Opinions on Bunpro for grammar

9 comments

1. One more thing, for people who used Bunpro, how long would it take to go through the entire course assuming I use it 30min-1h a day?

2. I’ve never used Bunpro but I’d just like to say that you shouldn’t confine yourself to one resource for grammar. When researching some aspect of grammar, look widely as different perspectives are given by different people and they’ll (mostly) add to your knowledge.

   By all means use a single resource to guide your path, but don’t be afraid to supplement it with other resources on the journey.

3. >Do you guys think I can exclusively use Bunpro and go from N5 to at least N2 (grammar wise)?

   No

4. From my experience it’s really great. I already knew most of n5 before I started so I was able to get through that really easily. N4 didn’t take me long either. Since they added actual grammar explanations from n5 to 4 it got even easier for me.

   I’m now around 1/4 through n3.

   I started using it 8 months ago

   I still have some grammar points that I just can’t grasp.

   You won’t learn how to write sentences with it so the best would be if you get a good textbook too.

5. I started using it in January. I finished N5 and am 20% of the way through N4. Bunpro has decent explanations for N5 and N4, and is working on adding them for the rest. It also has links to websites and books with additional explanations for each item. So, e.g., if you have Genki it’s very easy to use that since Bunpro will give you the exact page number.

   The SRS aspect is amazing and is pretty advanced. There are only 10 SRS sentences for each grammar point, though you can add your own. There’s many ways to supplement Bunpro, from reading native material to doing sentence flashcards in Anki. But I think of Bunpro as the backbone of my grammar studies, and it has made a huge difference in what, during previous attempts to learn Japanese, was always my weak point.

   I learn 2 grammar points a day. Between that and SRS it probably takes me about 45 minutes, not necessarily all at the same time. 2 grammar points per day will get you through N5 in 2 months, 3 months for N4, and 3.5 months for each of N3 and N2. So, a year. You should obviously be learning kanji and vocabulary during this time, as well as gradually reading native material.

6. I would never grammar srs personally. Don’t necessarily have anything against it though, especially compared to some other stuff.

7. I love Bunpro and use it everyday, but I do use it mostly as a review tool for the grammar points I learn on textbooks.

8. I bought a life sub to Bunpro after loving Wanikani but could never get into it. The links to grammar are good but I felt myself remembering the sentences rather than the grammar, in other words the start of the sentence triggered my response which was no help at all. As there are multiple ways to say the same thing with different grammar, albeit with different nuances, it became an impenetrable mess for me. I added my own sentences which was fairly cumbersome. When I tried to reset to start again my own sentences remained meaning I couldn’t reset fully and again it was too much work to delete them all one by one. Haven’t used it in a couple of years now.

9. I cannot recommend Bunpro enough. It took me under a year to complete all the grammar contents of the website, which means N5 to N1; it’s with no doubt in my mind the most efficient way to learn japanese grammar at a fast rate.

   I used to do about 9 grammar points a day when I was doing one section. N5 took 2 weeks, did N4 immediately after, did N3 not too long after and N2/N1 were more spaced (because eventually the amount of reviews pile up). Lots of people think that’s too much, too intense, but it’s really not. I suggest going on bunpro twice a day, or really whenever you have some free time and not too sure what to do, to do some (or all currently available) reviews so it doesn’t get overwhelming.

   Trust yourself and trust your brain. You CAN take more than you think you can, even if in the following days you repeatedly forget some things. It will end up sticking.

   You also don’t need other resources – if you REALLY need more info on a grammar point (but honestly, sometimes less is better), bunpro has links, and imabi is a great reference website, although complex. Do the bunpro route, not the textbooks routes.

   Past N5 on bunpro, you can start pushing through reading. And by can, I mean you can as in you are able to, even if it doesn’t seem like it.