Sorry if this is a bit similar to something that’s been asked before, but I was curious about what different people’s study sessions are like on a daily basis. I’ve been learning Japanese for 3 months now and started with just an hour on WaniKani every morning. Now I’ve got the hang of the Review system I’ll hop on a few times a day to complete them on time and then sit down and have an hour or so of going through lessons, but ultimately that’s still a WK-only study session.
So I was wondering, when you guys start to integrate other resources into your study (i.e. starting to learn grammar with Genki), how did you structure it into your sessions? A friend of mine has a ‘little bit of everything each day’ approach and I know some would have maybe a day for grammar, a day for vocab etc. I suppose it depends on your goals and daily commitments but I was curious about what a typical study session is like for each of you right now at whatever level you are
wel, ideally I do WK when I can (which is quite often).
And usually I would do Genki in the afternoon. Ofcourse due to a certain pandemic, my kids have a 3 week easter break, which has made me open Genki I for like 1 day as of yet.
Mine has definitely changed- I’ve been learning on and off over the past 4 years. Plenty of resets after being away from WK (usually during very busy/stressful periods at work).
I’ve got a new job where that isn’t an issue anymore. But I still don’t have more than an hour and change a day for japanese. When I was in the teens on WK, I split my time between that and a bit of grammar. Now that I’m in the 20’s on WK, I really need to spend some time reading. I used to whip through a level of WK in 8-10 days max. Now, I do ~50-60 reviews a day, 12 lessons a day and don’t sweat the rest.
I spend the rest of my time in Satori Reader, which I HIGHLY recommend once you’re 20+ on WK and through maybe Minna or Genki 1. It really makes reading pretty painless and allows you to pick up some extra grammar as you go along.
Wanikani 9am (if i woke up early) lesson amd review
Wanikani 1pm
Bunpro 1pm
Vocabulary kitsun 7 pm
Wanikani 9 pm
I try to read manga whenever i feel like it not in daily basis though
7 pm - lessons
11 pm - reviews
8 am - reviews pt 2 (I sleep in)
Then random reviews throughout the day since I didn’t have a schedule for a while.
Once I get to level 10 I’ll start grammar rather than earlier because I want to lock in my current schedule rather than add extra things. Also, currently following Tofugu’s Learn Japanese Guide since I don’t want to figure out the path myself.
Depends on the day, mostly. On a day when I study from a textbook for example, looks a bit like this:
Handwriting practice, 10am-ish.
First batch of reviews at 11am
Immersion time, usually a game/watch Youtube/read until 1pm.
Anki reviews at 1pm.
After that, textbook study for an hour. Then after that, immerse for as much as possible until each batch of reviews comes in.
And finally finish off my study period at 8pm with 15 lessons on wanikani.
I got very predictable schedule so it’s always the same:
Wake up and do all reviews which accumulated during night + 3 lessons. In bed right after opening eyes (accuracy is not the best but it’s kinda waking me up) or during morning coffee.
6 lessons during the day whenever I feel it, it may be during freaquent breaks at work because of lovely pomodoro magic
In the evening I spend approx. 1h for Genki (1 grammar point + exercises) and reviews which has build up during the day.
If I feel like it I am trying to read some easy texts like NHK easy news / Tadoku Stories / some other texts
Seems not much, but I do that every day so I guess it’s at least consistent
And keeping no more than 70 items in Apprentice works for me.
My study routine has changed vastly over a number of years and it went something like:
Waking up early in the morning (~6am) and do textbooks (genki, tobira, 新完全N2,N1) for around 90 minutes until I felt comfortable with the majority of grammar patterns. I would get home from work and also do the majority of any wanikani reviews/lessons.
Then I transitioned into just daily wanikani whilst watching/reading any Japanese material that I could replace my typical hobbies with (Eg, cooking shows in Japanese, Japanese sports, games in Japanese). Eventually, I started writing a daily blog and connecting with people to talk with via Discord, HelloTalk ect. in order to improve my output and that pretty much brings me to today.
I generally try to do my reviews every day when I can. Though they do sometimes pile up when i slip up. Once the amount of reviews and apprentice items is more manageable I do my lessons, write every single one down in a notebook cause I like to have and do something that isn’t digital plus it helps me pay attention more and remember more.
Whenever I have some free time and the motivation I like to open up my Genki textbook, learn some new grammar points or revise previous ones and do the practice in the workbook.
Definitely not a very intense or strict routine but I’m trying to keep myself from burnout and school sometimes takes up more time than I’d like.
I’m currently making my way through Genki II with a study group that spends 2 weeks on each chapter. Basically, week 1, my priority is the Genki grammar. I find time during the week to read through the chapter, take notes, and watch the Tokini Andy video for that chapter. I’m not a fan of the textbook practices, so I do the workbook practice instead. At the end of the week, my group and I pair up to read the dialogue and do the pair exercises from the textbook.
The next week, I add anki cards for the next chapter so I have a week to learn them. I try to go through the reading/writing section for the chapter, learning how to write the kanji and practicing reading whatever Genki’s provided.
My daily practice is basically complete anki and wk reviews. If I have lessons and the time to complete some, I’ll do maybe 15. If I’m leaving the house (such as to go to work), I’ll do my Mango Languages reviews. If I’m opening or closing at work (and therefore have about an hour to myself where I can put on headphones while carrying out my tasks), I’ll do as many Mango lessons as will fit into that time. Other than that, it’s really just a toss up on what I have to do, what I have time for, and what I feel like.
I can’t say a lot on what my study sessions used to be like except that they were more hectic. I struggled to fit grammar, kanji, vocabulary, and others together. I’d get really into one resource then switch to another. I didn’t really have a plan other than “finish Genki and work on Wanikani”… which is what I’m currently doing, but I have more of a plan on how each week should progress. I have my bare minimums that I can do even on days when I don’t have energy to do much else, and I have group meetings to ensure I keep moving forward and force myself to find time to study each chapter.
Personally I started with Genki. Finished it and only then jumped into WaniKani. Bacause you can read and listen and talk without really knowing many kanji. That being said it doesn’t mean that I didn’t know any kanji at all. Genki teaches you a lot in fact. Also there’s a supplementary kanji book and such. Also, very commonly used in examples and sentences kanji just… well… stick.
So after a year of studying my italki tutor recommended me to check WaniKani out. So now my studying routine looks more chaotic. Because I do reviews as soon as I can, mostly. I use Chuukyuu e Ikou textbook and also BunPro to study grammar. I read books and manga. And yeah, I don’t have a set schedule… That’s pretty much it.
Me too haha, we’re right about the same then. I’m on a similar schedule I just bought Genki 1 because I got way too excited, I think once I hit level 10 I’ll jump straight into it too.
This is really impressive! I guess everyone starts out with the hectic study schedule before finding their pace, a study group for Genki sounds like a great idea too, thanks!
I’m the same! Handwriting new lessons into a notebook is definitely the best for me, but going from an all digital life to handwriting kanji with no practice was humbling my goodness haha
Aside from the 1hr Genki I’m pretty similar (I’m trying out animedoro while I work haha), when I start Genki I think my schedule will look pretty similar to yours.
That’s really impressive, I think I’m a while away from a point where an immersion of Japanese content (more than already) will help since I haven’t started grammar and vocab is still sparce but replacing regular material with Japanese counterparts seems like a really good step later on.
