The Fugu That Broke The Camel's Back (Why I'm quitting WaniKani)

I doubt if I’m already know like 300 kanji. I would still sit through the first 10 levels without a skipping option.

ps. I know you are partly joking here. I just want to be “that guy” in a party. It feels good sometime…

1 Like

And I even know what a humuhumunukunukuapua’a is! Sort of… I know it’s a fish haha.

Not sure of the exact definition of icosahedron off the top of my head but based on the “hedron” I’d guess some kind of 3D shape with a lot of sides?

2 Likes

Yeah it’s basically a D20 die.

1 Like

Also coming in to the discussion rather late but there are definitely illiterate people in Japan. I spent time at a Zen monastery for foreigners (the Zen master’s mission is to teach Zen to non-Japanese, most of the people studying with him there are American or European). While there I got a bad allergic reaction to something and one of the monks (a Dutch man who was among the most proficient in Japanese and had a driver’s license) was assigned to take me to urgent care. I have functional intermediate level speaking skills in Japanese but being ill really does a number on your language so I was glad I wasn’t fumbling through by myself. But what I discovered when we got there was that the monk was basically illiterate. He wanted to go to the info desk at the hospital so that he could ask where we should go, but it was after hours and there was no one at the info desk. Although kanji isn’t my strong suit I could at least read 救急 on the directory sign and figure out what area we should go to. Then when I was filling out the check-in form, the monk was impressed that I knew what to write in the boxes because he couldn’t read things like 名前 and 住所 and had been going to ask the receptionist to talk us through it. Apparently, as he had learned Japanese from being married to a Japanese person for 10 years, he never learned to read or write… and then he became a monk.

2 Likes

Fun fact: a soccer ball is a truncated icosahedron (i.e. you take a regular icosahedron and cut - that is, truncate - the corners off). Despite sharing the name “icosahedron”, it’s actually got 32 faces (i.e. the original 20 plus 12 more from the truncated corners).

2 Likes

That’s the word? smh 笑

1 Like

I’m not doubting your story, but I wonder how the monk got a driver’s license without being able to read such basic kanji as 名前. Don’t they have to do a written exam for a driver’s license, or do they have helpers (for illiterate people) who read the questions to the exam takers?

2 Likes

No idea. Maybe they have a way for foreigners to take it orally or with interpretation. He wasn’t the best driver either so maybe he didn’t actually have a license :sweat_smile:

1 Like

You can take the written driving exam in a variety of languages.

But I’m not sure what’s surprising about a foreigner who can’t read Japanese…?

1 Like

The surprising part is that he had lived in Japan for so long without learning to read at all.

We need a Wanikani copypasta compilation.

1 Like

That would be hillarious :rofl:

Thought so too, but here I am, finished 1-60 the first time a few years ago and now I’m doing it again.

Could you give me your reasons why you are doing it over again?

I’m thinking about purchasing a lifetime subscribtion if I ever gonna start from lvl 1 again in the future. Would it be better just to move on and keep reading Japanese books? After you reach level 60 and burn a few items.

This go through I’m using the stroke order script and practicing writing the kanji, every time i do a kanji review I write the kanji 5 times. I live in Japan and its been embarrassing not being able to write things on the not so rare occasion I have to.

2 Likes

Ahh I see, thanks. I was practicing kanji writing a while ago but I just put it on hold for now. I want to prioritize on other skills first.

Yeah, I pushed it off too long since I kept hearing it wasnt super important to hand write it much. Though my experience has shown that to not be completely true!

4 Likes

in most countries a proof of illiterate is with a simple test for the person to write their own name. If they memorize how to do it repeatedly they will know how to do it, then they are not illiterate.

even to run for politics this is the only test they have to take. Bizarre.

Even that depends. :wink:

4 Likes

US: Get more involved in politics, kids!
Kids: Run for office.
US: Uh… not like that.

11 Likes