EDIT: Thank you all for your responses, I have formed a solution with your suggestions. As I stated previously I had already intended to continue with Wanikani, but now I have a better supported view of how to value the site. Mods can close this thread if they would like.
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Tl;dr: Why is Wanikani worth using beyond lvl 15-20, since this is a reasonable point to start sentence-mining?
Other resources are recommended for vocab and the JLPT, and the Kanji offered by Wanikani is locked behind hundreds of vocab words which are primarily offered for cementing the Kanji as opposed to reading. Which is to say the vocab offered is of lower quality.
Ideally, Wanikani would: A) Expand definitions to add context on every vocab word where appropriate, or at least open the software up to the community to volunteer context (if there is a userscript for this I havenāt seen it yet, but I also havenāt looked); B) Prioritize the Kanji and vocab required for a basic core.
For the record, I intend to continue studying to lvl 60 and to burn everything because I donāt like leaving things unfinished, and because Iām on track to building a core regardless of how I feel about Wanikani. That said, I canāt help but feel misled with this service.
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Here is my experience so far: Wanikani is a Japanese learning software that offers to teach roughly 1700 Kanji and 5000 vocab words in one to two years.
Summary
āGreat! Iāll subscribe, study a couple of years, and be able to read and type! I already know some grammar from speaking anyways, so this should be relatively easy : )ā
As a service Wanikani is best used for studying Kanji however, as there isnāt enough context for the vocab; the vocab is there to memorize the kanji. In other words, it is better to use an additional resource for studying vocab. Yet the Kanji offered is nonetheless locked behind hundreds of vocab words.
Which is to say the vocab offered by Wanikani is of lower quality, but required learning.
Summary
āOkay, so Iāll sentence-mine topics of interest once I have a basic core from Wanikani (Lvl15-20 so Iāve read thus far). Iāll continue Wanikani even after though so I can take the JLPT.ā
Despite its large selection of Kanji and vocab, Wanikani is not a good resource for studying for the JLPT as their flows donāt really match. Furthermore, some vocab on the JLPT simply isnāt included in Wanikani.
Summary
āOkay, so Iāll sentence-mine and study for the JLPT outside Wanikani, and continue studying becauseā¦I already spent the money and itās worth the time?ā
So I am led to ask: Why is Wanikani worth using beyond lvl 15-20 since this is a reasonable point to start sentence-mining, and other resources are recommended for vocab and the JLPT, and the Kanji offered is locked behind hundreds of vocab which are primarily offered for cementing the Kanji as opposed to reading?
Ideally, Wanikani would: A) Improve the quality of their vocab by expanding definitions to add context on every vocab word where appropriate, or at least open the software up to the community to volunteer context; B) Prioritize the Kanji and vocab required for a basic core.
For the record, I intend to continue studying to lvl 60 because I donāt like leaving things unfinished, and because Iām on track to building a core regardless of how I feel about Wanikani. That said, I canāt help but feel misled with this service.
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