Add formality level tags to vocab entries?

[monzie]

I’ve been finding it really difficult to understand the formality level of vocabulary items, especially when multiple words have similar meanings but are used in different contexts. I tend to only understand the context if I look it up elsewhere.

Right now, I often can’t tell whether a word is more common in formal writing, casual conversation, academic contexts, etc. The example sentences sometimes help, but they also use other unfamiliar vocabulary or grammar, so it can be hard to use them as a clear signal.

It would be really helpful if vocabulary entries had a simple note or tag indicating usage level, such as:
• formal / written
• casual / spoken
• neutral
• academic / technical

Is it just me thinking this? Is it something I just need to deal with and figure out through repeated exposure?

I might just be a dummy and missing something that already exists, so if there’s a way to see this already, I’d love to know too.

[Hairymini]

Exposure is the most useful thing here for distinguishing between spoken and written Japanese in my experience. If you’re at the point of being able to consume and comprehend native content and enjoy it, it’ll come naturally as to what words fit in what context.

I would personally recommend picking up some basics on Keigo. That should give a framework to recognise it in the wild and understand the levels of politeness. I used this textbook as a framework.

[Hairymini]

Also don’t repeat anything anyone says in anime in a serious setting.

[monzie]

That all makes sense, thank you for the advice and textbook recommendation! I’ll definitely check it out