猫と日本語が好きです!

はじめまして! チョコです。アメリカ人です。6年ぐらい日本語を勉強しています。よろしく! (previously @chokopan)

[nyahongo]

イントロ :

こんにちは! チョコと申します。アメリカ人です。これは私の日本語のブログです。４年ぐらい日本語を勉強していますけど、2018年まで勉強に真剣ではありませんでした。あの時にこのブログを始めました。日常生活に日本語を使いたいですから、自分の文を書くのついてに練習するのことができるの有用と思います。

ここに、日本語で日記を書いて、日常生活の写真をポストします。日本語は難しいですけど、とても面白くて、楽しいと思います。がんばります! ٩(๑`^´๑)۶

よろしくおねがいします! (*´ω`*)〜♪

[easy-japan]

Kanji Learning Hack

If you already know just one character, you can often just add a tiny bit of extra information to unlock a brand-new one!

Let's expand the kanji 大 into 太:

大 (Big): A person standing and stretching their arms out wide. "Look how BIG I am!"

太 (Fat/Thick): The exact same big person, but now there is an extra dot (丶) right between their legs. That’s a drop of fatty sweat dripping down because they are carrying some extra weight.

[nyahongo]

漢字の形を覚える方法

そのとおりです！これがいい漢字を覚える方法です。漢字は他の漢字の形が踏まえますので、新しい漢字を覚えるのが安くてなります。部首の形と意味を覚えれば、漢字の意味も分かってできます！ときどき、語源も調べて、漢字の形の龍を読んで、これはも有用です。

たとえば、昨日は、これら漢字はシリーズに勉強しました：

商 → 品 → 音 → 竟 → 鏡

「商」 と 「品」 の意味はつながって、部首も同じようです（口）。それから、ともに覚えれば、2つ漢字を思い出します！

次は、「音」 と 「竟」 と 「鏡」の形は同じようの文は⋯「音」 です！

音 + 儿 = 竟

竟 + 金 = 鏡

これら漢字の意味は違ってので、形は同じようです！視覚的の似寄を機に乗じして、意味を覚えるのために！どうやって？ストーリーを考えます！

じゃ、ストーリーを説明してには、英語をスイッチします〜　(*´∀｀*)

As a memory tool, I use mnemonics or stories to help me remember the meanings of kanji that are thematically or visually related.

For example:

商 (merchant)

品 (goods, sold by a merchant)

音 (sound) - shares the 立 component with 商

竟 (finally) - contains 音 (sound) as a component

鏡 (mirror) - contains 竟 (finally) as a component

Instead of coming up with five separate mnemonics, why not make a story that strings these kanji together?

So who's a memorable merchant who sells goods? The cabbage 🥬 guy from Avatar the Last Airbender!

商

Keyword: merchant

Components: 立 (stand) + 儿 (human legs) + 冋 (desert)

Mnemonic: Having fled Omashu, the cabbage merchant (商) decides to take his business somewhere else. Thinking it could be free of troublemakers, he tries to expand his business into the Si Wong Desert (冋). He proudly stands (立) on his own two human legs (儿) to guard his cart, but a passing sand-sailor immediately crashes into it, sending cabbages flying everywhere as he screams, "My cabbages!!!"

Vocabulary: 商人 (しょうにん) = merchant

品

Keyword: goods

Components: 口 (looks like 3 boxes stacked on top of each other, like boxes of goods for sale)

Mnemonic: With his new cart in the Si Wong Desert, the Cabbage Merchant is back in business! He's got his precious goods (品) stored in a stack of three wooden crates on his cart to protect them from the blistering desert heat.

Vocabulary: 商品 (しょうひん) – commodity, product, goods

音

Keyword: sound

Components: 立 (stand), 日 (day)

Mnemonic: Every single day (日), the Cabbage Merchant stands (立) next to his cart to sell his precious cabbages. Without fail, the tragic sound (音) of his voice screaming "My cabbages!" echoes through the streets when his cart and all the cabbages get wrecked!

Vocabulary: 音 (おと) - sound

竟

Keyword: finally

Components: 音 (sound) + 儿 (human legs)

Mnemonic: After his cart is wrecked yet again, sending the tragic sound (音) of his scream ("MY CABBAGES!") echoing across the dunes, the Cabbage Merchant has finally (竟) had enough! He hires two massive Earthbenders who plant their powerful human legs (儿) firmly into the sand to protect his cart from troublemakers.

Vocabulary: ついに - finally (*Note: 竟に is a rarely-used kanji form; this word is usually written in kana only.)

鏡

Keyword: mirror

Components: 金 (gold) + 竟 (finally)

Mnemonic: The Cabbage Merchant finally (竟) has his two massive Earthbender guards standing by his cart. But to his absolute horror, they are incredibly vain! They bring out a massive gold (金) mirror (鏡), completely shirk their duties, and spend all day staring at their reflections. They flex their muscles in the glass, competing over who has the best bending stance, completely oblivious to the incoming destruction!

Vocabulary: 鏡 (かがみ) – mirror

I like to think of this mnemonic process as an exercise in creative writing. You have a defined set of keywords and kanji components, and you have to combine them in ways that "add up to" the kanji's meaning. The more memorable you can make the story, the easier it'll be to recall the kanji's meaning when you see the kanji. And if you can do that, it'll be easier to guess the meaning of the word that kanji is in!

This is especially true for compound words containing two kanji. For example, consider the word 食品. If you know that 品 means "goods" and 食 means "eat," what does 食品 mean? FOOD! (Or "foodstuffs" if you want to be more technical.) Only a small percentage of kanji are of this type ("combographs" or "semantic composite" kanji - read more about this here), but take any wins you can get, right?

[quiveringdeer]

昨日、12時にばんご飯を作って、日本語を勉強しましたから今日は、遅かった(おそかった)におきました。

朝ご飯にベーグルとソーセージを食べて、コーヒーを飲みました。朝ご飯を食べましたか？

(in the first sentence I am trying to say was making dinner and studying UNTIL midnight, but blanking on how to express that right now 😅 Still wanted to get some practice sentences done over breakfast this morning though.)

[nyahongo]

12時半まで起きましたか？えー、宵っぱりしましたね！もうできないです 😂

「Until」 は 「まで」 です！たとえば：

12時まで、晩ごはんを作って、日本語を勉強しましたから、今朝は遅くなって起きました。

文章の練習はいいですね！がんばって！😄👏🌸

[quiveringdeer]

そですね、わかりました！ありがと！！

はい、12時まで起きました。 前夜(ぜんや)も12時までおきました。😅 週末(しゅうまつ)...Want to say: That's why I sleep all day every weekend. 😂

Have to use my energy while I have it!

[nyahongo]

はい！どういたしまして！😊🩷

えー!! 大変そうですね！2日つづけて、いい寝ませんか？無理しないでね！眠のが大切です！

私はやっぱり８〜９時間ぐらいを寝ちゃきゃ、朝の時に、起きるのがすごく難しなっています。とても眠いですから 🤣

私も週末の朝、寝坊します！ゆっくり起きるのが気持ちいでしょう？早い起きるのがいやー！😆

辞書をサーチして、「sleep all day」 は 「惰眠をむさぼる」です。おかげさまで、新しい言葉を見つけました！ありがとね！メモします！😄✍️

[quiveringdeer]

昨日、12時にばんご飯を作って、日本語を勉強しましたから今日は、遅かった(おそかった)におきました。

朝ご飯にベーグルとソーセージを食べて、コーヒーを飲みました。朝ご飯を食べましたか？

(in the first sentence I am trying to say was making dinner and studying UNTIL midnight, but blanking on how to express that right now 😅 Still wanted to get some practice sentences done over breakfast this morning though.)

[nyahongo]

12時半まで起きましたか？えー、宵っぱりしましたね！もうできないです 😂

「Until」 は 「まで」 です！たとえば：

12時まで、晩ごはんを作って、日本語を勉強しましたから、今朝は遅くなって起きました。

文章の練習はいいですね！がんばって！😄👏🌸

[easy-japan]

Differentiate 未 (not yet) & 末 (end)

[nyahongo]

私のコメントを返事して、ありがとうございます！この説明は本当に有用です！😃👏

漢字の語源を調べて、意味をもっと分かってできますが、時々同じような形の漢字を混同します。漢字は他の漢字を似るの時に、勉強はもっと難しなっています。😭

毎日、5つの新しい漢字を勉強します。それから、すこし言葉をそれらの漢字を使うも勉強します。時々、言葉もう知っていますから、音読みと訓読みを覚えるがもっと安くなっています！😄🙌

[zandraart]

wishing tree

[nyahongo]

今年、1000漢字の意味と読みを覚えますように！🎋🙏

[nyahongo]

チャッピー構文 : Tell-tale signs of AI-generated text in Japanese

I found this video very interesting! Similar to how the em dash has become a sign of AI-generated text in English, in Japanese text there are common features like emojis (👉 and 👇), bullet points, and Markdown language like double asterisks **. There are also common phrases, like まず (first of all, first) and つまり (in conclusion).

[nyahongo]

6月30日

みんな、こんにちは！

今週、天気がすっごく熱いですね。熱く過ぎて！やっぱり、夏は…きらいよー 秋はいつ来ますか！？😭

日本語の勉強のために、新しい本を買いました！タイトルは 「部首から知る漢字のなりたち」です。この本は漢字の部首と意味を説明します。とても面白くて、勉強のために便利と思います！

Amazon で買って、まだ来ません。来週かも、来ます！楽しみしています！それまで、読むのために、この本の電子ブックバージョンを使っています。JF Foundation から、Libby には日本語にたくさんの本あります。マンガとか日本語の勉強とか、Libby はいっぱいの本があります！無料もです!! すごいでしょう！

とにかく、この本は漢字を勉強のために。

これはたとえばのページです：

翻訳 (ほんやく; Translation):

第七章　物や道具に関係する部首

Chapter 7: Radicals Related to Objects and Tools

罒 (よこめ・よんかしら／・あみがしら) - the net radical

「罒」と 「 」（網頭）は、もともとは網を表しています。 「罒」 が、「四」に似ていることから 「四」（四頭）とも呼びます。

These radicals originally represented a hunting or fishing net. Because 罒 looks similar to the kanji for four (四), it is also commonly referred to as "yonkashira."

Grade Levels & Example Kanji:

四年生 (4th Grade)：置

五年生 (5th Grade)：罪

六年生 (6th Grade)：署

弋 (しきがまえ・よく) - the arrow/stake radical

「弋」（式構）のもともとの形は、矢に糸をつけ鳥や魚を捕らえる狩猟道具を表します。また杭を表します。

The original shape of 弋 represents a hunting tool used to catch birds or fish by attaching a string to an arrow. It also represents a stake or peg.

Side Note Box: 「一」、「二」、「三」 を、それぞれ 「壱」、「弐」、「参」 と書くことがあります。「弐」 は、部首 「弋」 になります。

The numbers "one," "two," and "three" are sometimes written formally as 壱, 弐, and 参 (legal/formal numerals). The kanji 弐 (two) belongs to the radical 弋.

Grade Levels & Example Kanji:

三年生 (3rd Grade)：式

それまで、200漢字を覚えています！もちろん、これからまだまだですが、勉強は楽しみしています！漢字は面白くて、小さいパズルみたいですね！😊🌸

じゃ、またね！👋

[nyahongo]

鮭 (さけ) vs. しゃけ 🐟

Did you know that 鮭 and しゃけ both mean "salmon" in Japanese?

I came across しゃけ in my Marugoto textbook:

I know "salmon" is pronounced さけ, but what does しゃけ mean? Does it also mean "salmon?" 🤔

Yes and no, apparently!

しゃけ is for food while 鮭 is for the living fish

According to WaniKani:

Typically when you refer to the living animal, you use さけ, and when you refer to salmon as a food, it's more likely to be しゃけ (but it can go either way). There might be some generational and regional differences, though.

A quick Google search revealed this fascinating regional difference:

Basically:

鮭 (さけ) is the standard, formal, and written term. It is often preferred when referring to the living fish in nature.

しゃけ is a colloquial, spoken pronunciation. It is very commonly used in daily conversation, especially when referring to the fish as food (cooked, grilled, or as an onigiri filling).

What about サーモン?

サーモン: This term is used—particularly at sushi restaurants and other dining establishments—to refer to raw, farmed salmon. Farmed salmon is apparently more commonly used in sushi because there's less risk of foodborne illnesses such as parasites.

[languagelvlup]

Realizing that work doesn’t feel like it’s helping my Japanese improve because it’s teaching me things that are NOT what I want to learn.

At this point I’m upper intermediate, so I know most of the essential skills that carry over between different settings. Basic grammar, function words, listening fundamentals.

Now, it’s most filling in the vocab, and unfortunately I’m spending 40 hours a week learning things like INVOICE and LOGISTICS and TAX WITHHELD and surprise surprise these things don’t help me read my fantasy mystery romance manga any more smoothly

[springbacktolife]

the obvious solution is to read fantasy mystery romance manga AT work *nods sagely*

[lunalingua]

seriously though, this is what ive been talking about. Like they lure you in with "100 words cover 50% of the language!" or whatever bs factoid, and then it's like 15 years later and you have learned 250,4346,43222.642 words and somehow it is not enough

[nyahongo]

I've been watching a lot of isekai anime lately and I've heard the word 支配者 enough times that it stuck. I think how many words you "need to know" varies depending on what you want to use words for. Everyone's interests are different, so making a huge vocabulary list and saying "know this list and you'll be fluent!" is a huge misconception.

[nyahongo]

Hi friends, it's been a while since my last post. I've been struggling really hard with depression, anxiety, and GI issues (which landed me in the ER twice in the past few months). Naturally, studying Japanese has taken a back seat.

I logged in to Migaku yesterday to find 300+ reviews waiting for me, and I've managed to whittle that number down to less than 200. I can do a little bit each day, and it will add up over time, even if it's hard to see right now. There's always more to learn, but I can't let how much I don't know be so daunting that I stop learning. Learning this language is a hobby - it's supposed to be fun. When it stops being fun, progress stops too. Any small way I can interact with the Japanese language counts - it doesn't have to be all textbooks, all the time.

I'm currently on summer break from my MLIS coursework, so I have until mid-August until classes resume. I'm really enjoying the program so far, and seeing other MLIS degree holders in the community recently made me feel really excited!

Here's to moving forward, one step and one day at a time.

[nyahongo]

Using は to create space for contrast

The topic particle は can either replace or combine with other particles in order to mark the topic of a sentence. For example, は replaces を to mark the direct object as the topic of a sentence.

私も弁当を食べる。

→ I will eat a bento, too.

Has no topic (nothing is marked by は)

Direct object = 弁当 (marked by を)

弁当は、私も食べる。

→ As for a bento, I will also eat it.

Topic = 弁当 (marked by は)

Direct object = still 弁当

What is は doing in the second sentence?

Interpretation #1: A neutral statement. 弁当 is the topic of the conversation, and the speaker is mentioning that they also eat 弁当.

Interpretation #2: Introducing a contrastive topic. 弁当 is the topic of the conversation, but the speaker is being specific about eating 弁当 versus something else.

Contrastive は

Think of は as putting a spotlight on a topic and quietly implying:

"As for X… (here’s what I want to say about it — and it might differ from other things)."

That "might differ from other things" is where the contrast sneaks in. It’s not always strong contrast — sometimes it’s just a gentle nudge.

私も弁当を食べる。

→ I will eat a bento, too.

Focus = 私

You're adding yourself to the group.

No contrast implied.

弁当は、私も食べる。

→ As for a bento, I will also eat it.

Focus = 弁当

You're adding your action to the topic of 弁当.

Contrast = between 弁当 and other possible foods/topics/other people's actions

A trick to feel the contrast

If you can naturally add "but…" after the は phrase, the contrast is there.

弁当は、私も食べる。

→ As for the bento… (but the curry? maybe not).

You don’t have to say the second half — Japanese often leaves it unsaid.

Additional Examples

① りんごは食べるけど、バナナは食べない。

As for apples, I eat them, but bananas I don’t.

Contrast = explicit (けど)

Topics = りんご and バナナ (は marks the things being contrasted)

② 今日は行くけど、明日は行かない。

→ As for today, I’ll go, but tomorrow I won’t.

Contrast = explicit (けど)

Topics = 今日 and 明日 (は marks the things being contrasted)

③ コーヒーは飲む。

→ I drink coffee (but maybe not other things).

Contrast = implicit

Topic = コーヒー (marked by は)

Compare to:

コーヒーを飲む。

→ I drink coffee.

Direct object = コーヒー (marked by を)

Neutral and factual.

No contrast implied.

[wwwwwwwwwwww123]

(Xユーザーのせきのさん: 「パン屋初めての人 https://t.co/XfsOorX8WA」 / Xから)

[nyahongo]

I was able to read almost all of this short comic and guess some of the words based on context, which is something I haven't been able to do before!! So exciting! 🥹

I was able to do this because I was already familiar with the words, just not how they're written in kanji. This is why previous vocabulary knowledge is so important! Even learning how to write a word in hiragana is helpful - it builds the foundation for the kanji later. And by tying previous knowledge to new knowledge, the memory of that previous knowledge gets stronger, which improves recall.

Because this is a comic and uses visuals, I was able to guess that 屋 was pronounced や (パン屋 = bakery) and that 初 was pronounced はじ (初めて = first time, one's first) based on the context: a) the events in this comic are happening in a bakery, and b) the person is just helping himself to the bread and eating it before paying, so he's clearly never been to a bakery before. I was also able to guess that 客 was pronounced きゃく (お客さま = customer) because this is how retail customers are addressed in Japanese, and お and さま are indicators of polite, formal language. Lastly, I was able to guess that 当 was pronounced あ because I was familiar with the colloquial phrase 当たり前でしょ! already (あたりまえでしょ!) and I already knew that 前 was pronounced まえ.

It's like playing Hangman: if there's a series of letters you already know to be a part of a word, there's a good chance you can guess what the rest of the word is.

The only phrase I didn't recognize was 見殺し (みごろし) which is a colloquial phrase that apparently means letting (someone) die without helping. In the context of this comic, I think this phrase has the nuance of "Thanks for nothing!!!" because it was this person's first time in a bakery, and the staff person didn't give him any help at all. I looked up this phrase on Weblio, and it says: "To stand by and watch someone being killed or in distress, and not intervene, or to be unable to help and leave them to their fate."

Title: パン屋初めての人

Comic text:

ちょっとお客さまおやめください!!!

えっ?

これって食べちゃダメなんですか?

当たり前でしょ! えっ? パン屋初めて?

はい･･･

入口にあるトングでパンをトレーに入れてレジで買ってください!

えっ? トング?? トレー??? なんだよこの店!!!! 初見殺しすぎるだろ!!!!

[nyahongo]

春はとうとう来ますね！

少し散歩して、きれい桜を見つけました！ピンクの桜はやっぱり一番好きな〜 🌸😍

今日の天気は少し暖かいけど、いい風があっても、今晩も散歩したいかもね。

毎日、日本語の勉強のために、漢字を勉強して、単語と文法を復習しています。少しずつ、もっと新しい漢字を読みたいです。がんばります！

じゃ、またね〜👋

[nyahongo]

Honest Thoughts About Migaku

I have been studying kanji using Migaku's Kanji Academy Level 1 course, and I recently started the combined vocabulary and grammar course (Japanese Academy Level 1 course). Since it's been a few months, I wanted to write about my experience so far.

The Kanji Academy course says to learn 10 new cards per day for three weeks (that's 210 cards total) before starting the Japanese Academy course. The kanji course covers approximately 800 kanji, but also includes cards for kanji components (most of which are recognized kanji radicals, but some are not). Out of 1273 total cards, if 800 of them are kanji cards, then 473 are component cards.

Components Cards

In my opinion, the components cards are meant to introduce different parts of the kanji you'll learn and helps give you a solid foundation to build on when learning the kanji made up of those components. Unlike WaniKani, Migaku seems to group kanji not by meaning, but by visual appearance and complexity based on whether you've already learned the components of a given kanji yet.

For example, the course starts with the following components:

丶(dot)

⺍ (drops, a variant of dot)

冖 (roof)

These components combine to build another component: 龸 (schoolhouse).

Then, you get the first kanji, 一 (one). The next kanji is 子 (child) and then you get this kanji: 学 (learning), which contains the previously learned components and kanji. It's kind of like math:

⺍ (drops) + 冖 (roof) = 龸 (schoolhouse)

龸 (schoolhouse) + 子 (child) = 学 (learning)

At first, I found this approach to be interesting and fun, but as I progressed, I found 10 cards per day to be too much. I lowered the number of cards down to 5, and found that much more manageable. However, I also felt that learning all of these components and kanji in isolation was quite a slog. Of the first 210 cards in the kanji course, 150 of them are kanji (the rest are component cards). Out of roughly 800 kanji, 150 kanji is less than 20% of the course. What could I do to make the process feel more enjoyable and relevant to actually using the language?

The answer: vocabulary!

I started using Jisho.org to find vocabulary words I already knew using the kanji I was studying. To continue the previous example, I already knew the kanji 学 was in a bunch of school-related words, like:

学生 (がくせい)

学校 (がっこう)

大学 (だいがく)

大学院 (だいがくいん)

I added these words to a Word document I'm using to record my studies, highlighting the kanji being used. Another thing I'd like to try - especially with new or unfamiliar vocabulary - is writing my own sentences.

*Note: Another reason to look up vocabulary words is because not every kanji card lists words that use that kanji.

Japanese Academy Level 1

Now that I've started the Japanese Academy Level 1 course, I'm reviewing basic grammar and making connections between kanji I've learned the meaning of and vocabulary words that use them. Each "lesson" goes over a grammar point and then introduces vocabulary words along with example sentences using that grammar. The words use kanji already learned in the kanji course, so the only thing that's "new" for me is connecting the kanji and its meaning to the pronunciation of the word itself.

What I really like about this course is that a sentence using the vocabulary word is given on the front of the card. The sentence gives you context clues to help you try to guess what the word means, but this only works if you know the meaning of the kanji used in that word. Thus, the Kanji Academy Level 1 course and this course work together. Knowledge gained in one course can be immediately applied in the other. At the same time, by learning vocabulary words that use familiar kanji, you also learn the most common readings for those kanji without much more effort. WaniKani's mnemonics for kanji readings don't work for me, and I found it much more difficult to come up with better ones on my own. I didn't see the point of forcing myself to remember that 口 is read as こう before learning a word that actually uses that pronunciation. It's like learning it twice: the pronunciation on its own first and then a related vocabulary word. On the other hand, learning through repeated exposure in context means learning vocabulary words in sentences, and then the more times you see the word, the more you remember how to read that word, including the readings of the kanji that are in it.

For example, a card appeared with the vocabulary word 元気 on the front. I've seen both of these kanji already, and I already knew a few words that use the kanji 気. My first guess was てんき ("weather") but this word doesn't make sense in the sentence. My second guess was げんき, which means "lively," "energetic," or "healthy." (*Note: You can choose whether or not to show furigana on the front of a card. I have furigana only on the back of a card toggled on.)

... Aaand I was right!

Given my feelings of frustration with my kanji studies as of late, guessing this card correctly was a huge morale booster.

This experience taught me that you can't make guesses without understanding the context of the sentence, and you can't understand the context without already knowing the meaning of the kanji in the word whose meaning you're guessing as well as some words that use that kanji. In the above example, I knew that the kanji 気 is read as き in some words (e.g. てんき, げんき) and I knew what those words meant. If I didn't, I wouldn't have been able to guess what 元気 meant or how it was pronounced. Accumulating vocabulary knowledge slowly takes time, but repeated exposure can help you remember that 元気 is read as げんき so that when you see another word with 気 in it, your brain goes, "Oh! I've seen 気 before! Is it pronounced き in this word?"

The Slog of the First 210 Cards

To get to this point, I had to get through 210 cards (150 kanji and 60 components). At a pace of 10 cards per day, this is supposed to take 21 days, or 3 weeks. It took me much longer because I got burnt out, missed a lot of days, and I didn't lower the card amount until the middle of March (the second row from the bottom in the streak chart below).

I started the Japanese Academy Level 1 course on March 27th even though I still had 10 more Kanji Academy course cards to learn because I was tired of the slog and wanted to make all of that accumulated kanji knowledge more relevant.

Keeping Track of Progress

Something that I wish Migaku had that WaniKani has available through user extensions is a progress screen that shows you how many kanji you've learned and how far you have to go. I think a breakdown through a pie chart would be a helpful visual indicator of one's progress.

Something like this:

I haven't used Migaku to make flash cards yet because I'm not sure how helpful sentence mining will be for me. I talked about this before in another post, but I don't think continually making cards for random new words and reviewing them forever is a good use of the little study time I have. Although repeated exposure through SRS for the basics is helpful, I don't think relying on it for long-term learning is helpful. If all I need for basic reading comprehension is 1000 or so kanji, I think I'd rather consolidate learned kanji and vocabulary in long-term memory through repeated exposure from of native material than reviewing flashcards forever.

At 5 cards per day, I should finish the kanji course by late October. The other course has grammar in it, but considering I've learned most of that already, the part I'll need to focus on is tying kanji to vocabulary words I know already (and learning new ones). I hope to finish that course at some point within the next year, assuming I can bump up the number of cards to 10 once I finish the kanji course.

Compared to WaniKani and the other methods I've tried to study kanji, I have found Migaku to be the most helpful because kanji are arranged by visual complexity through components, rather than by meaning. Components used in a particular kanji are presented first, and then you can combine them in different ways to produce mnemonics for different kanji, thus enabling you to remember their meanings more effectively. To keep this process from feeling like grinding, I look up the kanji on Jisho.org to find familiar vocabulary words that use them. If I know the word already and its meaning overlaps in some way with the kanji in it (which it usually does), then I can use that familiarity to boost my memory of that kanji.

As for handwriting, I've decided to not worry about it for the time being. I don't have much free time and I want to prioritize learning meanings and vocabulary words over stroke order. Most of my writing in Japanese is electronic anyways, and as I currently don't live in Japan... I don't really need to learn how to handwrite kanji. I would like to, but it's not a priority for me right now.

Everyone learns differently. If WaniKani hasn't worked for you and Heisig's RTK seems impossible, check out Migaku!

[nyahongo]

I was inspired by @aster-notes study posts so I took some pictures of a study session before work and "labeled" them! I used my iPad and Apple Pencil to add annotations in my own handwriting. It was so fun to do!

My tablet case, wireless mouse, pen pouch, and Apple Pencil "case" (a silicone tube, basically, that functions like a traditional pencil gripper and also protects it while keeping the cap from falling off and getting lost) are all ✨pink✨ Can you tell it's one of my favorite colors? 🩷 (о´∀`о)

My favorites are:

Pentel Energel gel pen, 0.3 mm - the super super fine ballpoint size is amazing for writing kanji!

Kokuyo Fit Curve mechanical pencil, 0.5 mm - I prefer mechanical pencils with a thick squishy gripper area; this reduces strain on my hands.

Zebra Mild Liners - I've amassed quite a collection over several years, but the pastel ones remain my favorite. I use these as highlighters mainly, and sometimes to make colorful headings in my notes on lined paper.

Pilot Kakuno fountain pen - I use this in my journal. I love how smooth this pen writes, and the ink cartridges are easy to replace. Pilot also has an ink converter kit so you can use any pen ink you'd like! At around $20, this is a great fountain pen for beginners, and is fairly priced. The pen caps come in different colors too, so you can get different colors for different nib sizes (makes it easier to tell them apart at a glance). My pink capped pen has an EF (extra fine) nib, for example. Also, the mascot is a nib with a little happy face! So cute!

Uniball Signo pens, 0.7 mm (pink) and 0.5 mm (black) - These are a bit pricier than the Pentel Energel ones, so I don't use them as often. The pink color disappears nicely under a red check sheet!

PaperMate Ink Joy gel pens - These write so smoothly, but the ink tends to smudge on certain papers. I use these primarily for color coding (e.g. pink for new words, blue for grammar, etc.).

[nyahongo]

What does 可 mean?

I just saw this kanji on Migaku today, and underneath the keyword "can" there are additional meanings: mustn't, should not, and do not.

But on Jisho, the listed meanings are: can, passable, and approval.

What's going on here? Can and do not are quite opposite from each other, and the difference is confusing my brain and making it harder to remember this kanji's meaning as can.