Most of these articles are in the Not To Grammar group, which is interesting as I am in the “at least at first, if you want to, and I do, To Grammar” group. Yes, perhaps I’m in the minority with the latest crazes running through the language learning community… I don’t believe in “memorizing” grammar, but I do think, at least in the beginning, grammar learning IS a help and I can’t imagine learning Japanese as quickly as I have without initially learning how sentences are put together compared to English.

This being said, I am open to all forms of learning, and thus I have read these articles with much interest. Here is one interesting point that is made.

From Keith’s Voice On Extreme Language Learning:

I’m trying not to, but when there is a pause, I can hear my mind translating. I wish I hadn’t studied Chinese. Not even a little bit. For words I have never looked up, I don’t automatically translate them. Translations are like an anchor. They slow you down.

This is in regards to watching Chinese TV.

I sort of think of this like learning Kanji via first Remembering the Kanji. First you are learning things via an English keyword. However, as your Japanese advances, you forget the keyword and just see/read the Kanji in Japanese with the Japanese word/reading in your head.

The point in the above quote is that learning grammar makes you translate things in your head. And translation = bad. Yes, you will get to the stage when translation is harder than just understanding… But in the beginning, I just can’t picture what it would be like not to translate.

Maybe I’m not advanced enough in Japanese to have a qualified opinion (and well, it will be interesting to see if my opinion changes over time, which is one reason I’m writing on this site!) but I have a hard time imagining how a beginner can learn a language, especially one so different from English as Japanese, without some how translating at least in the beginning.

Yes, for words like “よろしく” there is no direct translation. For most words and concepts there will be different nuances and way of expressing… If you understand that the translation isn’t going to be direct but just a suggestion, then you will be fine. With greater exposure you will gradually become aware of the different nuances of the word/concept and forget about the translation. I would perhaps argue if you are still translating something it is just because you haven’t had enough exposure to it yet…

That being said, I am what I think of as a “nuts and bolts” person. I like to know how stuff gets put together. I find that I understand things better when I know where they have come from/how they are made. I am not one of those people that can just go to the movies and not analyse aspects of it. I still enjoy my movies, in fact I gain a deeper appreciation of movies when I do analyse… This being said, I readily accept that other people are not like this.

THUS… I get to my point…

Grammar is good for some people, Grammar is not good for others

Don’t rule something out because other people tell you to! Grammar may be the devil incarnate to some people, but for me it is a useful tool in my quest to learn Japanese.

However, this was said on Confessions of a Language Addict:

But the more I play with Assimil programs, phrasebooks and Pimsleur, the more convinced I am that the way you master grammatical patterns is to say a lot of sentences the right way and let your brain do the grammar processing based on habits formed rather than through deliberate conscious processing.

Yes, this! I have to say, I agree with the whole article. I don’t think I could have said it better myself. Grammar (to me) is important in decoding language, but when I am speaking in Japanese, I’m not worried about what particle to say when, I just speak. Yes, I know I’m rubbish, but I’ll get better.

The thing is, don’t worry about it too much. I don’t memorize it, I don’t know grammar terms so I’m not into really analyzing it… It just helps me understand things which were once abstract into becoming something comprehensible…

I am quite confused about the method by which I should structure my Anki Deck. By method I mean, how does one create the cards in Anki?

Now, the short answer is, of course: Any way you want.

But that doesn’t help those who may be a little lost in how to structure flash cards in their deck. The best way to structure your deck is a individual thing, and with trial and error you will find the best way that works for you. In this post I’ll show you the best way that works for me.

My program of choice is Anki, and so many examples are taken from Anki, however, I’m sure most, if not all, can be structured into any flash card system.

What Is The Purpose Of Your Deck?

To start, I think this is the most important question to ask when structuring your deck. In other words, what are your aims, what do you want to achieve by using a flash card program (or, *gasp* a paper based system). Here are some ideas:

To learn vocabulary
To help produce Japanese sentences
To practise translation
As a main study aid in learning Japanese (i.e. primary method of learning the language, for instance AJATT method)

My Purpose #1 – To Help Learn Grammar Structures

My original purpose in using a flash card program was to internalise grammar structures that I was learning. My primary focus was on grammar recognition.

Production and Recognition

Production (in the flash card-based system) took too much of my time that I could use on other activities for learning Japanese. I also actively used Japanese in ways that felt more normal and natural to me – I had a workbook where I responded to questions in my own words, and I kept a diary. Both these made more sense to me than trying to replicate someone else’s words. That’s like trying to do a speech with someone else’s script.

I use Recognition cards only in Anki.

In Anki you can change what kinds of cards are produced (Recognition/Production) in the model properties from the edit menu. What kind of cards you want produced is dependant on your purpose and what other activities you are doing in your study.

Japanese Ability

At the beginning, at least it is for me, impossible to eliminate English.. In fact, it makes more sense for me to use what I already know. Sure, something may not have a direct equivalent in English, but at least English will give you a starting point so that as you become more familiar with the language and see the word used in a different contexts, you will learn the nuances of the word and wont even think about the English equivalent.

Here is an example of how my cards were structured at the very beginning of my Japanese studies:

Front Side: うちにかえって、電話をします。
Flip Side: うちにかえって、でんわをします。
I’m going to go home and make a telephone call.

(from Japanese for Everyone, lesson 7)

I would use kanji that I knew or was learning.
Anki automatically puts in the readings/kana section, which is nice.
I would type out the translation directly from my text book.
This uses the default “Japanese” structure within Anki.

I would put in sentences after learning the grammar point. Anki helped reinforce these grammar points while practising new kanji and vocabulary. My method of reviewing was dependant on time as well as my motivation levels for the session.

If I was short on time, or wanted to get through the deck as quickly as possible, I would only read the sentence in my head, and if I knew all readings and understood everything I would pass the card.
If I had a bit more time, I would read out the sentence aloud.
For an ultimate study session, I would read aloud and write down the sentence. This way I also practised writing the kanji instead of just recognising it.

Progressing in Ability

As I progressed it became apparent that English translation wasn’t necessary. For simpler sentences, or ones I was very familiar with, I knew what they meant in Japanese. For more difficult sentences or ones I was not 100% familiar with, I often would have to break them down into smaller chunks and translated them in my head into English in order to understand, however, at the end I either understood in Japanese or I didn’t. The translation, written down as an answer in Anki, again wasn’t necessary.

However, I wasn’t ready to go all Japanese – Japanese, as I didn’t know enough vocabulary and I was still learning the most basic words. So some English was still necessary, but not a translation. My cards were structured like this:

Front Side: このごろは遊ぶためにアルバイトをする学生も多いそうだ。

Flip Side: このごろはあそぶためにアルバイトをするがくせいもおおいそうだ。

V(plain, non past)ために = “in order to”

遊ぶ　- to play, make a visit

(From An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese, chapter 4)

Again, anki automatically makes the kana version.
I put the grammar point I am studying as a reference in case I have forgotten and can’t quite work out what is going on.
At the end I put definitions of unknown words or words I have trouble with.
To review, I use the same method as previously.
I don’t try and memorise anything, I am only trying to understand. So I am not memorising grammar points at all, the information is just there for if I don’t understand a sentence. If I don’t understand something, it helps me to break it down into grammar terms/points, but when actively using the language I don’t think “grammar” at all.

My Purpose #2 – To Learn The Kanji Via Heisig’s Method

Another goal of mine is to learn all the kanji via the Heisig method. Many use the Reviewing the Kanji website, and I recommend it very much. I still use it for sentence creation and visit the wonderful community there. However, I have decided to use Anki for reviewing the kanji as I like the option of more than just “yes” or “no” when advancing cards, and I like reviewing everything all at once.

For learning the kanji, I just use the Heisig model deck that is automatically in Anki.

In Heisig, I use the “production” method – that is, I am producing the Kanji from the Heisig keyword given. I have also slightly modified some entries – if i know the word the Kanji is in, then I often have both Heisig’s keyword and the kana in the front side. For example:

Front Side: およ（ぐ）・Swim
Flip Side: 泳ぐ
*Story*
*amount of strokes, and what chapter the kanji is from*

There is also a link to the Reviewing the Kanji webpage for that kanji.

My Purpose #3 – To Learn Vocab

Recently, I decided to learn vocabulary out of context. I decided that I needed to learn a lot of words quickly so that when reading and hearing authentic Japanese sources I would be reinforcing my learnings instead of hearing/seeing words I don’t know. Again the focus here was on recognition – this would be a simple exercise of learning new vocabulary for me to use elsewhere.

I used Anki’s “Japanese” model and modified it slightly – I added an extra, non essential field for sentences – so that if I had time I would also be able to review a sentence containing the word, but if I did not have time it did not matter.

In this case, the card is structured like:

Front Side: 思考する
Flip Side: しこうする
to think, consider
*sample sentence*

Where To Get Sentences/Material To Review From

Another thing to consider is where you will get your sample sentences and material from. Again, to answer this you will have to consider your purpose.

When reviewing grammar, I used sentences from my text book. I prefer to read sentences from books actually in books – I see no reason to add these into anki as I can just enjoy them straight from the source. Same with quotes from movies and websites – I would rather enjoy these in their original form, reinforcing grammar of course but not actively or consciously so. This is why I used textbook sources only.

For Heisig, obviously I used Heisig’s order of kanji as a source.

For vocab, I am pulling these from everywhere, including books I am reading and shows I am watching. If I want to get the word deeper into my head I will add it to anki, and later test my “knowledge” by reading or watching the source text again.

Why I Decided Not To Share My Anki File

Before I end this post, I just want to write a short note about why I have decided not to share my Anki file. The biggest reason is I don’t see how anyone will benifit from it. It is helpful to see how other people structure their decks, which is why I wrote this post. However, for the actual content, I see it being little use to people unless they have the same level of knowledge that I have.

I also think there is value in creating your own deck from your own sources. The material you put into your flash card file should be relevant to you. Adding it in yourself will aid you with learning it.

Your Turn

Share your own thoughts on structuring your flash card deck. What is your purpose for using a flash card program? Do you use production methods, fill in the blank methods, or other? Where do you get your material from to review (textbooks, manga, other?) I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas, as mine are always evolving.

On the 18th of March I started up a log of how many hours I watch Japanese tv/movies. I record what I watched and whether I was watching with subs, without, or it was just on as background noise. From the 18th-30th I watched 15 hours of Japanese TV. I find that I don’t watch it for days, but when I do I watch quite a few hours. It does average out to just over an hour a day. I haven’t really been watching any of the dramas from the current/previous season so perhaps this may be a-typical.

Anki
At the end of Feburary I started a new anki file. I now work on both vocab/grammar and Heisig’s Remembering the Kanji in the same deck. I currently have 576 cards. I have an overall retention rate of 73% with 87.1% on older cards.

Japanese for Everyone
At the moment I’m working through chapter 15 of JfE. Things are moving smoothly, I’m finding that I can move through this quickly now. I don’t know, at the moment I’ve got a bit of rhythm to what I’m doing.

An Integrated Approach To Intermediate Japanese by Akira Miura and Naomi Hanaoka McGloin
I just started this and I’m planning to move through this more slowly than JfE, but I’d like to do finish the book by the end of the year. I have started chapter two, but I’d like to go back and go through chapter one more thoroughly. I recently did a review of my first impressions on this textbook if you’d like to read.

Goals For April
April is going to be a busy month for me. I’m moving house, all my major assignments at uni are coming up, and I may have to look for a new job. Oh, and it’s my birthday too However, the next season’s dramas are beginning, something to look forward to, and I plan to keep working on my Japanese at a steady pace.

Plus, a fresh start is refreshing!

So I’ve started again. I picked out a whole heap of words I was interested in reviewing. Stuff like 付き合う. I look up the word in my Casio XD-GX9600 and plug in one of the example sentences into anki. I also like to use anki to review grammar, so I’ll start plugging in some sentences from Japanese for Everyone chapter 13 soon.