Tip's Notes & Plans

OMG
I even have lookups on “a simple sign”

エレベーターでは (by elevator) 地下ギャラリーへ行く(going to the basement gallery) ことはできません (things that cannot be done)

入口様(entrance + 丁寧 語 polite-ifier?) 音声機器 (おんせい きき audio device Anime, News Top 4K (!!))を返却(へんきゃく return)してください。

地下へは 外側の階段 (そとがわのかいだん exterior staircase) をご利用 (ごりよう polite-ifier + use)ください。

Then I think the last two lines are in Chinese? Because the meaning repeats…

横(よこ) :joy:
Although I do like the idea of calling it entrance-sama more

Sunday, June 15, 2025

level 23 unlocked 6/6 radicals, 28/34 kanji, 36/129 vocab;
due to WK updates there is 1 level 8 vocab, 41 level 22 vocab

started level 23 yesterday

image

WK	
46	Cotton material 	木綿	も め ん	
	Cotton	綿	め ん	
56	To sew	縫う	ぬう	godan
28	Repair	修理	しゅうり	servicing
24	Pipe	管	かん	
47	Front Door	扉	とびら	opening
-	Plumbing	配管	はいかん	
32	To get dirty	汚れる	よごれる	
23	One’s Home	自宅	じたく	
23	Housing	住宅	じゅうたく	residential building
27,28	:cat_face:To beckon	招く	ま ね く	to invite in
28	About	程	ほど	as much as
47,48	To cook grains 	炊く	たく	to boil, to simmer, to stew
41	Kitchen knife	包丁	ほうちょう	
47	Rice cooker	炊飯器	すいはんき	
-	Just now	-	さっき	
25	Custom, habit	習慣	しゅうかん	
28	Clean	清潔	せいけつ	hygienic, sanitary
-	Drawers	引き出し	ひきだし	From 引き出す to pull out 
-	Attic	屋根裏	やねうら	
-	Attic	屋根裏部屋	やねうらべや	
45,31	Coins	硬貨	こうか	hard currency
32,36	Stained	汚い	きたない	dirty, filthy, foul, unclean
31	Mud	泥	どろ	Android (mobile os)
-	Wrinkled	-	くしゃくしゃ	

context sentences

The housing shortage is a serious social issue. 住宅不足は深刻な社会問題です。
There is a housing shortage in this town. この町では住宅が不足している。(simpified tone ) NOTE 住宅難housing shortage
He felt lonely living in a big city. 彼は大都会に住むことを寂しいと感じた。
Words cut more than swords. 言葉は剣より切れる。
How is the construction work progressing? 建設工事の進みが具合はどうですか?
I had a drink with my coworkers after work. 帰りに同僚たちといっぱいを飲んだ。
This kitchen is as clean as a hospital. この台所は病院のように清潔です。

image starting today/tomorrow
imagetopic 3 of 5

image
read EN to JP online magazine. (see notes under reset)

image
download 5:2 for tomorrow

お入口様、私を入らせてください!trunky_rolling

June midmonth, midyear refresh AKA what’s working/what’s not

  • WK 23 start Jan 5th to Mar 30th = level 10 to level 16. March 30th to June 15th level 16 to 23. GOAL 32
  • Duo 4:49 start Jan 1st to Mar 30th = 4:11 to 4:30. March 30th to June 15th 4:30 to 4:49 GOAL 4:80
    • RESET: combine WK and DUO. Add to Quizlet to prelearn and reinforce.
  • Marugoto start A2-B1-1 mid May; topic 3 of 5 started GOAL B2
    • RESET: organize grammar points into an indexed system; incorporate DUO context sentences.
  • Mango unit 5 start Jan 1st to Mar 30th = 2:9 to 3:9. March 30th to June 15th 3:9 to 5:1. This is the last main unit. GOAL 5:9
    • RESET: continue 1 per week to finish in 8 weeks. NEW: Work on coverting the hiragana to kanji.
  • Reading= numerous false starts GOAL read a Japanese novella. Material that interests me is above my abilities to read with pleasure.
    • RESET: NEW GOAL- read a novella written in Japanese. Start with English shorts (from websites I already use for fiction) converted to Japanese by Google translate. June 21 Solstice readathon will be a good test of how much I enjoy it as well as how extensive I can be in the process. Intensive reading will be limited to the Japanese children’s books I have not opened yet. This should counter the boredom factor. I will be more invested in deciphering and mining than the story itself.
  • Verb conjugation- abandoned GOAL 90% accuracy on quizzes
    • RESET: continue grammar studies; quiz once a month

6/20/2025

:crabigator:Continuing level 23, should advance in 2 days
image image

Summary includes some keigo??

I will come as soon as possible. できるだけ早く参ります。
There is no room for doubt. 疑いの余地はない。VS それについて疑う余地がない。
It’s my fault. 私のせいです。
Please come again. またお越しください。
Are there guests visiting here by car? お車でお越しのお客様はいらっしゃいますか?
I beg your pardon. 何とおっしゃいましたか

WK	EN	KANJI	KANA	NOTES
28	Record	記録	きろく	minutes
50	coincidence	偶然	ぐうぜん	
23	reality	現実	げんじつ	hard fact
0	Remark,comment	発言	はつげん	
27	Lack of sleep	睡眠不足	すいみんぶそく	寝不足 22
26, 24	To publish	載せる	の せ る	乗せる other form?
0	headline	見出し	みだし	caption
30	Subscription	購読		subscribing
0	Survey, questionaire		アンケート	
0	Public opinion	世論	せ ろ ん/せいろん/よろん	consensus
0	(Spare) room	余地	よち	margin, scope
compare  余裕 20
21	To admit, to confess	認める	み と め る	Not WK primary meaning 
38	To avoid	避ける	さける	
53	Please (give me; do for me)		ちょうだいas 〜をちょうだい or after the -te form of a verb	familiar language, female term
頂戴Humbly Receiving
13 enlightened 	Gratitude	感謝	かんしゃ	WK Thanks

image
imagesaving the next session of reading for tomorrow’s readathon; totally not procrastinating

image
bookmarked webpages for tomorrow’s readathon; could not resist reading one page

image
still working on Chapter 2 Hotels and Attractions- There are 24 lessons compared to past chapters.

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Yesterday was my first x-a-thon. I didn’t post because there was no easy way to track it.

My method: find an EN web page that was interesting, use a browser extension to convert it to JP, read until the end, rinse and repeat.

My results: 6 hours 6 minutes; 1 nonfiction, 5 fiction + one in progress

My experience: wonderful! This was so much more of a pleasure than graded readers or high-level novels. Some of the translations were simplified compared to the original EN e.g clauses were written as separate sentences when possible. I did not like how often it resorted to katakana for words that could/do use kanji. Loved being able to change the font size.

2025 read-a-thon 7:45 AM-9:10

My Hobby by Tom Fabian私の趣味

/strandmag.com/the-magazine/short-stories/my-hobby/

脅迫 blackmailきょうはく threat, menace, coercion, blackmail

恐喝 きょうかつblackmail

9:20 AM- 9:27

A Guide to Grief by Emily Fox 悲しみへのガイド

/www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/a-guide-to-grief/

flash fiction just leaves me cold when it’s not executed well

Break- went for walk; water restrictions are in effect and the nearby citrus trees are feeling it

; saw a turtle in a fountain and did a web search when I got home.

11:22 AM-11:36

oops- no link or title; nonfiction advice about turtles in chlorinated water

塩素 chlorine

This sentence made my head hurt. より大きく成熟した個体に比べて、より小さいまたは若いカメは塩素の悪影響を受けやすい可能性があります。

Stopped reading after the article went off-topic

11:48 AM- 12:15

Emotion by Henry Peter Gribbin 感情
/365tomorrows.com/2015/09/29/emotion/

Translator spoiler: 死体 instead of body; not all bodies are 死体 and vice versa

12:24 PM -12:32 break (ate lunch, WK reviews, changed CDs) 1:23 PM- 2:04 PM

Toaster of the Gods by Randall Coots 神々のトースター
/strangehorizons.com/wordpress/fiction/toaster-of-the-gods/

ところが another word for but

二度 / 再び ふ た た び again, second tine

2:22 PM-3:43
/omenana.com/2025/03/31/order-update-olajesutofunmi-akinyemi/

Order Update by Olajesutofunmi Akinyemi 注文の更新

Lots of keigo when dealing with customer support

Codswallop new to me (UK?) EN word デタラメ

7:25 PM 9:08 unfinished…….sleepy.

The Perfectionist by Peter Lovesey 完璧主義者
/strandmag.com/the-magazine/short-stories/the-perfectionist/

ADDENDUM
:crabigator:


Level up this morning. Unlocked 7/7 R, 25/32 K, 32/132 V
Still have 46 level 23 vocab
learned a new EN word from @heyyeah : secateurs which are pruning shears in the US.

image
image vocab and context coming soon
image

image really any excuse not to do the work; this unit just does not interest me

image in progress; who knew there were different types of keigo?

Ha ha - glad I can help with new English words, if not with Japanese!

And your marathon reading session sounds amazing. It’s so nice to be able to learn while doing something you love.

Sunday, June 29, 2025
:crabigator: level 24 in progress
image I’m finding fewer new to me vocab; the grammar is taking center stage; interesting how WK teaches kanji for words usually written in kana alone.
image

WK	EN	KANJI	KANA	NOTES
3大人しい	Simple	usually written using kana alone	お と な し い	quiet (color, pattern, etc.),
48	Regret	後悔	こうかい	
0	Heartfelt	心を込めて	こころをこめて	Expression, wholeheartedly
27	To be worrying	悩む	な や む	
50, 32, 50	Excitement	興奮	こ う ふ ん	
52, 26, 52	Endurance	我慢	がまん	self-control
0 	Selfishness	usually written using kana alone	わがまま	我儘
0	What!	usually written using kana alone	な ん て	
27	Boring	退屈	たいくつ	Compare つまらない
9 辛い	Tough	usually written using kana alone	つらい	difficult (emotionally), hard (usu. of situations)
46	To be proud	誇る	ほこる	to boast of
9 To Express	To represent	表す	あらわす	to stand for
29, 23	Tension, nervousness	緊張	きんちょう	
18, 苛める	To bully	usually written using kana alone	いじめる	

Context sentences

You will regret this .後悔することになるよ。

Such selfishness is not acceptable . そんな わがまま は つ釣らないよ。

What a nice color ! なんていい色でしょう!

I had nothing to do today and I ended up getting bored . 今日は何もすることがなくて、退屈してしまった。

It is boring just sitting and watching TV. 座ってテレビを見ているだけなんて退屈だ。

image

WK	EN	KANJI	KANA	NOTES
0	quickly		さっさと	Onomatopoeic
49 唯	merely	Kana usually 	ただに	
37, 8	disobedience	反抗	はんこう	resistance, insubordination
46	To shut up	黙る	だまる	to be silent, to say nothing
33	respect	尊敬	そんけい	See 尊敬語
14 On’yomiてき	Object, target	的	まと	Subject
25	influence	影響	えいきょう	
0	(please) come, go, stay		おいで	honorific language
43	authority	権威	けんい	Influence
42,11	challenge	挑戦	ちょうせん	
0	application	申し込み	もうしこみ	entry (competition, raffle, etc.)
	Try	挑	ちょう	
22 value	to deserve	値する	あたいする	
46	silent	黙々	もくもく	
	to obey	従う	したがう	
5 To Stand Something Up	to treat with respect	立てる	たてる	to give (someone) their due, to make (someone) look good, to avoid embarrassing (someone)

image
started today with 3 free superDuo days.

image
I have until November to finish.

image
4 pages of notes later, finally finished in two weeks .
Next week should be less meaty. The topic synchs with Marugoto… may be motivation to get back to it.

Thanks again for sharing your notes and thoughts, Tipさん.
Nice to see ..
I think there may be a typo in the selfishness sentence… For some reason, it tickles a memory in me that’s just out of reach…I think it may involve 耐える (たえる to endure, withstand WK48)

You are correct . My statement about fishing makes no sense .
Thanks for taking time to close read my notes.
This is what I think I should have written :
Such selfishness is not acceptable . そんな わがまま は 耐えら ないよ。

7/2/2025

image
Should level up tonight; expect more vocabulary than usual due to WK updates

image


image

WK	EN	KANJI	KANA	NOTE 
25	shadow 	影	かげ	陰 WK 45
44	hiding place	物陰	ものかげ	
0	Dense ,thick	濛々	もうもう	usually written using kana alone,'taru' adjective A variant of な adjectives which take たる ending.
18, 23	Chimney 	煙突	えんとつ	
0	Trap	罠	わな	
42	To dig	掘る	ほる	
	Forest 	森林	しんりん	Compare 森もりor 林はやし
42	Lawn 	芝生	しばふ	
45	Waterfall 	滝	たき	
0	Rose 		バラ	
11	At heart,fundamentally	根っから	ね っ か ら	
0	Day by day 	日を追って	ひをおって	
0	Under pressure 	追う	お う	to be pressed (e.g. for time) in passive voice
45	To hunt 	狩る	かる	to gather (mushrooms)
43	To sink , set 	沈む	しずむ	
31	Stick	棒	ぼう	


今日は時間に追われていてね。I’ve been pressed for time today!
image Context coming soon
imagestart tomorrow
image4 of 5 topics complete

image finished story from readathon

image Chapter 3 in progress

Sunday, July 6, 2025
:crabigator:

Kaitou = answer 回答 解答
Level 24 had 40 vocab remaining; level 25 unlocked 8/8 R, 26/39 K, 38/118 V- started yesterday

image
UNIT 53 CONTEXT
This stick is thicker than that stick. この棒はその棒よりも太いです。
Please keep off the lawn. 芝生に入らないでください。
I watered the lawn. 芝生に水をやりました。

UNIT 54 CONTEXT

ANIMALS- why are some in kanji instead of katakana?

WK	EN	KANJI	KANA	NOTES
54,23,18	Mammal	哺乳類	ほにゅうるい	
54鯨	Whale		クジラ	
5 give birth 	to lay (eggs)	生む		
31	Web/nest	巣	す	breeding place
42	Net	網	あみ	
42	Twins	双子	ふたご	
59メス	Female (noun)	雌	めす	(animal, plant) usually written using kana alone
(め) human 
29, 31オス	Male (noun)	雄	おす	(animal, plant) usually written using kana alone
(お) (ゆう)-human
	Owl		フクロウ	
	Giraffe		キリン	
41	Tiger	虎	とら	
0	To bark, roar	吠える	ほえる	to howl
0	To growl, roar		うなる	to howl
44, 29, 44	Dinosaur	恐竜	きょうりゅう	
32, 先祖	Ancestor	祖先	そせん	先祖 せんぞ
	Lion		ライオン	

Is your kitten male [adjective] or female [adjective]? 君の子猫は雄なですか、雌なですか?

How does evolution take place? 進化はどのように生まじるのですか?

生じる 【しょうじる】WK 16 -first time seeing outside WK
image
Vocabulary coming soon

Is my always being sleepy due to coffee addiction? いつも眠いのをコーヒー中毒のだから?

Telephonic communications came back. 電話による通信が回復した。

The moon’s gravity is one-sixth of the Earth’s. 月の重力は地球の6分の1である。

There are many stars that cannot be seen without a telescope. 望遠鏡がなくては見えない星がたくさんある。

The universe is infinite. 宇宙は無限である。

The astronomer saw her dead dad on another planet. 天文学者は他の惑星で死んだ父親を見た。

image

image ugggg

image none

image finished passive listening; notes are in progress; the course is almost done and just now introducing transitive/intransitive pairs; downloaded next unit for tomorrow

doing the bare minimum due to pressures at work; haven’t seen the sun in a few days. The weekend can’t come soon enough.

I’m still studying. My handwritten notes have become a looming mountain of transcription to do. Meanwhile, some neat videos …

For just the briefest moment, I thought you were going to transcribe your notes and then origami (probably not meant to be used as a verb but still) them into memorable shapes. Anyway, hope the work pressures ease (though seeing the sun, for me, 2/10 do not recommend) and good luck with the continued journey. :slight_smile:

That’s a cool idea. Once my notebook is full, I could fold the loose pages into something… a green owl and a crabigator eating cake.
As an origami fan I especially like seeing it in other arts and crafts.

Weeks of July 6th-20th

:crabigator:My apprentice count reached 0 the first week. The burn reviews kept me busy though.


Level 25 took four days longer as a result. There are 26 vocabulary words left to do before I actually start level 26. The new level unlocked 5/5 R, 26/31 K and 30/119 V and it’s all for this level (not add-ons due to the updates). I started level 26 yesterday.
image
imageSince I don’t watch anime or read manga, this unit was full of news to me. Not surprisingly, few items are on WK. I will go back and look at the grammar when my brain has the bandwidth to take it in.

WK EN KANJI KANA NOTES
right? じゃん Particle orig. from じゃないか
have to …, must … なきゃ Abbreviation なければならない
to chat しゃべる
this guy, this person こいつ
って equiv. of は topic marker and so much more
28 subtle, delicate, 微妙 びみょう not great, iffy
28 strange みょう
gross キモイ Abbreviation, 気持ち悪い
something like …, なんか oft. scornful or dismissive
among other things とか oft. as …とか…とか
or something, something like, or whatever とか make a statement vague or less absolute; usu. after a noun
34 guy やつ he, she, him, her
he, she, that guy あいつ that, that one, that thing
good-looking guy イケ面 イケメン
serious、really まじ(で) Abbreviation真面目 まじめ
absurd, ridiculous めちゃ
36 super-, ultra-, hyper-, ちょう Prefix e.g. 超高速 hyperspeed
Darn, OMG やばい Dangerous, awful, terrific, unhinged

image
I do not need a grave when I die. 私 死んだら、 墓 いらない。
Hell is other people . mine 地獄とは他人のことだ。duolingo’s 地獄とは他人である。
である (or であります) is a construction in Japanese that is considered to be the formal or literary equivalent of だ
It is quite warm in hell. 地獄はかなり暖かい。

WK EN KANJI KANA NOTES
31 cemetery 墓地 ぼち
31 graveyard 墓場 はかば
31 to rescue from 救う すくう
34 holiness, sacredness 神聖 しんせい な adjective
Sermon, scolding 説教 せっきょう
forever いつまでも
priest, minister, pastor 司祭 しさい
46 devil 悪魔 あくま
31 grave はか
mission 使命 しめい
35 hell 地獄 じごく Misery
Bible 聖書 せいしょ Scriptures
37,28 miracle 奇跡 きせき
37 to bury 葬る ほうむる Compare埋める
13 to do … completely 果たす はたす

image
I do not have one decent suit. 僕は満足な背広は 一着も持っていない
い っ ちゃ くone suit (of clothes), one item (of clothing)
Do not complain about the food. 食べ物に不満を言わないで。
I will walk facing up, so my tears don’t roll down. 上を向いて歩こう、涙がこぼれないように。
Abandon all hope. 一切の希望を捨てよ。
Even if it is tough now, do not give up hope.
Let’s take it easy. のんびりしよう.
He is quite a carefree person. 彼はかなりののんびり屋さんだ。
Women have achieved equality in certain areas. 女性はある分野で平等を達成してきた。
への You can’t connect two nouns directly with へ、で or まで, you need the の

WK EN KANJI KANA NOTES
without exception 一切 いっさい
in a carefree manner のんびり Onomatopoeic
easygoing person のんびり屋 のんびりや
to spill, to fall out of, to overflow こぼれる usually kana alone
48,46 to become visible (although normally not) 零れる こぼれる
(not) ever 決して けっして
to abandon, to give up, to resign 捨てる すてる Compare諦める

imageI strapped in and completed the course. Once again, I would have done better with a tutor etc. This part of the program especially does not consider the needs of a solo learner. In fact, the last unit was all about language learning in a classroom setting. Even the writing assignments required me to pretend to be in a classroom.
Now the question is: Do I take the last course or find something else?
image Grammar Note for House Hunting- goals were a review so no news

:face_with_monocle: Very interesting…
I did not think about it like that