Oh yeah, totally agree with you. Simply clarifying OP’s point. WaniKani isn’t meant to be an all-in-one JP resource and I’m perfectly happy with the vocab the team has selected.
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I’ve asked the same questions several times. I know I’m only level 5 so far (I know way more kanji than I have mastered in WK though).
So far, for the benefits of continued studies, I can say the ability to guess a reading at first glance is pretty cool, so getting the most often used reading down-pat is pretty useful. I can’t think of another place that would offer this kind of learning. I also like that with the API key I can sync it to Satori reader and other tools pretty easily, which is smoother than uploading the kanji by hand.
By all means, if you found a program that works better for you, you are welcome to do that instead. I personally have a love-hate relationship with WK, and for some of the reasons you listed, but I am going to try and see it through because I kind of weirdly enjoy the reviews.
Edit: I’m not sure why my number is showing as 4, especially since I already got the confirmation email for level 5.
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Where are you going to get level-appropriate sentences from? If you’re only level 15-20 on WaniKani I think you’ll likely become overwhelmed by the number of kanji and words you don’t know. That’s not to say you shouldn’t start reading of course. I’d highly recommend you do. But trying to study whole sentences while you know so few kanji sounds painful to me.
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exactly this! it is not intended to be a jlpt study resource, and op seems to be basing their claim around their desire to take the jlpt. that’s simply not it’s purpose. so maybe for them, there is no worth in going beyond level 15-20. everybody has different goals and plans for japanese, and that’s okay.
i will say that for the kanji portion itself of the exams, wanikani is helpful at all levels, so there’s that part of it.
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The forums don’t always immediately update your level when you level up.
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OP, btw, if you want to see the progress through JLPT/Joyo/Frequency as related to WK levels, rfindley’s got a great statistics site for that.
Check it out here.
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I’ve been in level 5 for about 4 days now. But I am still working on some vocab from level 4 since there were so many words compared to the last few levels. Maybe it counts it based on your vocab progress.
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Nope, it’s just the forum is not completely synced for levelling - if you log out and back in, it will update immediately.
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Hm it might also be if you haven’t actually started any of the level 5 items, wk may not count you as having “started” level 5. I know there was a weird thing about that with the API.
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Reading=Sentence-mining afaik
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An internet forum post is not a source. Why do you think you can replace direct kanji study with sentences? How will you learn he rest of the kanji?
Reading is essential but in no way replaces direct study.
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I couldn’t find the link, but I watched a video criticizing Anki and its 6000/10000 core vocab flashcards. The gist of it was that after 1000 core vocab the learner should switch to sentence-mining in their preferred topic. I believe Wanikani should also prioritize some 1000 vocab to allow the learner to cement Kanji by reading. Why else should we study Kanji?
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They haven’t updated in a while I guess, I the numbers were wrong
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But is the extra knowledge worth the time if I’m not simulataneously studying the context these words are used in? It’s like Japanese students studying English without context: “How do you spell ‘Aerated Peanut Butter’? What is it? I don’t know, just spell it.”
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First good response, thank you. I’ve taken the SRS and mnemonics for granted lol
This video by Cure Dolly wouldn’t happen to be the video you are talking about would it?
Good find on the error on their website. I’ll email WaniKani about the bug.
I don’t think I quite understand your point yet. By prioritize 1000 vocab do you mean cutting out the other 5000 vocab they teach? I’m fairly certain the “core 1000” you speak of already exists within the 6360 vocab, and its main purpose IS to cement the kanji you are learning in your brain, since all the vocab contain the kanji learned through WK. Correct my understanding if I’m not getting your point.
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I mean to say that without my mom (a native) I wouldn’t know the difference between 死 and 亡. Not a perfect example obv, but you get my point.
If Wanikani is meant for studying Kanji, and as a result the vocab is taken out of context for simplicity (and therefore is of a lower quality) then shouldn’t the amount of vocab presented be lowered, or the quality increased?
As others have already written here, WK explicitly states that it is not meant to be used as a stand-alone resource; they expect you to learn the nuances of the language through reading once you are at a level to do so.
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Well there are 3 context sentences at the bottom of each vocab card, so there is exposure to the context these words live in. Personally when that is not enough to differentiate between seemingly synonymous words (or kanji such as 亡 and 死) I look it up on jisho.org or ejje.weblio.jp.
Could you expand on how the quality can be increased?
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Wanikani offers to teach these things in 1-2 years. Is it not too much to assume that I could use the vocab outright? 学ぶ、and 自決 offer context for example, but 丸、and 円 don’t.
Wanikani is not good for studying vocab as the context for using it is generally not provided. These are not just my words: many here have said this.
This being the case, shouldn’t the amount of vocab be either lowered or improved by adding some context?
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I didn’t come here for JLPT, but if I’m not even able to use it for that I am asking what I should use Wanikani for.
I guess the quantity of context-less vocab is a necessary evil then on the path to copious amounts of Kanji.
Nope, JLPT just seemed like a worthy goal if Wanikani shouldn’t be used for studying vocab. I was asking why I should bother using it once I’m able to absorb Kanji through my topic of interest.