Tips on using Wanikani better

[kennypow]

So I’m level 5 now, close to ‘guru’-ing all the radicals of the said level , so I’m guessing now’s a good of a time as any to ask. I currently only use Wanikani and Kaniwani, I don’t use any extra flashcards, I don’t write the kanji when learning them on lessons, although I try writing the kanji by heart once I get it to master/high guru along with its reading(s) and I get it done mostly.

So should I start using some scripts that I usually see the higher levels mention? If so which ones? Should I also start writing Kanji more or something else ?

[Saida]

Whether you need extra practice like selfstudy relies on you and your retention rate. If you are fine with it, keep going as you are.

There are some scripts specifically designed to streamline your review session, like lightning mode, those might be nice if you tend to have long sessions.

Then there are scripts that give you better insight into your progress, like Ultimate Timeline, level breakdown, and such. Makes workload a lot more predictable.

There is no perfect set of scripts to recommend. You can just look around in that section and see what looks interesting to you. You can always uninstall, too, if it is not to your liking.

[TobiasW]

I’m not a higher level than you, but I can’t imagine using WaniKani without using Ultimate Timeline anymore. It just helps me so much in knowing when to expect lots of reviews.

[anon43714060]

I think you should just trust the SRS and not do extra WaniKani study off of WaniKani (unless if there are items you’re really struggling with). The kanji in your WaniKani level won’t necessarily be the kanji that are most immediately important for you so when you’re not on WaniKani, I suggest focusing on non-WaniKani learning (I really can’t think of a better way to word this).
For me, I make flashcards for the vocabulary in the textbook I use and I write down new words that I come across when I’m reading Japanese material (and I intend to make flashcards but I usually don’t).

[timfreilly]

I found the best complement to WK/KW is some way of learning that shows kanji in context. At a basic level you could use apps like LingoDeer or Duolingo. Once you start to be able to read and to do grammar, that helps too. There are many words that you’ll learn with WK that have many more meanings, and more specific uses, than what you’ll learn by drilling.