What is Your Wanikani Tactic? - Here is Mine!

[Tanaie]

Umm… I wonder if this is a tactic? Lol. But on days when I really don’t feel like doing reviews, and would rather play video games… I do both! For example, last week I was super into Fre Emblem Heroes. So for every turn I took, I would have to do 10 reviews, and when I did that I found myself getting more invested in finishing my reviews then playing the game. Reviews, break, reviews, break. If you’ve got a lot of reviews everyday like me, sometimes it helps.

[Wesleey]

+1 on the liberal but honest use of the ignore answer. I just started doing this a few levels ago, and adding that with the lesson reorder script to get radicals/kanji learned as soon as they come up… has changed my experience completely!

I’ve gone from 12 day level-ups to 8 day level-ups and I don’t feel like I’m doing more work than before. This means I should hit level 60 before the end of the year and then I’ll be able to focus on grammer, reading, listening, speaking etc… i.e. everything that is not kanji/vocab lol.

So I’m more motivated because of the speed, and I’m more motivated because there are no “leeches” filling up my review queue. Almost all of my reviews are kanji/vocab I’ve just learned in the last 2-3 levels.

[lsh3rd]

@Inserio

reviewCount = currentLevelReviews

if (reviewCount > 0)
	DoAllReviews()
while (lessonCount > 0) {
	DoFiveLessons()
	if (mentalExhaustion = "Too Damn High")
		break
}

I should say that this hasn’t always been my tactic. But I’m kinda liking it now.

If the if statement did you force the variable mentalExhaustion to always be set to “Too Damn High”?

[Inserio]

@lsh3rd

If the if statement did you force the variable mentalExhaustion to always be set to “Too Damn High”?

I forget about other programming languages, but in AutoHotkey, you use := to set a variable in such a scenario. This just runs a logical check and returns true or false.
Edit: isn’t it double equals in other languages? ==

[crihak]

I think it’d be awesome if this was the actual reason for being constantly tired

“Goddammit, this newbie mistake was the cause of it all?!?”

[maclo]

The first half of WaniKani I allowed myself to make a lot of mistakes. When I started, my tactic was:

• Ignore mnemonics
• Focus on readings and meanings only
• Do all lessons, all reviews as soon as they come
• Answer fast, make mistakes

I know it sounds terrible, but my reasoning was: if I get used to answering really fast, all that information will be able to get out of my head in a more natural way when I actually try to speak or think in Japanese.

The downside is that I had to rely a lot on intuition for vocabulary. I could memorize things, but some words bounce inside my head and change their exact english-japanese word pairing after a while. What’s worse, sometimes I’d try to answer with a meaning from another language, which my lousy memory thought appropriate at the time.

My new approach, since I asked for advice a few days ago seems to be working. My correct answers percentage is getting better, too. I’ll stick to this for the next 10 levels, and if it keeps improving, I guess this is how I’m going for the rest of WaniKani:

• do NOT ignore the mnemonics, no more (silly me!)
• focus on learning well current level items, no hurry!
• use the reorder script to do radicals and kanji from current level first, then all radicals, kanji and vocabulary from all levels in ascending order
• speak japanese everyday, write in japanese everyday (I’ll stick to writing on the computer, for me, handwriting is not a priority). chatting with friends gives you a lot of examples to learn and use later, improves your memory when using WK vocabulary.

That’s all I can think of. Maybe in a few levels I’ll notice I can do something different, but this is fine for now.

[lsh3rd]

@Inserio

Edit: isn’t it double equals in other languages? ==

For C based languages, yes. (On the other hand you have no semi-colons ending lines, so you aren’t strictly C based.) I can’t count how many times this has cause me mentalExhaustion! Still gets me once in a while even with 25 years of professional experience.

[bradk]

How do you set Wanikani to operate this way? Through one of scripts? I’ve just been taking the lessons as they come without knowing that you could reorder them.

[Inserio]

@lsh3rd

@Inserio

Edit: isn’t it double equals in other languages? ==

For C based languages, yes. (On the other hand you have no semi-colons ending lines, so you aren’t strictly C based.) I can’t count how many times this has cause me mentalExhaustion! Still gets me once in a while even with 25 years of professional experience.

After doing some research, AutoHotkey (and its counterpart/predecessor AutoIt v2) appears to borrow from a lot of languages but appears to be most similar to BASIC (of which, I don’t know much).

[Wesleey]

Scripts. I didn’t know how to use them at first but they are surprisingly easy. I did it by downloading tampermonkey for chrome, then I went here: User scripts for wanikani.com
and got all the scripts I needed. Super easy. You don’t need to be technical to do it.

The lesson reorder is probably the most useful of all but there are a bunch. You can mix and match however you want.

I have the ultimate timeline, lesson reordering, super happy burn script and a few others. Enjoy!

Just make sure you still do your vocab lessons if you decide to use lesson reorder. Vocab is probably the most important part of Wanikani.

[lsh3rd]

@Inserio

After doing some research, AutoHotkey (and its counterpart/predecessor AutoIt v2) appears to borrow from a lot of languages but appears to be most similar to BASIC (of which, I don’t know much).

We’re really getting off topic now, but it’s fun, so I’ll continue. I played a bit with VisualBasic a while back and was comfortable enough to place it on my resume. It generated so many garbage inquiries, that never before was I so eager to remove a skill OFF my resume as that one! These days, it is hard to see why someone wouldn’t just use C# - it’s pretty nice!

[Allyson]

Ditto on the 100 apprentice items. Any more than that and I get swamped and I don’t remember anything.

I try to do reviews at least three times a day (typically around meal times). I have more free time then and I can focus on items. I’ve also found my accuracy (typing) is much better with a keyboard than on my phone, so I don’t do reviews on my phone anymore. I just use it to tell me how many reviews I have before I start my session so I know how much time to book for reviews.

I’ve been meaning to install the reorder script but I haven’t gotten around to it. I tend to just keep refreshing lessons until they’re mostly new radicals/kanji instead of vocabulary when I level up.

I don’t know if it’s much help since I’ve been running 24 days per level for my last two levels though.

[Dandi]

Still super green here but I like to do my reviews when i first wake up and am lying in bed, since I am the worst about waking myself up and it motivates me a little to know they’re waiting for me.

[crihak]

Yeah, i use the Reorder Ultimate script.

It’s really nice compared to feeling the need to just bust through a over hundred lessons once a week, as I did initially!

I also recommend setting it to the 1x1 mode sorted by reading first. This means that for each item, it will ask you for the reading immediately followed by the meaning. I think this really does help you start hearing the proper sounds in your head as you look at the words. And 1x1 keeps you from having to unnaturally forget and then re-remember the meaning later down the queue.

The only downside of the 1x1 mode is that you will be asked the same question again immediately upon failure unless you manually hit the random button. In practice I’ve found that this doesn’t actually make me learn the words significantly worse, however.

On the subject of scripts: this may not be for everyone, but I found the Final Countdown script to be incredibly useful. It limits your answer time (default 10s can be changed) and submits a wrong answer after that.

I might sound like I’m just being a glutton for punishment, but I’ve really started to dislike how long I spend thinking on each item when given the opportunity to do so. Now the reviews take less than half the time, while my accuracy only went down from about 90% to about 80%, and those failed items probably needs more study anyway.

[veryslowlearner]

I employ someone to do my reviews for me.

[alexbeldan]

@Franken

I employ someone to do my reviews for me.

Let me know how that tactic works out for you.
(＾▽＾)

[Inserio]

@crihak

I also recommend setting it to the 1x1 mode sorted by reading first. This means that for each item, it will ask you for the reading immediately followed by the meaning. I think this really does help you start hearing the proper sounds in your head as you look at the words. And 1x1 keeps you from having to unnaturally forget and then re-remember the meaning later down the queue.

The only downside of the 1x1 mode is that you will be asked the same question again immediately upon failure unless you manually hit the random button. In practice I’ve found that this doesn’t actually make me learn the words significantly worse, however.

There’s a better alternative to 1x1 mode if your goal is to implant the readings in your head first. Basically, just say the reading for every review as it comes, then think of the meaning if it’s asking for that. rfindley describes it here: https://community.wanikani.com/t/Stop-translating-in-your-head/10082/13

[crihak]

There’s a better alternative to 1x1 mode if your goal is to implant the readings in your head first. Basically, just say the reading for every review as it comes, then think of the meaning if it’s asking for that. rfindley describes it here: https://community.wanikani.com/t/Stop-translating-in-your-head/10082/13

To each their own

I prefer being actually asked for the reading, not just having to force myself to do it in addition to the thing being asked. In my anki deck I have a single card for both and I don’t like it as much.

I also like having the countdown script, but that does give me an incentive to focus only on the specific thing being asked.

But since this thread is about suggesting strategies, it’s great to list as many as possible!

[polv]

My strategy is actually JP writing to meaning, then meaning to JP reading. I don’t really connect writing to reading directly.

But the focus would be, meaning to JP reading; that is EN->JP.

I should really try an appropriate sequence. Reading before meaning, is it? I plan to do this on extra-WK kanjis (plus copy WK’s idea - learn 1 emphasized reading first.)

[Shiawase]

1. I use the following userscripts:
   ** Lesson User Synonyms (so helpful, mandatory for me, which is why I try to only do lessons at home on the computer since I can’t use userscripts on mobile it seems)
   ** WaniKani Example Sentences - I use this for getting context, but also for adding new synonyms if I see it being used in a certain way frequently, especially if that elucidates the meaning more. So I’ll often use this during lessons as well.
   ** WaniKani Override - like others, I don’t use this as a cheat past guru, but I do make a lot of errors because my keyboard is messed up, or because I’m lefthanded on the tablet (I think that’s why? Idk)
   ** WaniKani Phonetic-Semantic Composition and WaniKani Part-of-Speech
   ** WK Dashboard Progress Plus
   ** WK Ultimate Timeline
   ** WK Real Numbers
   ** WK Reorder Ultimate 2
   (The other four or so I use are less important)

2. Follow my stats, progress, items, charts with this site.

3. Occasionally use KaniWani. I’ve found it actually helps since I tend to add a lot of synonyms, and some of those synonyms are pretty important and I’ll forget them, so it actually helps reinforce that. But it also helps me when I want to try to translate the English in my head into vocab I should know.

4. Haven’t used it in a while, but I really should because it’s a big help. Set a goal (like write one entry daily?) for Lang-8. The corrections are massively useful!

5. Practice the 17+ forms of verb conjugation and 16+ forms of adjective conjugation, by WaniKani level!, on WaniConjugation

6. Out of the 7 types of questions, especially use “Does this sound natural?”, “What’s the difference between A and B?”, and “Please Show Me Example Sentences With~~” on HiNative. But like Lang-8, also make sure to answer/translate/correct Japanese-to-English, as it’s good practice and good karma ;). HiNative also allows for audio listening/recording!

7. Make liberal use of Jisho. I love being able to look up unknown Kanji in images with the radical look-up! On that note, also make liberal use of Rikaikun or if you prefer, there are similar ones I’ve heard of: Rikaichan (I have that, too), Rikaisama, Yomi…I forgot, others can recommend I guess?

8. Practice reading and listening with things like doujinshi online, My Kikitori, Comico, Shonen Jump (some are free), Japanese Radio, NHK Easy News, Satori Reader (By the makers of Human Japanese), and you can find plenty of audiobooks, children’s stories, speaking sites, Language Partners, and other opportunities for reading, listening, and speaking, on computer or apps (lots of apps!), for free or not.

9. Reinforce basic grammar with the Tae Kim’s Guide to Japanese Grammar app (I prefer it over the website), and more in depth with Imabi.

10. Reinforce everything in a lovely style with pictures, conversation with audio, quizzes, culture, some geography, grammar and vocab and Kanji, etc, with Human Japanese (Offline computer software and app!).

Others:
~ Memrise - computer and app
~ Tsukiji (Google Play app with Kanji, Vocab, and Quizzes on all JLPT levels)
~ Write It! Japanese (GP app for practicing writing out kana because I suck at it), and I plan on downloading other apps.
~ I’m also thinking about downloading Anki again and using it with the WaniKani stylized decks available on here (computer software and app, though I hate the Android app so far).
~ And plenty of other resources available on here throughout the forums! I won’t link 'em, you can just search, plus there are pinned posts to many of them, including in the API section.