I’m currently starting to go through Genki 1 and I’m really struggling to figure out an effective way to learn words for the 1st time.
In high school (French 1-4) I’d make Quizlet cards and star 10 at a time until I could recall them. I’d then move on to the next 10, go back to the previous 10, move to the next 10, etc. Unfortunately the platforms changed so much that I can’t study my cards easily that way anymore and the audio for Japanese is absolutely terrible.
I’ve now been trying to make my own decks in Anki with Japanese<->Picture and am using the TTS add on. Unfortunately making the deck myself isn’t helping me learn the words so the SRS isn’t working. I can never recall anything the 1st time they appear and I still can’t the next time it shows up. I’m also really struggling to make mnemonics since sounds are so different.
I’ve heard there are filtered decks in Anki that let me use it more like Quizlet but I found them really convoluted and a huge hassle.
Does anyone have any recommendations? I’d like to use Anki since I have so much control, especially over the audio which can be batch generated, but I’m not finding it effective. Is there something I could improve upon in my process for creating Anki decks? Or are there other programs for flashcards with Windows/Android support that offer the same flexibility while functioning more like Quizlet?
2 comments
When you learn words for the first time (especially), learn them in context. Learn them in sentences. Ideally, learn them in the context of many *different* sentences. The dialogues in Genki are good for this – read them, practice them, say them out loud.
are you using the words or just grinding flashcards? you need context. read, write, speak, and listen to words in proper context in order to reinforce them. rote memorization is rarely enough.