Is bunpro really worth it?

Bunpro
#11

Bunpro made me N2 proficient and really helped me with the grammar and reading since. I failed the N2 4 times before I started using Bunpro for N2 grammar, subsequently I passed the N2. I also did some more rigourous vocab studies in parallel too, but Bunpro absolutely was part of that equation for me.

Since passing the N2 I’ve been working through the vocab list on Bunpro for N1. It’s massively helped with my reading confidence.

Bunpro has 8 example sentences for each vocab / grammar point. This is extremely valuable for learning vocab in context. Even if you like sentence-mining (which I highly recommend to do) Bunpro saves the hassle of copying and pasting a sentence and it’s meaning into Anki.

In my 8 years studying Bunpro is the best app I’ve used for studying. It’s far from perfect, but above all the example sentences for vocab/grammar make it really worth the $5/mo subscription. I’ve seen apps with worse value offerings.

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#12

In this post (What Japanese learning advice would you give to your past self? - #22 by Hairymini) I laid out what I wish I did when I started learning Japanese. Amongst them are two things which are crucial:

  • Learn kanji in context of vocab
  • Learn vocab in the context of sentences.
    Bunpro does the latter excellent. For the former Wanikani is pretty great, but there’s other kanji tools out there too.
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#13

The main issue with Bunpro is a lot of example sentences use vocab/kanji outside the level you are studying at. e.g. an N5 sentence may have N2 vocab. This problem is more pronounced at earlier levels since you won’t have the proficiency to fill in contextual clues.

This is getting better with a widget to help see what the vocab list for a grammar point is, but still not ideal since the vocab example sentences will use high level vocab. If you can take this point of frustration by the horns and become comfortable with vocab/kanji you don’t understand, Bunpro is excellent.

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#14

I haven’t seen this before, I’ll check it out. Thank you.

#15

Also the grammar resource is free to view/use. The paid component only covers the SRS elements of the app. So it’s entirely plausible to work through it like a textbook.

#16

Agreeing with the rest. For vocabulary building and even basic grammar practice, this is very useful and is more efficient than any other method I’ve tried in the past 20 years. Vocabulary has always been my weakest point, so being able to study it in the manner it is here is highly effective for me and has really helped.

That said, it shouldn’t be the only learning method. It’s really great for what it does, but being able to put info together into a comprehensive whole requires more than just Bunpro. So worth it? Yeah. But don’t expect it to be magic.

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#17

I have also noticed my vocabulary knowledge improve by leaps and bounds since I started using Bunpro! I was just using WK before and I realised it’s really not sufficient for vocabulary. In the past, I also used Anki decks, but I found I forgot what I learned as soon as I learned it. Somehow, Bunpro has been the one to really stick. I think its the main reason I can even think about trying for N1 this year, but as others have said, I don’t use it in isolation. There’s no single resource that can get you to Japanese proficiency (and imo, there shouldn’t be), because language learning has many facets.

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#18

Bunpro + Wanikani carried me through N1.

Turns out when you do hundreds of WK and BP reviews every day, you end up being able to read pretty fast

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#19

I’m sure it can be the only learning method you use, and be efficient, as long as you can concentrate aka having fun.

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#20

another vouch for the wanikani+bunpro combo! i have yet to take JLPT (planning on taking N3 in december) but i live in japan and ive made noticeable improvements in being able to understand whats going on around me

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#21

I’ll clarify so that I don’t seem to biased :joy:

I also give big props to Tae Kim’s Guide to Grammar, as well as the 新完全マスター books!

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#22

I used to make my own decks based on words I didn’t know when I was reading, but it was difficult because I ended up with so many, and I’d have to keep practicing things I knew. The intervals here helps me with retention SO MUCH more and it means the ones I don’t remember I get extra practice with, and the ones I basically remember after the first day I don’t have to do as often.

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#23

I don’t know that there’s a single platform that’s going to get you to fluency or N1 or even to proficiency by itself. But BunPro’s probably one of the best, most well-rounded standalone resources out there and is under active development, so it’s always improving.

I think it does over-saturate you on certain things…like, I don’t know that I need to know every nuance of every vocab word. I also meet with a tutor where we review stuff from BunPro, and she regularly says, “Nobody uses this.”

You’re not really asking for a review, though. I guess I’d say that learning a language isn’t easy, especially Japanese. BunPro’s an excellent resource, but it shouldn’t be your only one.

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#24

The Japanese language (like all modern languages) is not hidden behind any kind of paywall. There is nothing in Bunpro that you cannot learn for free elsewhere.

So, you’re not paying for the knowledge. You’re paying for the optimisation. You’re paying for all the time you will save not having to track down lots of grammar points or vocab lists. The time you save by having everything spoon-fed to you via SRS.

So, do you value your time or your money more? There’s no right or wrong answer - it’s a totally subjective question that each person needs to answer for themselves.

That said, given the thousands of hours of study a serious student of Japanese will put in over the course of at least half a dozen years, it does seem rather odd to quibble over a few hundred dollars.

Can you learn Japanese for free? Sure. But it means taking something already very difficult and adding an additional challenge on top of it.

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#25

That’s honestly one of the big reasons I decided on using Bunpro (and Wanikani for that matter). I know it’s possible to put everything together yourself and learn for free, but I’d personally much rather pay the lifetime fee and have everything already in order for me than spend forever trying to track down grammar points and configure Anki decks.
I know some people enjoy putting everything together themselves, but I’ve got a limited amount of free time and I derive no joy from putting study materials together. Bunpro is great in that whenever I want to study I can just open it up and start rather than feeling lost as to where to even begin

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#26

I don’t think you will find anyone saying “this one resource carried me all the way to N1” with a language like Japanese.

Bunpro does an excellent job with teaching and reinforcing grammar points. Less so with vocab but it’s functional. I would vouch for WaniKani as doing similar with Kanji learning. But then you’ll also need to practice reading and listening too, so that’s additional resources to look for (usually immersion). Technically you don’t need to practice speaking for N1, but absolutely should for learning the language anyway so you also need a speaking outlet.

You need grammar, vocab, listening, and reading for N1 and Bunpro provides I’d say 1.5 of those 4. 1.5/5 if you really want to study the language and not just pass a test.

#27

In terms of cost Bunpro’s $5/mo is good value for money compared to other apps and even competitive with textbooks. In comparison Wanikani is $9/mo and primarily covers only vocab/kanji. Skritter is $15/mo.

Some people will pay upwards of $30 for one hour of private tuition. Studying Japanese at university can be even more. Study textbooks can be $40-80 each.
If you’re planning to travel to Japan a trip can easily be in excess of $1,000.

Take these numbers with a pinch of salt, your country’s economic situation may vary, personal finance might be tight, you might be too young to work etc.

Language learning can be completely free, however if you are going to spend money on Japanese learning then Bunpro is low cost and very high value.

#28

A big part what made me stick with bunpro was also the entire month of trying the full version for free.
Coming from Anki and other “single-use” apps, bunpro can be pretty overwhelming and the usual 1-2 weeks of free trial periods of other apps (not just language learning) are not enough for me to build a habit or decide if its worth it.
One part I personally didnt enjoy in the premium experience is having to wait for membership sales, I’d rather have the same prices all year round. This also adds friction when recommending it to friends outside of a sales period.

One more thing I want to say is only pay for something based on whats already implemented and not promised.
I’ve been burned by Kanji Study promising SRS WAY back in the day and then continuing to add more and more paid “DLC”.
That being said since I started using bunpro last august the team has added the JLPT practice exams, conjugation practice and continued working on a bunch of stuff.

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#29

Yes, I’ve read 0 textbooks like Genki, Mina no etc etc etc. 0. Couldn’t stand them personally and was too tedious to sit down and grind through those.

Bunpro teaches it in a way you immediately actively use it (forming sentences).

I passed N3 in 2024 and will likely do N2 this december, my only grammar resource is bunpro.

#30

It highly depends on what is you want to use Japanese for.

I am not good at remembering grammar, but need it for obvious reasons, especially now that I signed up for JLPT. I tried different methods, bunpro was the most suitable for me.

Bunpro is good to force grammar points into your brain, if that is what you need. It is what I need.

Especially, when I type the third conjugation version of the same grammar point and get the message of “can you use a more casual form” or something along those lines, and I just want to chuck my phone out of the window and stomp around like a Gondzilla, that gives a lasting impression on my brain. Unfortunately that happens quite a few times, so many grammar points are associated with full rage in my brain…

Edit: I do not like the vocab feature though, anki somehow is more suitable for me when it comes to vocab.

Edit2: bunpro has a lot of features, grammar, vocab, kanji, reading materials, jlpt tests, so it is worth the money in my opinion and from what I have seen over the years, it is one of the most wholesome apps out there when it comes to Japanese language learning apps.

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