How do you use Bunpro?

Bunpro
#1

Since i started to seriously study grammar after being registered on Bunpro for three years, i am currently adding daily two N3 grammar points and 3-6 N4 grammar points (after catching up with N5 grammar points). Since many grammar points express nuances of the same concepts i also made a list of similar points and use YouTube channels (mainly 日本語の森), internet websites and books (the Japanese grammar dictionary series and Reiko Shimamori’s books) to try and memorize differences. Plus i try and use new grammar points during my two weekly conversation lectures.

What is your studying method?

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#2

Brute forcing an N level in a month with the purpose of exposing myself to a lot grammar points. When I did that with N3, I burned out hard, reviewing was dreadful. I finally had to remove a couple of grammar points to get back on my feet and added them back later. Did two months of reviewing with no new grammar points.
Did the same with N2, no burn out this time. I though N1 grammar points are gonna be pretty rare in real life so I took my time with them.

My rationale is that I wanted to at least know certain things exist, not necessarily to master them. When I read a text, I can always parse and look up the vocab but it’s practically impossible to know to google something like まるで…ようだ because that would look like two separate grammar points to you.
It’s working out so far. I can read much better now, and only have to focus on vocab while reading native materials.

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#3

So i passed N2 back in December 2014, and then sort of stopped studying until last summer. My weakest score in the N2 was grammar/language anyway, so that is what i’m focusing on now, using Bunpro to fill in the gaps from N3 and N2 and then to start on N1 stuff. I’m still working through N2 grammar at the moment, so currently I bulk dump 10 grammar points at a time once a week roughly, immediately burn about half of them, keep the ones that I can’t use fluently in conversation in my reviews, and then practice the odd new grammar point on my wife as much as I can.

We’re planning on moving back to Japan at some point so my target is to be as close to fluent as possible.

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#4

I’m using it to fix all the bad habits and missing links in my knowledge from years of intermittent studying and poorly using Japanese.

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#5

I use Bunpro as a database… and for the SRS.
In 2018, I started studying Japanese again after stopping for 2 years or so. I used to have classes for 3.5 years. So I bought a few JLPT N3, N2 and N1 grammar books. Then I found out about Bunpro. I thought it would be cool to start from zero and have new notes in Japanese only.

  1. Find the same grammar point in all books + Bunpro
    1.5 If necessary search online for more info (eg “たといい JLTP”) or just use Bupro’s reading list (soo useful).
  2. Make notes in Japanese + silly drawings (for help)
  3. Add to Bunpro for review ( if not available yet, add to Anki and make a note).

For N5 and N4, I would add things from time to time to mix things up while adding N3 / N2 grammar points. I am all “done” with most grammar and just add new stuff when it arrives.

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#6

Mark things as known that I hear so often that there is no chance I’ll forget it (ほうがいい、だらけ、といい、etc), then just brutally judge myself if I make stupid mistakes.

For example (if the hint is authoritative or something) なになにしない〜 and then I input (べき). This would be wrong most of the time, due to べき not usually being with a negative verb, but appearing as negative itself (するべきではない）。 If I make a silly mistake like that, that I should 100% know just from the sentence structure (ない being in the verb), I’ll ghost myself harder than a bad tinder date.

For the harder grammar points, I just learn the kanji and practice writing it heaps, then I usually never forget it. Thankfully ‘harder’ grammar points in Japanese usually actually only have one applicable use, so you can learn them fast as heck if you know the kanji already.

Edit - adding to this, actually I would just really recommend learning the kanji in grammar points as a priority. Theres probably less than 100 all up, but it can be super crippling to your reading if you cannot read things like 兼ねる、除く、沿い、hell even 何処（どこ）appears crazy frequently in books, despite not really ever being taught as kanji.

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#7

silly drawings

Interesting. This may indeed help adding context and personal relation with the grammar points. I would be curious to see some of these drawings if you don’t mind. :grinning:

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#8

I also find very effective to link grammar points with kanji and their meanings. As a recent example today i studied がち and どころか and thought ‘wtf are these sequences of random hiragana?! I would never remember them’ then discovered they can be written 勝ち and 所か (kanji that i know) which makes sense but sadly is not said in the explanation.

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#9

I am going through the grammar on an alternate account now reporting all missing kanji as I power through it. If you see missing kanji, feel free to report it. The devs are working hard to improve missing kanji etc lately.

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#10

Yes i do report when i notice such things. The staff is very reactive. ‘Thanks’ to them.

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#11

I mostly “draw” something to better understand a sentence with a grammar point. Though sometimes a drawing really helps with some grammar points. Though there are times when I do wonder for a second what was I thinking when drawing :smiley:

Here you go. Hope this is enough examples:

20210227_162607
20210227_1626074032×2268 1.26 MB

20210227_162922
20210227_1629224032×2268 1.32 MB

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20210227_1625474032×2268 1.24 MB

20210227_162943
20210227_1629434032×2268 1.2 MB

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#12

Since I’m also using WaniKani and my own Anki decks of kanji and Japanese words, I’m sort of keeping Bunpro on the back burner. I try not to ever let my reviews exceed ten per day. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but I find that the reviews here take me more “energy” than WaniKani’s or Anki’s. That’s not a bad thing at all. I just feel like I need more moderation here.

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#13

I currently use BunPro as addition to Genki and it’s working out amazingly well. I use it for revision as well as a resource. I really like that BunPro shows which page I can find the grammar points in the Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar and let’s me find additional websites and youtube videos easily.
Genki is excellent for exercises and practice but not all grammar points have equally well written explanations and that’s where BunPro comes in!

I’m halfway through the N5 points after ~50 days, broken down that’s pretty much one grammar point per day (though I don’t really add “one per day” - I just add the grammar points when I worked through that part of the Genki chapter).

I personally feel good about that pace since I am focusing is a little more on WaniKani right now. I do plan to pick up the pace with BunPro and grammar when I am more confident with Kanji, until then I will continue with the current pace. Focusing on Kanji doesn’t mean I won’t work on grammar. I do BunPro reviews twice a day to solidify the basics as best as I can and I just hope to be able to get into reading native material soon. I might have ordered a totally unsignificant small amount of japanese manga that are now waiting for me to gain knowledge.

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#14

I started at N5 and do 3 lessons a day, unless I’m busy (which I have been lately). Slow and steady. No additional work around it - I just let the SRS do its thing. I do try to read the links and work through the examples when unlocking new lessons, unless I already know the grammar point fairly well.

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#15

I tend to learn largely from Bunpro’s limited explanation plus examples when possible, though I’ll look at the readings sometimes. I went through N5 quite fast this way but I’ve had to slow down during N4 material. I try to add at least 3 new grammar points per day, usually 6.

I think when I’m done the N4 stuff I’ll slow down even more, as I’d like fewer reviews. (I’m still doing WaniKani too, so it’s a heavy load.) Mostly I just want to be able to read at least easier stuff (and this is already becoming possible), and I figure that the higher I go, the less absolutely-essential each grammar point will be, so I don’t feel as compelled to rush through.

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#16

I always thought they were missing a trick with this in WaniKani. They could employ someone to create an image for each mnemonic. Seeing a hilarious image as well as imagining the scenario in your mind would strengthen the mnemonics greatly. They would need an artist that could do cucumbers, shoguns and Kyoto really well though.

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#17

I use bunpro as my main source for grammar learning. I’m pretty slow if I compare myself to the other people here.
I only add 2 new lessons a day and that only if I have less than 12 ghosts ( 2 rows on the profiles stats page). Like this I can keep my rewievs at around 20-30 a day wich I mostly finish in 10-15 minutes.
For my lessons my time depends on the grammar (sometimes 5 minutes othertimes 20 min per lesson) but I read every single example sentence and try to understand them fully, if I still need more clarification I do aditionally reading.
If I notice I’m confusing one or more grammar points (へ、に、で for an early example) I bookmark all of them and then do a cramm session until I fell like I got it.

It took my aproximatly 2,5 months to finish N5. But N4 has been slower because I make more mistakes so more ghosts.

I keep my grammar load pretty low because my vocabluary is still quite lacking like this I can keep learning at a steady rhtym. On Wanikani I need 30-45 minutes for my daily reviews (100-130). I started renshuu a week ago to fill in vacabulary not covered by WK but I have yet to reach the point where I can use is like I inteded. So I can’t recoment it yet.

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#18

I believe that if one gets through N5 and N4 then N3 and the rest are much easier, though will surely take some time. No haste, slow and steady wins the race :blush: :+1:

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#19

Someone was drawing the mnemonics, they got through a few levels but not sure how far lately. Another user then created a script to connect the drawings to the entry.

I guess I use BP regular way, I just add each new lesson to another SRS for recognition which helps toward production. I’ll try to review grammar points before a conversation practice, sometimes intentionally to practice or it will just come out during conversation.

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#20

Ive never used wanikani, so id be very keen to hear the opinions of someone who has got very far in it, how useful do you find the mnemonic system beyind basic kanji? Ive a feeling they arent that useful, but i never used mnemonics for kanji so im not sure.

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