Suggestion: Merge vocab into kanji with same meaning and pronunciation

[kabe-san]

Hello everyone! And sorry beforehand for my English

I’m aware that similar topic was discussed before, and some people explained why this is a thing (e.g. https://community.wanikani.com/t/when-learning-single-kanji-vocab-words/2941). But regardless I’d like to give my own 2 cents on the matter.

No matter how I look at it, but learning same entry twice seem as a waste of time. So why not make some new kanji sub-type which will just show that this particular kanji can double as vocab? For example If kanji color is pink and vocab is violet, maybe just color code entry as pink+violet? I think this should make clear that this particular kanji can be used as vocab word and there will be no need to repeat it in vocab section later.

[xyzbuster]

Because some kanji take on different readings than their kanji page. The reason is because the kanji page tells you the reading found in most words using that kanji while the reading on the actual vocab can be different.

Great example is 水, in where the kanji page has すい listed whereas the actual vocab uses みず. This is because you will most often in words see the former over the latter.

Not repeating the vocab would mean a disorganized jumble where you learn the lesser used reading at the kanji (presumably) and then have to learn the other more common reading repeatedly (since vocab within that level might use that reading and you can’t really tell which lesson you did first in that case).

[Leebo]

Great example is 水, in where the kanji page has すい listed whereas the actual vocab uses みず. This is because you will most often in words see the former over the latter.

Did you read the topic that was linked? 水 is given as an example of what they’re not complaining about, where they teach the onyomi for the kanji and then later the kunyomi gets its own vocab. The complaint is about things where the kanji teaches the solo kunyomi and then again as the vocab.

I don’t think I agree with changing anything, but that’s what was being mentioned.

[coobie]

I’d rather get rid of -する vocab when it’s an exact duplicate in reading and meaning, just made into a verb.

[xyzbuster]

After reading the linked post (which I should have done beforehand, sorry!), I see where he is coming from. My original post didn’t answer that, but here’s what I would like to add.

I think that that idea would be terribly confusing. It’s hard enough to learn the kanji outright, but to also memorize that it is a word by itself without being quizzed about it as a vocab would be taxing. I don’t think people, including myself, would be able to able to remember that if just the kanji existed.

Furthermore, having different colors in the reviews would be bad for the memory. It’s like having what level the review item is during the review. It serves as a big hint as to where you learned that item, the opposite of what mixing the reviews up is supposed to do. That is to say, make it so you’re brain doesn’t go on autopilot and only recognize the word in a particular scenario.

[kabe-san]

I think that that idea would be terribly confusing. It’s hard enough to learn the kanji outright, but to also memorize that it is a word by itself without being quizzed about it as a vocab would be taxing. I don’t think people, including myself, would be able to able to remember that if just the kanji existed.

Aren’t you supposed to really know kanji anyway then it reaches burned? Now you just learn same thing two times, so it sound kind of strange to me that you have to learn same things 2 times to really remember it. You don’t learn all other kanji/vocab 2 times

Furthermore, having different colors in the reviews would be bad for the memory. It’s like having what level the review item is during the review. It serves as a big hint as to where you learned that item, the opposite of what mixing the reviews up is supposed to do. That is to say, make it so you’re brain doesn’t go on autopilot and only recognize the word in a particular scenario.

But aren’t items already colored as pink/violet for kanji/vocab during reviews? I don’t see much difference here.

[LucasDesu]

Although I understand your suggestion and the concerns behind the suggestion, so few vocabulary words offered by WK fit the criteria that you’re making a suggestion for (we’re talking about maybe <120 items out of the ~6000 vocabulary items). By implementing a special color scheme for about 2% of the vocabulary terms introduces more confusion into something that’s already quite confusing for many learners already.