I had a quick question for anybody that has used Genki and know how long it took them or if you can give an estimate based on how long it took you.
A Japanese 201 class I’m trying to sign up for in college starts at Genki lesson 9, the courses starts on August 22nd so I was wondering how possible or realistic is it for someone to get to Lesson 9 in about a month starting at the beginning?
I know it’s probably technically possible and varies per person but would it be way too hard and just not worth it in the end or even just too much information to retain in a short time-span?
If so, how much hours do you think a day should a typical person put towards studying then to get that far and how should I pace myself?
Thanks in advance for any input
4 comments
Not possible. Cram everyday , vocab, grammar, speaking, listening, and then forget everything immediately anyway.
Kinda dug yourself a hole of you are starting from scratch. Also, most colleges require 101/102 first, or a placement test anyway
Everyone is different. For me personally, the grammar is easy to understand and write. However, my brain processes slower (I’m probably much older than you), so it’s hard for me to speak using new grammarq. I notice my mistakes the second they’re finished leaving my mouth.
The big problem for me is vocab. Look at the amount of vocabulary in units 1-8 (including Kanji). Do you have the capacity to learn it all (receptive and productive skills) in a month? I know that I absolutely wouldn’t. But you’re not me.
You can always try and see how you do. When I started my Korean course a few years back, I tested into a class that was entirely too hard for me. I failed my first term, but i caught up and got an A the second time around and went on to complete 2 more levels. There’s no shame in retaking a class.
Edited: erroneous math
Each chapter is supposed to take 6 hours, plus 3 for reading and writing.
6×8 = 72
Divided, by…. 39 days if you start tomorrow… an an hour and 50 minutes of study daily.
But you’ll probably want to do more to approximate homework, plus speaking practice with a tutor…. Let’s double that. So 3 hours and 49 minutes a day.
Genki study plan:
Two or three 45-60 minute study sessions a day are a good goal. Example: Chunk A – vocab, kanji and dialogue; Chunk B – textbook; Chunk C – workbook. Hire a tutor on iTalki for speaking/writing help a few times a week (or just to help for an hour a day).
Before studying the chapter, get the vocabulary and kanji (if any) down.
Try reading the dialogue WITHOUT looking at the English translation. Try to guess the meaning from the pictures and the dialogue prompts. Check to see how you did.
Chunk A: Everyday practice vocabulary, kanji (if any) and dialogue, shadow the audio.
Chunk B: Everyday work in one grammar point. Do the associated exercises in the textbook. If it’s a speaking exercises, do both parts.
Chunk C: Do the workbook exercises sometime later.
Don’t forget to do the reading and writing in the back of the textbook. You can get your writing checked on an app like HelloTalk. Do corrections and resubmit. Move on to the next chapter and repeat.
Don’t listen to the doom and gloomers. The first 5 chapters can be rushed through (1 a day or faster). Spend a good deal of time on て-form (ch6?). Then maybe a chapter every 2 days until you finish. Don’t worry about memorizing everything in the book, no one in you next class will have. Once your through the book, do a second (and third, if there’s time) pass through the book. Make note of the most difficult grammar points and review them daily. Separately, learn all the kana (maybe a week), and all the kanji in the book can be learned using anki or wanikani in a month.
It’ll take as many hours a day as it takes.
Remember, you’re plowing through a (relatively short) textbook in a month, not learning an entire language.
GOOD LUCK!