New to Bunpro! how should I get started

Bunpro
#1

Hello, everyone! it’s nice to meet you all!

My name is Gabe and I’ve been trying to study Japanese since about mid 2021. I still haven’t taken any of the JLPT tests because it’s honestly just been a process figuring out how to learn how to study languages. I’ve yet to tackle any of the JLPT tests and, to be honest, I feel like my study techniques can still be a lot better. Here’s what I’ve been doing

+Anki Deck Self-Tests – the cards are pulled from immersion such as anime, movies, video games, songs, or whatever I enjoy which makes it easier to stick. I also add words from learnjapanesedaily.org which has “most common word” lists. One example is that I’m translating a visual novel I always wanted to get into, but it was released in Japanese only. So I’m literally going through the whole game and translating what all the characters say and adding new words I don’t know into my Anki deck.

I also practice Listening Comprehension as I also have decks that’s pure audio and I either get it right or I don’t. These are decks based on the material from places like Assimil and Glossika (I have purchased them, but I feel there’s an extra layer of convenience having the material in my Anki resources). As a part of this, I listen to Nihongo Go Teppei podcast and try to see how much I understand. If there’s any words or phrases that stick out to me that I don’t know, I learn the translation, and add it to my Anki.

+Grammar Lessons – my favorite resource right now is Tim Sensei’s Corner which I only know about because of this server! so far, it has the best stuff on grammar I’ve seen which is essential since it’s not enough to just study vocab. This is along little things like particles which I sometimes forget. This way, I can keep strengthening my understanding of how sentences are actually put together and conjugating different verbs.

+Writing lessons – My reading and writing skills have improved a lot from studying Hiragana and Katakana from Tofugu and Kanji from WaniKani! I’m currently on Level 4 with my Kanji on Wanikani. It’s slow-going, but I’m definitely going!

It definitely feels like there’s still loads of ground for me to cover which is why I wanted to sign up for Bunpro! I like how it has the SRS system like Wanikani. I wanted to ask you guys your advice on how to make the most of Bunpro! how do I get started and how do I make the most of it. I also have mods installed on Wanikani to enhance it’s functionality and don’t know if that’s also a thing for Bunpro. Are there ideal settings I should be using to get as much out of Bunpro as possible?

Any and all help would be appreciated. Thank you!

6 Likes
#2

I think reading mode is mush have if you want to concentrate on comprehension.
I don’t fail the card unless I don’t remember what the target point means (if I don’t understand it because of another thing I’ll approve it and this gap will be close later on while I can learn more grammar targetly)
Nevertheless, I sometime when I write I do mistakes in even basic constructions, but I got it and decided to practice my correctness after I become quite good

4 Likes
#3

I’ll focus on grammar only here. If you follow the Bunpro order the question sentences are written so that they only include grammar that has previously been taught. I’d strongly suggest following the Bunpro order because of this, even if you’re re-treading old ground.

I’d personally suggest using the cloze/fill-in type questions for at least N5/N4 and probably for N3 as well. If you have the patience it’s worth doing it through to the end of N1 however after N3 you shouldn’t be making any conjugation errors (not frequently anyway) and the grammar becomes less fundamental so having the ability to simply comprehend it without being able to explicitly recall it is less of an issue. I’d strongly suggest using the cloze type review from the start though and then only later making a decision whether to change to the reading type as I think it’s possible to kid yourself into thinking you know something when you don’t in the earlier stages and cloze type reviews help put a check on that.

Regardless of what review type you do I would highly recommend taking your time and reading each sentence properly during reviews. If you don’t know all the vocab then that’s okay. Real life is also like that. Try and puzzle it out. You should grade yourself based on the grammar that’s tested only however the sentences are written to be representative of how the phrase in question is actually used in context. This becomes quite important as more and more synonyms appear as the context they’re used in differs. If you use the cloze review type then I’d recommend playing around with the hint level options. I personally liked having it at the absolute minimum level, so just the simple hint in Japanese first, and reading the sentence and thinking. Then if I couldn’t get it I’d reveal the translation and hints and then finally I’d answer. Regardless of your hint level, the more effort you put into your reviews the more reward you’ll get out of them.

If you get stuck on a review then go back to the lesson page and re-read it, including the example sentences. Also check out the other resources tab if it still doesn’t make sense.

I’d also recommend searching this forum or making a post if there is something you can’t work out on your own or even if you want a slightly more detailed discussion about some specific bit of grammar. People of all levels are active here and are happy to help out.

It isn’t really a thing for Bunpro. I’m aware that some people have messed around with stuff like that in the past and you can probably find something like that by searching this forum however it isn’t like Wanikani.

Anyway, welcome and I hope Bunpro works for you. Just know that there are a lot of settings to mess with so if you have something you wanna do or something doesn’t feel right then poke around the settings menus or ask here and I’m sure someone can help you out. Good luck!

5 Likes
#4

Since the previous comments makes it seem like you have to choose between Fill-in vs Reading I think it should be clarified to you that it’s not necessarily an “either or” choice. I use Bunpro in the following manner:

For my reviews I use Fill-in with Manual input, but I also make use of the Cram-function (found in the Practice-section). And when cramming I always choose Reading.
This approach gives me the benefits that both previous comments bring up, and by using Cram I also get a more frequent exposure to the grammar points which should be conducive to memorization.

By relegating reading mode to cramming I also sidestep the risk of “kid yourself into thinking you know something when you don’t” that @CursedKitsune brought up, since cramming doesn’t actually affect the SRS-levels of the grammar points.

9 Likes
#5

Oh ye, this reminded me about suggesting using Yomitan.
I was doing n5 grammar without it and it was pain, but became much better

2 Likes
#6

Try to relax and experiment initially. Bunpro is great, it took me a bit of time to figure out how Bunpro fits in my daily studies.

As it is possible to add grammar points manually for review, try to not add too much at once as it can get overwhelming during reviews.

Don’t worry too much about the vocab used in the sentences, try to concentrate more on the grammar points.

Anyhow, welcome to Bunpro!

3 Likes
#7

I started BunPro quite recently and I initially found the experience quite overwhelming. My suggestion is to start out with the stock BunPro grammar deck with stock settings for whatever JLPT level you feel like you’d be at to get used to the basic BunPro workflow.

Once you’ve gotten accustomed to BunPro as a part of your learning, you can start adding in additional grammar and vocab decks at your leisure and really tailor the review settings to your learning workflow. I’ve personally stopped using Anki entirely and switched to BunPro for my vocab reviews that I can’t find or am not high enough level for on WaniKani.

You mentioned you use WaniKani, you can punch in your WaniKani API key in the BunPro settings and it’ll adjust your vocab progress and furigana visibility to your WK progress! It’ll also make you fly up in levels, which is quite exciting. :sweat_smile:

2 Likes
#8

What is “cloze” pls?

#9

I have a question to add to this thread if I can.

When I do a grammar review with the write-in answer, say I get it wrong…I then hit the info button to read about what it should be…I then hit back to the question…am I best to correct it here, or to leave it wrong by hitting the arrow to the next question?

I feel like if I type in the correct answer after reading the Info, the system will mark me as knowing it when I actually don’t?

Also, say I leave it wrong and go on to the next question…when I’m done studying, should I always do Wrap Up, or just Finish Section?

Basically I’m worried about it marking me correct when I actually don’t know the answer…what’s the correct process? Tks!

#10

correct. if you undo the answer you got wrong and put the correct answer bunpro will mark that question as if you got it right on the first try. its best to leave marked as wrong if you didnt know it, and itll come back during wrap up for you

refers to the fill in answer type

3 Likes
#11

Yeah I agree with the others.

Bunpro and wanikani are the only resources I’ve used for grammar and kanji and I did fine on the N2 exam. Of course you have to decide what’s the best learning method for you. SRS only works if you use it properly (make mistakes, learn from them, pay attention, remember, try again).

Bunpro alone not only helps you learn grammar but also helps your reading comprehension because the example sentences get a lot more complicated the further you get but only include grammar you should already know. (I read my first novel a couple weeks before the exam to boost my reading speed at the last minute and luckily passed, but I definitely have to read more books as will you).

If you do the reviews everyday you will eventually absorb it all naturally as long as you’re actively paying attention. I know some people who wizz through Wanikani but end up getting all the reviews wrong because they never bothered to read the mnemonics or learn the words and then they’re confused as to why they can’t read kanji.

If you already know N3/N2 grammar then you can go through the individual grammar lists and mark the grammar you know as mastered and go straight to N1.

If you find it’s not for you that’s not a problem. Some of my friends tried bunpro but in the end found that they preferred good old-fashioned books.

Just remember, it’s not a race. Enjoy the journey and before you know it you’ll be on the N1 deck wondering how you can read so smoothly.

2 Likes
#12

It’s a race for a life!
Faster you go the better it is!
Slight hesitation and you are no longer alive!

1 Like
#13

hahaha yeah, ngl I agree with that :joy: The more I learn the more enjoyable life in Japan is.

#14

Thank you all so very much for your input and advice! do you know how I can adjust Bunpro so that I only get or focus on Grammar? I honestly just want to use it for Grammar, since I feel satisfied getting my vocab through immersion (though that could change!)

If I can also ask, what are the best settings that I should be using? I’m definitely using Fill-In for my reviews and Reading for my cramming. Is there anything else particularly important or would be helpful? thank you! :smiley:

#15

If you only have Grammer decks in your learn queue, you won’t be introduced any vocab. I have only a vocab deck, so I’m only getting “new” items of vocab. I will still get grammar reviews for things ive previously studied.
You can adjust those decks in learn queue settings

Screenshot_20241217_153845_Samsung Internet
Screenshot_20241217_153845_Samsung Internet1080×882 137 KB

If you have reviews for vocab already, well you can either go to the deck you were learning from and go unit by unit to “remove all” vocab reviews from that unit. They won’t show up anymore but their progress will be kept.

Screenshot_20241217_154218_Samsung Internet
Screenshot_20241217_154218_Samsung Internet1048×1153 132 KB

But if you don’t care about their progress you can go into account settings on web>reset>vocab reset. This makes it so you’ve never seen them,so no reviews. Take care not to reset anything you don’t want to

3 Likes
How to stop vocab reviews