Genki Path?

Hi everyone!

I’ve been studying Japanese on and off for a few years but am still very much a beginner :upside_down_face: I’ve just come across this resource for grammar and was wondering if I should stick to the regular Bunpro path or if I should go through it in tandem with Genki. I have the Genki textbook and workbook.

I’m wondering how everyone feels about the Genki path and whether Genki and Bunpro work well alongside one another.

Thanks in advance!

5 Likes

I used the Genki Path when I started with bunpro and found it very helpful. I had trouble getting into grammar and wasn’t making good use of the textbook before. Using the Genki path helped me get through both so it’s definitely worth giving a shot!

There is something to be said for going through the default progression according to JLPT levels however. The example sentences often build on each other to reinforce previous grammar points. I would recommend giving the Genki path a shot if you already have the textbook, and if it isn’t doing the trick, you can always switch back. Any progress you make on grammar points is saved when you switch paths so there’s no risk.

3 Likes

This is good advice :+1:

1 Like

Awesome, thank you so much!

Yeah, I found it difficult to hold myself accountable when using Genki without having quizzes/automated reviews to test my progress. The JLPT path does seem beneficial, but it’ll be cool to have a program that works smoothly with Genki. Thanks again!! :grin:

1 Like

*cough ignore the oops button then :wink:

2 Likes

Hahaha definitely! I use WaniKani and that’s a dangerous button :joy: Only hurts you if you misuse it though!!

2 Likes

I use little to no official study material myself, so my words may not carry much weight, but as an experienced BunPro user, I’d say it only makes sense to follow alternate paths if you were already planning on learning via those resources anyway; otherwise just let BunPro give you its own guided tour of the language.

So if you own the textbook but have been needing an impetus to stick with it, then yeah, maybe BunPro’s Genki path is the product for you. But if you’re not that vested in following along with Genki and just want to min/max your BunPro experience to get the most out of it in isolation, following the default path would be your best bet.

Either way, as @Stormblessed noted, there’s no real risk since you can hop around paths any time, so it won’t hurt you to experiment and see which one you like best. Gotta try both to make a fair comparison in that case though! :wink:

1 Like

I like to pick my next grammar points :slight_smile:
But it really matters very little to not at all what path you pick. Or at least I think so, at the end of the day it’s the same material just a different order.

2 Likes

I was in a similar situation when I started using Bunpro. I had been studying Japanese on and off with online courses, textbooks (but not Genki nor Minna no Nihongo), and online tutors. I decided to pick up Genki and go through it on my own, although I had online lessons once in a while and informed my tutor that I wanted to review the contents I was covering in the lessons. It made sense then to use the Genki path for me, but my logic was reversed: I wanted to use Genki and so I used the Genki path, and not the opposite.

What I’m trying to say is that if you want to use Genki for whatever reason, then go ahead and use the Genki path; it will certainly help. If you just want to study grammar but don’t care too much about the source, then the Bunpro path is okay too.

As soon as I finished Genki I and II, I started studying grammar using the Bunpro path, and it’s going well for me. I also add interesting grammar points that I encounter while reading or watching TV. :slight_smile:

1 Like