Way of learning & remembering vocabulary

One thing about the podcasts I listen to (JapanesePod101) is that I have a full written transcript along with the English translation. After listening, I can read the transcript and associate the kanji with the dialog.

I know a lot of people here dislike JapanesePod101, but at my level I find it helpful. The format of an episode is a short conversation with native speakers talking at natural speed followed by a repetition of it with the English translation interleaved, around 5 new vocabulary words and usually a grammar point. You’re likely more advanced than me so may not need the crutch of having a translation. I know that there are other podcasts out there that include a vocabulary sheet and sometimes even a transcript. I just find that with enough listening practice, I’m starting to recognize vocabulary words in context and it’s helped with retention.

2 Likes

As a note, you might want to try 青鳥文庫 at some point. They’re novels for elementary-middle grade students in 総ルビ (full katakana). The words are generally pretty easy to guess from context.

Also lol tell me if you ever find a solution to your problem. I’m very bad at memorizing words, too.

Although I have found it helps a bit if I put not just the word but whole sentences into Anki. And then just memorize the reading instead of the meaning (with a little note if necessary). If I’m learning the word from a list + I’m having trouble with it, I’ll look for an example sentence on Uta-Net or syosetu.com

2 Likes

This is probably gonna be a controversial opinion here, but you really don’t need to review all of your decks every day, especially since you said you’re pressed for time. Maybe do wanikani once or twice a week, as you’re already at a high enough level to pass N3 (missing a few kanji, but easily remedied). Maybe create a new anki deck just for words you’re really having trouble memorizing. What really helps me is also including words in sentences in the cards. I try to find the sentences online, but I sometimes make my own. In real life, you don’t usually hear words spoken by themselves after all. Context really helps.

2 Likes

Lol jinx
Agree man

1 Like

Thanks for the advice and links:) Will look through it if I find something interesting - never tried to only learn the reading instead of the meaning using Anki, might give it a try to see how it works for me.

1 Like

wait what? I thought you had been studying for like 1.5 or something. Or did you make a big change 1.5 years ago or something?? Or am I just dumb.

1 Like

Thanks for the input here:) Yeah, will definitely slow it down with reviews, still have to wrap my mind about it however - Context seems really good, will give it a try and see if I can memorise it better that way

Hm… I think that when I joined the WK forums, I had been studying for about 1.5 years? Might have been something from then. I’ve been on these forums for almost 2 years at this point though! Possibly the only big change that happened around 1.5 years ago is that I was no longer part of a group that studied Japanese by translating a manga?

I mean, if you subtract all the time I’ve had to spend in class over my first 3 years in university (because I was in some programme that had me in class for 30hrs+/week), maybe the time I’ve spent on Japanese drops to something closer to 1.5 years. Hahaha. But yeah, no, I started in July 2018, so it’s been about 4 years since then.

2 Likes

OP, maybe book is not your thing since you are unmotivated.

even in my own native language I dont read books, I think is quite tedious.

what is working for me in retention and daily reading speed practice is watching anime with japanese subtitles.

2 Likes

Hi, thanks for your reply! I just recently started to read in Japanese but think this and consume more Japanese content will help me more thank Anki or learning lists of words (or at least trying to learn the lists using SRS). Will try a lot of tips from the thread here together with reading and hope the words just stick:) I was always a bit cautious with watching in Japanese but will also try this a lot more from now on.

1 Like

For me it helps the most if the word comes from some context and even more so if I’m able to incorporate it in a sentence in Japanese Sentence a Day. Then the likelihood that I will remember it is the highest. However, of course that doesn’t work for everything, because some words one simply doesn’t use often enough.

2 Likes

Ah I see, thanks for stating your way of memorising! It seems, for a lot of people context is really a extremely helpful method for remembering. As I’m now trying to slow down with learning, I will look for more context related memorising methods:)

1 Like
  • Audio-visual mnemonics help, even if they are really unrelated to the vocabulary’s meaning, at least at the beginning. (I don’t really remember mnemonics clearly, but it is important as a kick-start. Also, just make a new one, if the old ones don’t work.) Just make sure you somehow remember the vocabulary, at least in the first times. I was used to making one myself, and typing it out in Anki “Notes field”.
  • For JP => reading, I think that Kanji itself can also be a big distraction; so I did EN => JP + reading. Though, if you don’t like EN somehow, I think cloze test is an option. (I also heard that cloze can be done on an audio too.)
  • EN => writing JP (on AnkiDroid + stylus) might help by making you focus on every stroke and every components of the Kanji. I write vocabularies too.
  • Context helps, even if you take only one context that is meaningful to you. But there may be multiple important contexts to remember.

I don’t really know about remembering in a more long term, but at least these processes work in short- and medium- terms.

In my own language, I rarely read comics and novels; but for relatable knowledge and philosophy, it is OK.

2 Likes

Hey, thanks for writing your tips:) Will try a few methods to check if in some way I can remember mnemonics (and in doing so - memorising the vocabulary) and might try cloze test, never thought of it

I think once you understand enough grammar and know some vocabulary, learning from context is the way to go. At least that’s how I learned English past I think B or C-something level. Initially reading was intimidating and I still remember going through The Hobbit in middle school and understanding barely enough to follow the story. Same when playing Fallout 1 and 2. Then it got easier, however.

Since you applied for N3, I think you should be okay with reading and listening already :slight_smile:

3 Likes

This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.