Hi!
I’m starting Genki 1, and using Anki to memorize vocabulary. I currently don’t use Anki for grammar, but I think I should? If so, I have a few questions:
1. Should I put every single grammar point from Genki into Anki?
2. What’s the best way to store a grammar point into Anki? Should I put the rule itself, example sentences, something else?
3. Should I create a new deck specifically for grammar, or use my existing vocabulary deck?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
4 comments
I’ve never used Anki for grammar points. I never saw the need. You’ll be bumping into all the most important grammar all the time so you’ll get plenty of exposure. I only use Anki for vocab.
But maybe if the grammar point is infrequently encountered and you really want to remember it. I wouldn’t bother with anything too elaborate – just something on the front to hint at the grammar and all the explanation on the back. Anki is just there to jog your memory – you should already know the grammar point and not need any elaborate explanations or tricks.
With grammar, I had better luck keeping a very brief notebook. That is typically includes writing one excellent sample sentence for each point. And manually reviewing those notes from time to time.
This does not leverage the SRS concept, which I found works better for vocabulary. YMMV.
Some of my close Korean friends memorised their sample grammar sentences. These friends had excellent memorisation skills so it was not time consuming. They were among the best students in language school. The teachers at my language school encouraged us to do this also, as Japanese grammar was so different from western grammar (they thought it was helpful to at least “intermediate” level, particularly for students beyond teenagers). I doubt this is a popular technique on this reddit.
In language school, students generally did not reveal their studying techniques. That is an interesting contrast to the people here.
Personally I wouldn’t put grammar in an SRS. But if I had to, I’d probably do it as example sentences with fill in the blank similar to what Bunpro does for their reviews.
For example
田中さんもスポーツをする____だろう。
Hint: A phrase used to express that something is enjoyable or fun.
Answer: のがすき
That would be for the grammar point of のがすき (which is really just nominalization of の but for some reason bunpro lists it separately as its own thing).
1. I didn’t. I just reviewed those grammar points every month for a few months after finishing Genki 2. What you learn in Genki 1/2 is the bare-bones of Japanese grammar, no need to add them in Anki.
2. Yes, add everything. The grammar point, the definition, a comprehensive explanation and example sentences (at least 2).
3. I did that, but it’s not really necessary. Grammar points, especially from N3 upwards, are nothing more than glorified words, or a mix of words and particles.