Japanese Update 4/4/2014
Getting harder. However I'm about a hundred cards further than the last post, and at card 229/555. So almost halfway in 2k_1. Pretty happy about that. I'm learning a few principles when it comes to studying kanji:
- Study time must be focused. Yesterday I studied the new cards on the T on the way home, while standing. It was crowded and trying to keep your balance doesn't bode well for memory retention. I had 22 missed cards today-- fortunately I put in some concentrated time during work today.
- Good stories are essential. Making a memorable story will help you immediately recall the kanji for the keyword.
- Writing helps cement the kanji. Usually I'll trace the kanji on the blank screen, but today I tried writing on paper, which helped a lot. Something about it makes a connection in the brain better.
In general my recall is ok. We'll see what happens as I learn more cards. I'm also starting to use Lang-8, an online language learning forum. Attempting to write in Japanese is incredibly hard. One thing that I've found difficult is all the little words used after nouns to denote different types of actions. In vocab I have noticed that recognizing the kanji does help to connect the pronunciation to the word. So I can see the value to learning the kanji first before vocab.
I do want to keep pushing myself to see just how many I can get through quickly. Right now I spend about 20-25 min each day of study, which isn't too much. If I doubled that and did 20 new cards a day that'd be great. If be able to finish all of RTK in LRS than 3 more months. Right now I'm aiming to finish in 6 more months.
I do want to keep pushing myself to see just how many I can get through quickly. Right now I spend about 20-25 min each day of study, which isn't too much. If I doubled that and did 20 new cards a day that'd be great. If be able to finish all of RTK in LRS than 3 more months. Right now I'm aiming to finish in 6 more months.
