I mean, I don’t always use the mnemonics, what I like WaniKani for is the SRS, and not having to know what I should add myself, instead being told, “Here, learn this in this order.” It’s also really cheap. (I have a code.) So it’s convenience.
The mnemonics are nice sometimes, though.
I’m not necessarily new to kanji myself having studied Japanese for years before discovering WaniKani, so I’m just starting out and am still in the free period, and while I don’t like waiting, the method of spaced repetition is good, and even in this short time I find myself remembering things a lot better with the silly mnemonics. So I’m content to go with it.
After all if I knew as much as I thought I did, I wouldn’t be missing anything on these reviews. All systems aren’t for everybody, and since there are a lot of learning systems out there (especially for Japanese) if you don’t like one, there are plenty of alternatives.
I’m new as you can see from my level, and I’ve replied already, but I just want to add that I definitely don’t use the mnemonics every time for stuff I already know very well, but for stuff that I forget the meaning/reading…? Yeah, it helps. The mnemonics are there for if you find yourself having trouble remembering, that’s all.
Welcome James! I am relatively new to WK as well, already knew a bit and was frustrated at the slow start. Give it a few weeks.
I would guess that the majority of people never get past level one of any language site. The amount of level 1’s on Memrise and Duolingo is stunning. I think that is one of the reasons WK is successful, the early levels are so easy and slow it develops good habits. If you consumed all you could eat at the start you would be at many hundreds of daily reviews within weeks. No beginner would stick with that, and it would probably crush most advanced learners as well.
And as for those who don’t get past the first few levels because it was too slow? My guess is if they are truly persistent and serious learners they will probably make it back here eventually, because it is better than the alternatives. If the HRTK decks on Anki or Memrise worked then WaniKani would be out of business.
Well, for some reason, we really like to continue to respond to trolls.
If someone asks a question, and 20 people give reasonable answers, then the person continues on oblivious to anything anyone is saying, that is when the conversation should end.
But apparently we’re easily baited by these kanji overlords who know everything.
I don’t know that it’s a problem, but I too don’t understand or perhaps have any firm belief, as some others do, that it is necessary. It is their choice, though, and if they haven’t changed it yet, they’re not likely to do it after one more complaint.
This will be a long ride, and compared to it, the first week where you go from level 1 to 2 is truly insignificant in comparison. It stops being an issue really quickly.
I suppose that’s the first important point you have to take and accept before you keep with the site.
As for the nonsensical meanings of the radicals, I suggest you actually learn them somewhere else, and then, for every Kanji, create your own mnemonic. If they have not clicked for you immediately, and you’ve already studied Kanji before, then you’re not likely to adapt to their stories, as I didn’t. You will be better off creating synonyms for every single one of them that aren’t what you’re used to, and to the ones you did not learn (there are pretty good ANKI decks for unnoficial Radicals, in the same way WK does, but with-closer-to-reality names). For this, Heisig’s method is pretty useful.
This isn’t too much work, but it is the one and only thing I have an issue with in WK. I really dislike the mnemonics.
そうですね
85 response, wow we really go all out on this kind of threads even though we see them, like, once every month
Ok did you even read what everyone else have already written to you for that matter?
24 hours? You are barely a day on this site and you came here to complain with such confidence?
I’m at level 7 and I can barely keep up with the amount of lessons and reviews. Be a little patient will you? If you find a site that will make you actually learn all the kanji within a day plz do inform me
I’m kind of bothered by the logic that is implied here.
The user sees a lot of threads complaining about the speed, and then assumes everyone has a problem with SRS. In reality, only a small percentage of users actually has a problem with it. This is because only the negative reviews are visible to you, while the positive reviews don’t have their own thread. Just simply look at the amount of people who have assured you that you will get so much more review items over time. Every single one of them is a positive review.
Please, give the first three levels a chance, it will be one of the best things you could do in regards to learning Japanese.
Why continue with something that’s not working for you? Move to something more your liking. You can do exactly what you want to do with Anki or RTK.
Explain that to me cuz I don’t get it. 
What I am saying in regard to the radicals is that to me the fictitious ones are a complete joke and any way of taking them seriously ended when they made up their own radicals. For my own benefit these radicals are immediately ignored. That said I do take notice of the genuine and real radicals. I always have.
What you are failing to realise here is that there is an abundance of Kanji give or take 2000 with meanings and associated vocabulary that focuses on memory retention no matter what your learning method is.
This site is just one part of a larger group of places I learn Japanese from. This focuses entirely on the Kanji as a backup and insurance policy of sorts.
Regarding Japanese I am more of a traditionalist and want to get to the original meaning. Seeing fictitious radicals and silly names like alligator, escalator, cleat, gladiator and yurt to name a few are definitely not traditional Japanese or Chinese origin and are really testing my patience even by coming across such ludicrous things. I could never learn the Kanji if I even tried to learn that silly stuff. At the moment I am excelling at a very good pace without even looking at the names. As I said I enter the synonym “pass” or “fake” for all the fictitious radicals and just pass them off in all the reviews to get by. It has not held me up one bit.
Did you even read my replies to those comments?
Guess not. But hey, keep posting random pictures with no meaning.
What I’ve learned from my post:
Suit yourself darling
Have you taken a look at other threads in the forums? I doubt you’ll see much hostility. You come in with negative feelings and aggressive words and then you wonder why some people respond in kind. It’s actually a testament to the good nature of the people on this site that you still get some people trying to be nice to you when you demonstrated no good will on your part.
If you already know them, you will get through it easily. No problem. Also, if it stinks poop around you all the time, you might be the one who stinks. People are giving you the correct answer to your question.
I think everyone realizes this. If you get well into Wanikani without realizing there are both meaning pronunciation radicals, god help you. And yes, that circumvents the need for complex mnemonics for a lot of kanji (increasingly so, as you learn). Sometimes raw exposure circumvents the need for mnemonics too. (This has happened increasingly in the final 20 levels of WK for me, with two years of living in Japan behind me now.)
That doesn’t mean their mnemonics, aimed at being memorable for native English speakers, are any less effective early on, or that you won’t occasionally fall back on one for a quick mental check even near the end of the program. Everyone falls back on a silly mnemonic from time to time–even native speakers (if not while reading, then while writing)–Wanikani just provides some for you. (A mix of good and iffy ones, with a lot more good, I feel, but no one has to use them.)
Making radicals–either their names or the use of them–out to be a sacred and serious thing is also really amusing in the face of … just about any native learning materials aimed at kids, which are goofy and arbitrary as heck. (Just in ways that work with their existing knowledge, as WK’s mnemonics are designed to use the knowledge of an adult, fluent English speaker.) Whatever works for you works, but don’t feel like you’ll have die of embarrassment if you feel like ever giving one of the WK mnemonics a glance.
This is pretty much the definition of a mnemonic, and is a key part of Associative Memory, in which Wanikani caters towards.
I suppose it might not help with everyone, but it is a genuine aid to study. I’m not sure what study method you’re using, but this is the one Wanikani is designed around - Keep that in mind.
Hi hi
If you select the Kanji or Vocab and copy paste into Excel, you can separate them by tab, then import into a quiz program such as Quizlet or Anki-App. It’s more memorization than learning this way, but it can get you familiarized with a high volume of information very fast. Once you get to the item in WK, you’ll already know what it is, and then can absorb extra context and nuance. There’s a sentiment like this on Tofugu, that learning is easier if you already know 80% of something.
Hopefully that should make it feel less slow. KameSame and Torii can also let you just review things more if it scratches your itch. I got bored of doing what I mentioned because I constantly have hundreds of reviews on Bunpro, since it didn’t stop me from learning more immediately…
I like these threads, but they are nothing like in the good old days, like the “Wanikani is just not useful enough, but could be”.
