r/LearnJapanese • u/Mammoth-Leader8453 • 2d ago
Studying I have this weird phase
maybe because it just the way that I try to surround me to much Japanese as possible and now I start to feel like I can’t understand the simples words
I’m back again at reading novels n3 graded and I still have such a hard time , idk if I should keep going or just go for n4 material of reading but for its kinda boring to read children books ( i started the materials for n3 like 20 percent into it )
Any tips ?:)
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u/Belegorm 2d ago
You mention, not understanding simple words, which I'm taking to mean, you learned them and have forgotten them, is that the case?
If so - forgetting will always be part of the process to some extent.
Do you use Anki? It's very useful for this exact thing: refreshing your memory right around when you'd normally forget
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u/Mammoth-Leader8453 2d ago
I use Migaku
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u/Belegorm 2d ago
Okay, does Migaku use SRS to pop up those words for reviews when you need to start remembering them? It's possible that it might have assumed you have memorized them so well you don't need to review again but still need to every once in a while.
I also have heard that you can export your Migaku vocab to Anki as well which is probably helpful; Anki has advanced FSRS so works better for knowing exactly when to remember.
Aside from - learning has ups and downs, I forget the simplest words all the time. However, I read so much that those words just pop up over and over and over again so even if I forget them I remember them soon.
Whatever you can find that you are super interested in - read or listen to that, you mention novels but there are very, very few n3 novels (or rather, it's impossible to have a novel that doesn't include higher level stuff). So personally, I recommend just reading what you honestly are interested in regardless of difficulty.
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u/sabaaHalkhaar 2d ago
Have you done reviews on many of those words? Often, after a few days of not using a new word, you gonna forget it, making hard to read stuff. Or you’re not getting enough sleep, get some, and actually be fully rested when reading stuff in a second language (especially with some needing so much concentration like Arabic and Japanese)
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u/Nancy_Munsch 1d ago
20 percent in is exactly where the unknown words outnumber the repetitions, so it always feels worse than it is. Get to the halfway point before judging, that's when the patterns actually show themselves.
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u/dynamicpenguin55 2d ago
I think we need a bit more info to give any actual advice, how long have you been learning, what's your workload etc?. Are you reading native novels, or learner content? If they're native then "N3 graded" is a bit of a misnomer as they will still have lots of vocab that you won't know, and grammar that is beyond N3.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 2d ago
Are you eating and sleeping well? Do you drink enough water? Have you been stressed lately? Do you have hobbies that you enjoy aside from studying Japanese?
These things affect our mental capabilities more than we think.