I feel like I am doing something wrong about grammar

Bunpro
#7

I’ll also add, after reading your posts again, that it seems that you are at a level where you can start taking on more input. Once you start reading these points and hearing them I think it helps a ton. I am still working on foundation but I’m also trying to get exposed to more input as time goes on.

Since you’re also on WaniKani, I highly recommend joining in a book club where there is some structure and schedule and you’re able to learn with others as you go through. We just today started on book one of よつばと in the Absolute Beginner Book Club, which may be a good start, or if that is too simple, keep an eye on the Beginner Book Club and join in there. But definitely work on exposing yourself to the language more. Read, listen, etc and you’ll be surprised at how much you’re able to pick up and understand, which massively reinforces the information that the SRS systems are shoving into your brain.

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#8

I realized the only good way to practice grammar is either to write sentences that realistically/naturally would use it or to encounter/recognize those grammar points in reading.

In other words - either by input or output, you need to encouter/use those grammar points in a natural way.

Myself, I practice writing by penpal-ing with Japanese people. As for reading - I read manga (electronic copies bought on BookWalker picking by difficulty by Media decks - Jiten) and synthetic news (same here, choosing difficulty Todaii Japanese – Learn Japanese through real content)

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#9

thank you so much!

#10

That’s why. I use my only time to do reviews. I bought comprehensible japanese but can’t find time to watch them. I’ll force myself. Thank you so much!

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#11

Thank you so much. I would like to join よつばと club!

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#12

Here’s the master thread, where you’ll be able to get the links to each week’s section. This first week is only 6 pages, so it’ll be a nice slow pace to start out, specifically to give people a chance to get familiar with reading. (And just because I feel the need to say it, I’m not the one running this event, I’m just a participant. This will actually be my first time seriously attempting to read native media outside of the little dabbling that I have been doing in graded readers)

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#13

In the simplest terms, just read more.

If you understood just one sentence in a paragraph, that’s a small win. Picked up on a new word, another win. Saw a recently learned kanji in the wild for the first time, add it to the pile.

I think the hardest thing to get over is coming to terms that you won’t know every word and understand every bit of context, and knowing what to skip. That can only come with time, and that’ll take several hundreds of pages to develop. But once you’re there, you’re good.

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#14

I think at the beginning, a good coursebook is the best. Most teaches basic grammar, expressions, vocabulary and if followed consistently, one can gain useful knowledge within reasonable time.
I used minna no nihongo back in the day.

It is very hard to learn a language by learning grammar only. I go futher, it is almost impossible and tiresome. Without listening, vocabulary and output, speaking and writing, it is only one aspect of the langauge.

From my side I started to use bunpro to solidify grammar points with the view of doing the jlpt. If not for the jlpt, I would not use it becuase there are tons of different resources which would deliver what I need to reach my goals with less effort and more fun.

From my side,
I have one language class per week (45 min)
Use anki for words and kanji, becuase fsrs is much better than the srs bunpro offers (30 min daily but I lag behind, usually between sets when I am in the gym)
Do bunpro grammar, now 2 new items per day (this is doable)
Read Japanese daily, mainly light novels, will start news now (aim is 20 min)
Go to the local nomikai, held every week, if I can (this is my “night out”)
Have a chat with a language exchange partner once a week (60 minutes, we cannot always make it, but c’est la vie for working adults)
The Japan Foundation here has a Japanese talk event every month or so, I attend when I have the time (I will try to go more in the future, only they don’t have AC and summer can be brutal here)
Listen to podcasts (while walking, shopping, running)
All I watch is in Japanese, youtube, netflix (30-40 mins, when I have the time).

I work full time and except for the obvious events, like the nomikai on Friday, I squeeze things in whenever I can. Waiting for the bus? Anki. Grocery run? Podcast. Time between sets in the gym? Anki. Lunch time? Reading a bit. Lull in work? Anything.

I would need to add writing as output. This is where I struggle, for that, I simply do not have time left. I will need to review my schedule soon because of this. Maybe I need to spend less time on this forum to make time for writing.

Consistency adds up. Better to have a short amount of time dedicated well and consistently then trying to catch up with your 700 bunpro reviews in one day.

I would recommend considering a more balanced approach using different learning methods and approaches. Ask your choice of AI, give it your goals, your level, your current learning tools, the time you have daily/ weekly and it will give you a schedule. If you do not feel the progress, ask for another one, tweak it until it works.

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#15

Hi, this penpal thing I would be interested in. Is this a webpage or app?

#16

If you feel like you are not parsing the grammar in the context of the sentence, I strongly recommend switching to reading mode.

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#17

Something that helped me was changing the quiz type to Reading mode rather than Input mode.

Input mode, when you’re not far enough into the language, feels more like guessing what the question wants from you. When you use Reading mode you test your understanding of the grammar point and you get the added bonus of obtaining vocab and reinforcing other grammar points by reading the entire sentence.

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#18

any time I learn a new grammar point or feel something needs work, I practice writing sentences to chatGPT. I am generally against AI but it has been a genuine boon when learning Japanese and I’m not above taking any advantage I can get when it comes to learning this language. It’ll correct me if I do something wrong and if I do it correct, it’ll respond in Japanese and try to have a conversation with me. This has greatly helped with both input and output. I will also echo what everyone else is saying about reading. I’m still relatively early in my japanese journey as well (mid teens on WK, still havent finished core 2k anki) but just forcing myself to read some japanese each day is doing wonders even if it feels frustrating at time. I mostly do this through visual novels and I play on the JP server of umamusme and read the stories on that game.

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#19

I’m using slowly and filter recipients by language. Some people from Japan are looking for a language exchange to study/practice English so it’s a good opportunity to practice writing.

It will require some prior knowledge to make it work, because it’s not instant messaging and letter delivery takes time. This way you can spend more time on writing, but do meaningful output.

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#20

Thank you for the information!

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#21

I felt reading native Japanese content only got fun after I learned around 6-8k vocab. I’m not sure there’s a lot of great reading material at N4. The reading mode in Bunpro has helped my reading a lot - often you’ll get vocab you don’t know, but that’s a very natural part of Japanese. At least you get immediate feedback on vocab, so you don’t need to search for unfamiliar kanji.

People will spend 10’s of hours curating sentences they’ve mined from reading material, but Bunpro comes preloaded with 1000’s of sentences for all common vocab.

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#22

I agree, reading natural material would be problematic if own vocab is not that big, same goes with grammar. Maybe for those cases when vocab is <2k it’s okay to stick to graded material and syntetic sources.

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#23

I know what you mean about feeling like you’re solving puzzles. Sometimes I feel like that too, but I have also noticed a huge improvement in my reading comprehension due to understanding fine nuances of grammar from studying Bunpro. Just keep at it: all those “puzzles” you are solving are building up your Japanese language ability.

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#24

It sounds like the missing piece may not be more grammar study, but seeing the grammar you already know repeatedly in real contexts.

Recognizing a grammar point in a Bunpro review and noticing it in natural Japanese are two different skills. I’d try adding a small amount of active immersion rather than replacing your current routine completely.

For example:

  • Watch 15–20 minutes of something with Japanese subtitles.
  • Don’t stop for every unknown word.
  • Pause only when a sentence feels almost understandable.
  • Identify one grammar pattern in that sentence and check why it was used there.
  • Save no more than five useful sentences per session.

The next day, look at those sentences again and try to explain the grammar in your own words. This can gradually make grammar feel less like a puzzle with one expected answer and more like a pattern you naturally recognize.

Full disclosure: I’m working on a Chrome extension called Kikugo for this exact gap between studying grammar and encountering it in native content. On Netflix, you can click a Japanese subtitle line to get an explanation of its grammar, slang, and nuance, then save it for later review or Anki.

It currently only works with Netflix on desktop Chrome, so it won’t cover every source. But even without the extension, I think the important part is to collect a few real sentences containing grammar you have already studied, rather than trying to decode an entire episode.

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#25

I switched my review type to reading. Thanks everyone who suggested me that one because I feel like I am doing something more meaningful. I really liked it.

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#26

just keep reviewing grammar and talk with other people who speak japanese. that really helped my grammar. if you cant find people to talk to i would use ai like chatgpt

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