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SC2013 - Ryoji's Blog [Kanji Stage] My Journey Into Japanese


Ryoji

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Yes this is a blatant rip off of Tay's Blog and I officially admit that im not smart enough to be original in this regard. Ok that out of the way here we go...

Goal 1: I want to learn the Kanji and Kana in 2013.

Goal 2: I want to read at least one volume of K-on! in Japanese in 2013

Goal 3: I want to read at least part of a visual novel in Japanese in 2013

Study Time: As my days are mostly LOUD due to my beautiful wife, my study time will be after she is asleep. So 10pm to 11pm daily.

Where I'm at right now: I have to say ive tried Rosetta Stone, JapanesePOD101 and a few others. I have some limited knowledge and want to get better, so here I am.

"So! I'll be posting on Day 1 (Monday), as well as Day 3, and then weekly after that!"

Im going to try to update at least once a week. Ill do a day 3 update to start.

Well, post 1 in the books. I look forward to working with everyone and learning Japanese in a fun way. Thanks in advance for your support!!

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Day 3 Update!!

Ok guys, day 3 is here so i thought id give you an update where im at.

Goal 1: I want to learn the Kanji and Kana in 2013.

Goal 2: I want to read at least one volume of K-on! in Japanese in 2013

Goal 3: I want to read at least part of a visual novel in Japanese in 2013

Well im 140 Kanji in. Thats committed to memory. Beaten into my old thick head lol.

Ive been able to practice 2 hours the first night and about 1 to 1.5 hours each night since due to my wife being sick. Cannot concentrate to well when shes not feeling good. Soon ill be able to up the time spent studying soon so that will help me improve faster.

Anyway, not sure what else to say other then im extremely happy so far and very motivated. Thanks guys.

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Well im 140 Kanji in. Thats committed to memory. Beaten into my old thick head lol.

Ive been able to practice 2 hours the first night and about 1 to 1.5 hours each night since due to my wife being sick. Cannot concentrate to well when shes not feeling good. Soon ill be able to up the time spent studying soon so that will help me improve faster.

Anyway, not sure what else to say other then im extremely happy so far and very motivated. Thanks guys.

That's really good! Keep it up, and I hope your wife gets better soon too!

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Well done! Fantastic!

How are you holding up with reviews? Are you able to spread them out throughout the day? They can pile up if you're not careful (and for me, they're the biggest deterrent to studying)...

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Well done! Fantastic!

How are you holding up with reviews? Are you able to spread them out throughout the day? They can pile up if you're not careful (and for me, they're the biggest deterrent to studying)...

I noticed that. Im trying to spend 30-45 min in the morning to review. Need to work out a schedule everything is kinda new still.

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I noticed that. Im trying to spend 30-45 min in the morning to review. Need to work out a schedule everything is kinda new still.

Yeah, it's definitely a key part of the process.

One thing that has made all the difference for me is a concept called "timeboxing": where you set a timer and say to yourself, "I'm going to give myself 15 minutes, and not a minute more. Let's see how many I can review in that time period."

Believe it or not, timeboxing has worked wonders for me: not only do I work faster, but I work more efficiently, too. Back when I was doing 100 a day the reviews were getting overwhelming. Breaking it down to 15 minute sessions was less stressful, plus I worked faster (nearly cut my review time in half). I'd recommend trying it out! (plus, when you set a 15 minute limit, it kind of becomes a game) (unless you get stressed about the time, which you shouldn't -- it's not a race)

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Yeah, it's definitely a key part of the process.

One thing that has made all the difference for me is a concept called "timeboxing": where you set a timer and say to yourself, "I'm going to give myself 15 minutes, and not a minute more. Let's see how many I can review in that time period."

Believe it or not, timeboxing has worked wonders for me: not only do I work faster, but I work more efficiently, too. Back when I was doing 100 a day the reviews were getting overwhelming. Breaking it down to 15 minute sessions was less stressful, plus I worked faster (nearly cut my review time in half). I'd recommend trying it out! (plus, when you set a 15 minute limit, it kind of becomes a game) (unless you get stressed about the time, which you shouldn't -- it's not a race)

Awesome idea Tay. I Think timeboxing sounds like a good idea. Ill give it a try tomorrow when i review. Thanks man!!

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Ok guys, it's day 5 is here so heres what's going on.

Well im 200 Kanji in. (Thanks Tay for idea about timeboxing)

wife is doing better so i can concentrate better. It seems to be getting harder for some reason. I wont be deterred though so no worries. Ive decided to review 3 times a day.

10AM: 30 min

3PM: 30 min

9pm: 30 min review while im getting coffee ready for my study session.

This is my plan for now on. SO actually time studying will be closer to 3-4 hours a day.

Well day 5 is here and i got lost to learn still. Thanks for all the support guys. Seriously it helps.

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Made a bunch of Flash Cards to help memorize. Wife has decided to start helping me. T

Wife made 200 cards for the Kanji i have learned. When im bored or whatever i can test myself. Another great way to review.

What do you guys think? am I taking more on then I should??

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(Looks like you're reserving spots. If I interrupt multiple reserved slots, I'll delete this post and repost later)

Well im 200 Kanji in. (Thanks Tay for idea about timeboxing) ...It seems to be getting harder for some reason. I wont be deterred though so no worries. Ive decided to review 3 times a day...

First, congrats on 200! While on one hand it's hard to see how much more there is to go, the other hand should make us freakin' happy -- in just days you've nailed down 200 kanji! You're 10% done. That's pretty awesome.

Second, regarding things getting harder: I've had one or two periods where I start to feel like I'm 'grinding' kanji XP. I found that if it doesn't get better by the next day (tomorrow), I'd recommend taking a one-day break from new kanji and just reviewing the old kanji. With whatever extra study time you would have used to learn new Kanji, I'd meditate or whatever will help jazz you up for the next day. (such as reading Love Hina ; ))

This is my plan for now on. SO actually time studying will be closer to 3-4 hours a day.

No question that that's a TON of time. If it gets to a point where you can't give it that much time, or you start feeling tired giving it that much time, I'd suggest dropping down to 25 or 15 new kanji for a few days to wipe out reviews, and to recharge your batteries. Now -- it sounds like you're going strong, so perhaps it's not necessary at this point, but don't be afraid of "recharge" days in the future (but, even on those days, it's important to learn at least SOME new kanji [like 5-10]).

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Ok guys, it's day 9 is here so heres what's going on.

Well im 265 Kanji in. My review time is getting kinda crazy so Timeboxing has been a godsend.

Review times may vary a bit do to life happening.

10AM: 30 min

3PM: 30 min

9pm: 30 min review while im getting coffee ready for my study session.

10PM - 11:30 Study

Ive found myself being able to concentrate more and more. Like my mind is getting used to studying again. You guys gotta remember ive been out of High School for 20+ years.

Edit: Number was wrong its actually 285 kanji. Feedback is Welcome

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Ive found myself being able to concentrate more and more. Like my mind is getting used to studying again. You guys gotta remember ive been out of High School for 20+ years.

So, lol, this hopefully doesn't reflect on my university experience, but even though I'm a senior at the U and have done my fair share of studying all along the way, I've experienced this same thing with these kanji! As you get going your brain starts to function better/faster, and at times I find my mind surprising me with how well it works. It's kind of humbling to see how human beings are built to learn/absorb/improve, even when attempting difficult things.

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Ok guys, it's day 15 so here so heres what's going on.

Well im 340 Kanji in.

This last week has been CRAAAAZY. Somehow i still manage to study and review.

Still really motivated. My brain seems to be getting used to studying again, which is saying something lol.

My Goal for Feb is to be at 500 Kanji by the end of the month. Lofty goal to say the least and not sure if I can do it, but establishing short term goals seem to help me stay motivated.

Review time has seemed to be getting more crazy, so still doing the 3x review daily plus the 1.5 - 2 hours study time. Wish me luck!!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok guys, it's day 24 sorry i havnt updated like im supposed to.

Well im 425 Kanji in.

Still really motivated. The Kanji are getting really hard but the review time ive set aside and used seems to be working really well.

My Goal for Feb is to be at 500 Kanji by the end of the month. Lofty goal to say the least and not sure if I can do it, but establishing short term goals seem to help me stay motivated.

well, 9 days left in Feb and i still need 75 Kanji to reach my goal. Im sure as hell going to try, but the amount of time I need to spend reviewing might make it impossible.

Support and encouragement would help quite a bit.

Thanks

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頑張って, Ryoji! You managed 85 in the last 9 days, so you can do 75 in these next 9 days too =]. Believe!

Thanks man. Yyeah its just the review time thats killing me.

Don't worry man, I'm sure you'll be able to reach that goal! That's less than 10 per day and if I can do that you can for sure lol

Anyway, keep it up!

Yeah ill get it. For sure im determined!!

Heres a pretty motivating Uplifting Trance song to listen to. When listening, listen to all the various tunes in the song. Think about all the positive things in life and relax.

You'll find a way to learn all those kanjis and jump over all those obstacles there for you. You can do it as long as your determination to learn is genuine. You can do it.

Hope this helps :)/>

Epic song man. Thanks

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Hey Ryoji,

This is really impressive! At the end of the month the key will be to look back at those you've learned (and are learning), and appreciate that not only have you learned TONS of Kanji that just a few weeks ago you didn't know, but that you're essentially 1/4 of the way over the biggest hurdle of all.

Congrats : )

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