When is it good to really start to focus on grammar?

[Kendallb]

While I do know basic grammar, what level should I seriously start to practice outside of wanikani.
At the moment I’m mostly focused on kanji and filling up my mind with vocabulary.

I’ve recently downloaded the tae kims memrise grammar course but havent begun practicing as I’d like to focus primarily on leveling up my wanikani.

I was thinking wait until level 15 or so then begin focusing more on grammar?

[Amenophyckxs]

Am I hurting myself putting Genki off and focusing on WK?

Think of Japanese like a cube. In one dimension, you have speaking and listening. That’s the width of the cube. In another direction, there is grammar. That is the depth of the cube. Finally, you have the height of the cube, and that’s reading and kanji. Your ability to use Japanese is based on all three dimensions. If you prioritize one dimension over all the others, you will make progress without increasing your ability to use Japanese. BUT, and here is the big thing, you’re not hurtin…

This is a good summary imo, just exchange genki with whatever grammar source you prefer.

[Leebo]

I’m not sure anyone can really say what’s right for you. It depends what your goals are. Your proposed timeline is similar to what Koichi, the creator of WaniKani encourages, though he says at level 10 is a good place to get a textbook.

I personally feel that having a foundation of Japanese is better before you dig into kanji, because learning kanji in a vacuum can be difficult. You don’t have any figurative mental shelves to put these words on, they will just be in a big pile.

[Kendallb]

Great point! My biggest hurdle would be time and what to primarily devote my time towards.
My grammar is very basic but I do understand a little.

I’ll keep this in mind and at the very least immerse myself with some japanese activities.

[Kendallb]

Thanks for the advice! I have a general foundation, but have found sentence structure difficult.

I hope that at the very least if I have a good vocabulary it’ll help with my understanding as I learn grammar.

[Wantitled]

Any worthwhile grammar resource will teach you any vocab they use. Particularly beginner level resources. In fact, you may find that with a lot of beginner textbooks, they start out not using kanji at all.

Most Japanese learners start out learning grammar with no prior kanji/vocab knowledge, so anything you know is more than enough to get started.

[Leebo]

Learning words in context would be a bit different from learning them here, and I think is a good way to expand your vocabulary.

There are resources for simple content for beginners and then you could turn the sentences you find into flashcards, and leave the kanji aside for a bit, unless it’s one you already know.

[Amenophyckxs]

Ultimately what works for one person might not work for the next. Several people swear by learning a good foundation of kanji before starting grammar, AJATT is one of the methods of learning that uses this mindset, and as @Leebo pointed out, Koichi suggests it too. However, I personally agree with Leebo that it is easier to have a bit of a foundation in grammar first.
See what works best for you.

[Cychloryn]

I would say to get into grammar as soon as possible and never neglect grammar study.

And practice. You can memorise some grammar constructions easily, but it takes a lot of practice to be able to actually put things together quickly.

If you know a thousand kanji but can’t say/write a single sentence, then what good is it!