掲示板 Forums - Learning words Intermediate and up

I’ve had to switch to alternative methods to learn for Kanji and especially grammar since I’m not learning too well with Renshuu for the latter. But I’m confused with vocab specifically, and overwhelmed. The module has 1k words to learn and I’m not exactly sure how I can engrave all of them. I’m noticing I’m even forgetting old terms I thought I memorized on and off. Is there a fix to this? Should I write new terms down? Or should I just keep at it with the quizzes and hope for the best?

@q.Lime.q Originally, I had it set at 40 for all my lessons but chopped it down to 20 so I can focus on alternative learning methods! That includes the terms. I might have to focus on daily revision then, thank you!

@ギョルギ九十三 this is really helpful! I might focus on that with learning terms in Japanese for now until I improve. For my Kanji and grammar, I’ve been on the N4 Kanji (getting higher scores on it) and N5 grammar (trying to ensure I get higher scores/finish Genki 1 before I tackle N4 grammar). With the last two, I’ve been spending time daily just doing the modules repeatedly, which partially adds to my scoring.

I think I’m unintentionally rushing through it and it’s probably what’s hindering my studies and making me burn out. Thank you so much!

Using the language is a great way to keep old terms in your memory. Read graded readers, watch comprehensible input YouTube channels at your level, find a podcast you can tolerate, practice writing, etc. I find the words I struggle with most in my flashcards are the ones I see in the wild least often.

​Just so you know, the Tadoku app isn't what most people are talking about when they suggest Tadoku graded readers. The app is unaffiliated afaik. This is what you want.

But ye, formal study should be supplemented with plenty of practice. It's good to hit all 4 skills if you can, reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

It's normal to forget words and it's not something you should worry or fight against.
Your brain is just removing "useless" or "weak" words and will continue to do so even 10 or 20 years later.
Natives forget their own languages if living in a different country for too long.

Renshuu, and other SRS system, can "artificially" put words into your brain. But even if you "master" some words beyond level 9, it's not a guarantee that you will remember those 5, 10 or 20 years later. And it's even less of a guarantee that you will be able to use them.

So just don't fight against that. Instead "accumulate" words instead of worrying about every single words. Past a certain threshold, you will find immersion more and more easier. And that will prevent you to forget words. Not overdoing it with renshuu. I doubt that you will use renshuu for the rest of life too.

Often people advise to "use" words in order to not forget them or immerse yourself which is about the same things. That's a good advise. But until when?

There are words that will be useless for you and others that will continue to "stay" useful. And you will naturaly remember the latter. Simply by watching youtube, reading, living in japan, working in a specific field, etc.

To sum up, accumulate words instead of focusing on every single words. Until you know "enough" to immerse yourself naturaly. After that you will continue to learn but in a natural way. Not in an artificial one where you force yourself to study or read. That should be the goal.

And you won't necessarily end up with the same vocabulary as a native too. I don't for english. I forgot a lot of common
words simply because I don't live in a country that speak english. At the same time, I can easily read a scientific research article. And also enjoy youtube daily.

And for Japanese, it will be the same. I mean, it's already the same. I don't remember words all the time simply because they're still not "useful" enough for me. At the same time, I already know a lot of words that japanese don't know. Like slang or technical words. I know a few slang that are common for japanese of my generation but not necessarily younger ones. Which is kinda ironic. For English or Japanese, I'm already "better" and "worse" than natives in term of vocabulary. Which make want to scream when I saw beginner worrying about their vocabularies or say "I want to reach a native level". You won't because that just doesn't exist. And that's why you shouldn't worry about forgeting words.

Also about common words and JLPT list. Those are not "bad" list and can be a good foundation. But they are not necessarily good for everyone too. They are probably really good for the people that are gonna live, study or work in Japan soon. Because their entire life will become their SRS or renshuu. Literaly, every time they will buy food or other stuffs, they will "use" those words and that will make them remember those words. For people that don't live, the same words will be more difficult to remember simply because they're literaly useless currently. That doesn't mean there isn't merit to try to remember them but it certainly not the most easiest way. And the more you progress throught the JLPT, the more you will struggle to remember those words. Simply because you don't have any use for those words and your brain don't like useless things. In the long term, you may remember more and more "less" useful words but that doesn't you should force yourself to remember them right now if they're not useful. Just learning more kanji make words easier to remember for example. I'm currently relearning a lot of common words simply that I forgot for example. And it's incredible easier simply because I know more kanji.

Anyway, I talk too much. But yeah, studying more or "fixing" every words right now is not a guarantee that will remember everything. So just don't. Enjoy learning more words and don't worry about forgeting a few words. Don't stop but don't burn out either. At some point, you will have enough of them to enjoy the language naturaly just by reading japanese, watching japanese or talking to native online in your free time. Or living in Japan. But that doesn't mean, you will necessarily remember everything and that's completely fine too.

PS: Last year, I had to stop using with renshuu. Because I learn too much words without mastering them. Like, when I heard a word, I thought of 6 or 7 homophones and struggle to determine which one it was in a conversation (there are a lot of homophones in japanese :v). Same with synonym and others things (spoken versus written japanese was also quite annoying). Literaly, I had to spend a year to fix those problems that all stem from me studying words too fast with renshuu/SRS. I literaly had the impression that I became worse at Japanese for a year. So it's not even a good things to study fast. I mean, I don't regret it but it was still quite annoying to deal with. So yeah, up to you. You may find a "fix" but 2 or 3 years later, you may regret that fix and not having spent enough time per words too :D (In the end, that's also mean don't worry and just go for it... it may not become what you wish right now but that's fine too =p)

@Shamugan

Thanks for the long post! 🩷 I think that it’s due to a lot of it barely being used in my immersion… Though honestly I keep struggling with sentence conjugations (stuff like また and それに、stuff that adds to the sentence that’s past the basic の、わ、etc) and forget to translate and decipher them in sentences so I think I do need to take a break and write them down so I can remember them! Maybe not every term in N4 terms, but just enough so I can understand action lines.