It finally Happened. I am Level 60 in wanikani.
I started wanikani at the end of 2021 and Now It’s 2024.
Almost 2 and half years of different experiences and growing up.
I don’t know what to say honestly because I’m so happy to be able to write this post and reach level 60. But let’s begin from the beginning.
Why did I start learning japanese?
I wanted to pick up a hobby after the pandemic. Before that I just played minecraft for hours a day. Since I began watching anime an year before, Japanese was the only language I had minimal contact with other than English. My thought process was like wouldn’t it be cool if I could speak a completely different language. At that time I had very childish reasons for studying a language. I still do but a lot of them have changed into healthier reasons. I think.
Motivations
Tofugu’s website was my treasure trove for motivations.
I once read an article for the mext scholarship there and from kemushi chan.
And it made me super excited to learn the language.
I loved the articles there for many experiences and cultures. Which just made me more excited as I wanted to try different experiences and cultures and meet new people.
Journey with the language
I kind of just followed the tofugu guide but I made a big mistake I started formal study for grammar very late (Level 40).
Level 1-39: I just did at fast as I can
I Tried bunpro, it wasn’t for me. Textbooks worked a lot better for me when it came to grammer.
Then I was sent to my school hostel for 1 year (got to play basketball everyday)
but no electronics which meant no wanikani.
So I didn’t do anything japanese related for 1 year.
Level 40-60: After I came back from hostel I went through all the first 39 levels in self study-quiz to refresh and then continued wanikani on from there and viola I’m here. I went through genki 1,2 and try N3. Now I immerse.
I also listened to a lot of podcast and anime in preperation for N3.
Experiences using the language
I was able to read my first manga and novel.
I started playing persona 4 golden and I had my conversation with a native japanese speaker in italki and zoom.
After my first lesson she said this
My ego afer reading this:
But in all honesty I wasn’t that great. I was just happy I was able to communicate with somebody without feeling awkwardness and long pauses. A great experience.
I also talked with native japanese speaker and zoom I found funny memes about different prefectures through them.
I also took N3 this july.
The scripts I used
Double Check - I love this script and I was very liberal with it.
This was essential for me not hating wanikani.
Back2Back - Another great one. I loved doing reviews fast and this enabled me to do just that and there is a setting called lightning mode which immediately skips the correct answer and go to the next review.
Also I hid my item level up reviews. Becuase I hated seeing something that was supposed to be a burn go back to master. This allowed to me to not worry about the reviews as they all are the same to me now.
What this experience has thought me
I learned that I love learning languages. I’m pretty excited to learn a new language and I keep restraining myself from not going fully into it.
I learned about how mneumonics is really effective for me.
I learned about srs and I implement it for my school studies
Where Am I now?
I’m not fluent at all. I can speak but in a limited range.
I am not scared of reading and it is not a mountainous task anymore.
I can watch animes and movies as long as I have japanese subtitles.
The second I lose the subtitles I’m no different from a deer in a headlight.
But I’m proud of where I’m at now and I don’t have any big regrets.
Any regrets?
Other than learning grammar kind of late I wouldn’t change anything.
What’s Next?
I need to reduce my japanese studying to a certain extent. For me studying japanese was an escape from studying for school.So I need to focus on school hence I will be just immersing and doing quartet for 1 year-ish. And might get back to formal study after 1 year.
I also really want to learn tagalog 
.It has been a long term wish of mine.
But I have to reach a level in japanese where I don’t have to think much and just become second naturish, if attainable.
Thank You
Mom : For everything, for supporting me through this journey, for unconditionally loving me and for being there for me when I needed it the most. You are the best.
Koichi and wanikani team members and staff and tofugu staff: For creating this great application, community and articles. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Thousandjp: My first accountability partner I met in Bunpro. He helped me a lot in guiding me through the beginner stage.
Belthazaar and Bloop: My first Absolute beginner book club experience and they helped it make it the best.
Akashelia: For creating the quartet thread and your study log. I took a lot of inspiration from it(Books). Looking forward to your level 60 post.
Araigoshi & Potatodancer: I also follow your study logs and 0/0 level up buddies. Looking forward to the level 60 posts.
Casual quartet study group: For providing a space for the next path of my journey.
Wanikani Community: I genuinely think I wouldn’t have reached level 60 without the community. The community is great. It inspires and motivates me to branch out and do other things outside wanikani. I have read many level 60 posts and follow many studyloggers(Reb(Detailed Immersion to the hour is crazy-I’m very lazy),Trunklayer(Purr-severant cat 
),Raindrop(Best storyteller and learns Russian), Taiyousea(So clean and neat and that excel sheet), Rumade(How do you manage both,You are tough 
- Love the occasional food,travel and crafts),Ahrina(One of the most 綺麗 study logs here), Midnight Blue(Your Level 60 post resonated with me), Syztedts(Does daily log’s HOW), Soggy’s(Creator of quartet Casual study group), Potatodancer’s(Best Rambler), Akashelia’s(Love the natively collection 
), Araigoshi(I took a lot of inspiration for my goals from here 
) , Weeping weeb(Best Themed study log creator and studies german 
too), Polv (How do you manage chinese 
?) ,l_l-(Absolute Tank))
And a lot more people who have helped me clear my doubts, motivated me and just watched my journey. I thank the wanikani community in 2024 and the community in my beginning year for bearing me(I used to write in caps for every first letter of the word- I dont know what I was thinking at that time.).
You can be really proud of your long journey 
. I followed his study logs and he/she was a machine. I think an actual polyglot.
