammar is kind of not lower high school as I mostly use English, but my Spanish voice sounds louder as I watch 90 percent anime, which is enough for me as I also want to play on Japanese game services.â
I can totally relate, as I notice the different volumes and pitches I use when speaking English, Japanese, or Malay (northern dialect). The latter would be the loudest, IMO.
I hope the links and my answers above cover most of the questions youâve asked. Nonetheless, feel free to reach out to me over at Discord if you have any more questions about Second Life and the classes.
My Discord username is distantflower#5773 and weâll chat more there!
I just got my books from Amazon the Genki level 1.
I also got Kanji book to practice reading and writing my writing and Japanese mechanaical pencils and ereasers.
I pick Kanji becuase I heard people tryed study the simple first then got confuse that Kanji is more used than others and it can mean more than one thing becuase there like diffrent familiy of words just move something then doesnt mean the same.
I ask Vr I see the same people on youtube grouops as there more solo people who just blog experinces.
I apologise for having to respond to your questions from the Yokai Appreciation topic here. I donât want to interrupt the conversations about Yokai there
âAlso, I may be back from vacation in July.â
Donât worry about it, and please enjoy your vacation! Thatâs because the virtual Japanese class that I attend in Second Life has a slow pace due to it being a weekly session.
Just in case you come by after your vacation and think the class Iâm attending isnât for you, I believe there are many more beginner study groups that you could be part of anyway if you ask or search in this WaniKani forum. And of course, maybe there are many more virtual classes just like the VR chat class youâve linked too!
I havenât tried joining any Japanese groups or classes in VR Chat yet as Iâm still taking my sweet time learning how to use my VR headset. I only received it a couple of months ago, lol. Thankfully, using Second Life doesnât require a VR headset, and thatâs why Iâve been using Second Life since a decade ago.
Anyway, someday I plan to invite Yoshi Sensei and my Korean classmate to visit those places in VR Chat. That could be an interesting activity! I will send you a message when we get a tentative date to hang out in VR Chat, and Iâm positive it will be at least in June if earliest, because we arenât familiar with VR Chatâs controls yet. We need to try it out first, explore, and all that.
Objectively comparing the class Iâm attending in Second Life and the VR Chat class youâve shared, I could see that the Second Life one might be a bit stiff as itâs a bit more structured like a classroom.
For example, the learners in the Second Life Japanese class would be sitting down on chairs or seats, and then our attention would focus on the whiteboard displaying Genki lessons in front of the room. And then each of us will be given a turn to answer or ask questions according to our seating positions.
So for some learners, this might be a boring way to learn compared to a walking tour lesson style, as displayed in the VR Chat classroom youâve linked. Only occasionally do we have âoff-Genki textbookâ learning via playing Karuta games or reciting Amenbo No Uta, but I think because of the slow pace, most of us prefer to get on with the Genki textbook lessons. I hope that makes sense.
âAlso, Iâm not sure what time it is; I see the clock; we are 14 hours apart from Chicago.
I am a night person as a parent with a weird time clock, so I am asleep from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. central time.â
Iâm kind of worried if the class will clash with your time difference and sleeping schedule. I think the classes will begin at 7 a.m. your time on Saturday morning (I hope I calculated correctly). And too bad each class is only an hour (Yoshi Sensei teaches the Genki 1 and Genki 2 classes back to back). Unless you are okay with changing your sleeping schedule from the day or night before, maybe itâs doable.
But overall, I think there are more efficient ways to learn Japanese. So all is not lost if you donât think the Second Life Japanese class Iâm in is for you. Iâm sure youâll be able to find something else that suits you better after going through trial and error. Thatâs pretty much whatâs happened in my case.
All the best to you, and have a wonderful holiday!
Edit: This YouTuber has one of the best Genki textbook guide videos Iâve seen so far. Watch it once the holidays are over and when youâre ready to start your Genki adventure. Even my Sensei highly recommend it!
Feel free to jump to the Lesson 7 video in the playlist and see if youâre able to grasp the grammar, as you might have studied Japanese organically by other means. Doing so would give an idea if the current level in the Second Lifeâs Japanese class is the right level for you or not.
Even if youâre unsure after watching, one could still sit at the back of class to observe. Thatâs where I am since Iâm a Genki 2 class member and I rarely participate in Genki 1 class due to the limited time. Gotta make each student get their timeâs worth, even though it is a free lesson
Are you referring to hiragana and katakana here âthe simple firstâ? Because using Wanikani requires you already know both hiragana and katakana. Youâll see all readings written using them. And while I donât know the timeline, they are about to introduce kana-only vocab into the lessons mix soon. In any case, kana are the basics of Japanese that you need at all times. You canât write or read without knowing these. Thankfully, theyâre pretty easy to learn. Especially if you have all those writing tools at your disposal. Just write them all until they stick in your mind.
Regarding kanji, itâs important to understand that kanji are not words, theyâre concepts for meaning. theyâre writing signs to express those concepts. Some words can have only 1 kanji to be expressed, but many require several and itâs only that combination that is an actual word.
You can read more about kanji on Tofuguâs blog, but one good article is this one:
Which one is better to use as I dont see the big diffrences?
Do I stick with one brand or can I mix them with diffrent plublisers?
Are this Japanese note book cheap enough buy as there 10 dollars as I do enjoy enmersion?
I agree with Kazzeonâs reply above. Especially regarding the Hiragana & Katakana workbooks, as I think you could pretty much practice writing with a notebook of your preference, and then use free guides online. Let me share some of Tofuguâs free Hiragana & Katakana resources.
For kanji, I personally think WaniKani has the best start in terms of a handholding-style learning. But again, there are still cheaper or free options out there if you prefer that. Just a heads up that WaniKani usually has a Christmas sale around mid-December, so maybe youâd be interested.
For grammar, meanwhile, there are so many resources out there, itâs really up to your preferences. Hopefully, the link below could be a good start to explore which suits you best.
if so, there are plenty of people still hanging around the forums + all the new folks, of course.
