Doing reviews backwards

[Wvlrdsmoji]

So today I was thinking about why Bunpro reviews felt so much more difficult and stressful to do compared to WaniKani reviews even though they are much fewer in number and I think I’ve found the answer.

For a time I was using KaniWani and found it way more stressful and difficult to go from English to Japanese instead of Japanese to English, and I have realized it is the same with Bunpro. I tried doing my reviews today backwards. I started with 0 hints and made sure the grammar point did not open when I got the answer wrong, then intentionally got the answer wrong to see the correct answer. At this point I could read the entire sentence without any translation or any confirmation on what I was reading. I would then try to translate the sentence (while looking up kanji if I didn’t know it or remember it) and then if the translation was correct or at least the grammar point that was in question was correct then I would erase my incorrect answer and correct it. This feels way better to me personally as I find when I am reading I recognize grammar points that I then can’t remember on Bunpro due to going from English to Japanese.

I understand the importance of being able to recall the grammar points when eventually trying to write and speak in Japanese, but for right now I think I’m going to continue trying reviews this way.

I am curious what everyone else thinks about this approach, especially people who are more familiar with Bunpro then myself. For reference, I have been doing Bunpro for about a month or so, usually doing 3 lessons per day in Genki order to follow the textbook though there are days where I forget or don’t have time due to work to do new lessons. I am afraid that this method will make me lose out on something, though really I don’t know what I would be missing which is why I am asking for opinions on this method. It feels like Bunpro is structured the way it is for a reason and going against that might be a bad idea, but from my perspective I don’t really a see a downside with doing it this way. Please let me know what you think.

[josh]

@Wvlrdsmoji

I understand the importance of being able to recall the grammar points when eventually trying to write and speak in Japanese, but for right now I think I’m going to continue trying reviews this way.

It looks like you’re specifically focusing on comprehension at this point in your studies - if this is the case then I don’t think this is a bad idea. One thing to keep in mind though is the vast difference between input and output styled reviewing. When you eventually want to make the switch back to bunpro’s output styled reviews, you’ll most likely have to reset most grammar points.

I do want to mention a couple of things though. I’ve been reviewing this way since I’ve pretty much started Bunpro. My reasons being I’ve been following the AJATT/Refold approach somewhat (so trying to gain comprehension before learning output), and also to reduce time spent in SRS applications so I can get more immersion in. If you aren’t following one of these approaches, I might then recommend a couple of things.

1. Stick with Bunpro’s expected way of reviewing, but reducing your learning rate.
2. Learn # new grammar a week, but don’t add it to your reviews, and instead use Bunpro’s 2.0 cram feature with the reading mode selected (this allows for input reviews instead of normal output). Then, after you feel comfortable with these new grammar points - add them to your main reviews, and repeat this process.

The reason I kind of push for output reviews is because they’re going to help you learn the grammar a lot better - and if you are eventually wanting to practice output soon then I personally feel like you should stick to Bunpro’s normal way of reviewing.

Either way, if you want to stick with the input styled reviews, here’s the Anki Mode script (it’s a bit buggy so you’ll sometimes have to refresh the page a few times to get it to load).

[ThousandJP]

@Wvlrdsmoji

I tried doing my reviews today backwards. I started with 0 hints and made sure the grammar point did not open when I got the answer wrong, then intentionally got the answer wrong to see the correct answer. At this point I could read the entire sentence without any translation or any confirmation on what I was reading. I would then try to translate the sentence (while looking up kanji if I didn’t know it or remember it) and then if the translation was correct or at least the grammar point that was in question was correct then I would erase my incorrect answer and correct it. This feels way better to me personally as I find when I am reading I recognize grammar points that I then can’t remember on Bunpro due to going from English to Japanese.

Are you giving yourself a chance to try to fill in the correct answer? If not, it may be worthwhile to take the extra few seconds to do so. If you’re wrong then the process remains the same anyways.

@Wvlrdsmoji

I understand the importance of being able to recall the grammar points when eventually trying to write and speak in Japanese, but for right now I think I’m going to continue trying reviews this way.

It would be more for writing. Recalling JLPT-based grammar points may not be the most effective approach to speaking anyways since there are other aspects to worry about.

@Wvlrdsmoji

I am afraid that this method will make me lose out on something, though really I don’t know what I would be missing which is why I am asking for opinions on this method. It feels like Bunpro is structured the way it is for a reason and going against that might be a bad idea, but from my perspective I don’t really a see a downside with doing it this way. Please let me know what you think.

Rather than losing out, I think it is more about what you want to prioritize. If it is reading, then having to spend less time on reviews and using the time saved instead to try reading something may be a net benefit. Bunpro has a reading practice section that is catered to each lesson so you could try that if “real” Japanese feels too difficult still.

[hexashadow13]

An Anki style review mode was being considered. I’ve seen people wanting something like this pop up in three threads over the last month or so. I think it’s because people have tried the Reading cram and really liked it. I hope it does get implemented.