There are several ways to memorize information, and Anki is one of them. Anki is software for computers that also runs on smartphones; it helps you keep information in long-term memory.
By doing so, even someone who thinks they have a bad memory can remember well what they learned in their studies, giving those who use it above-average results in tests.
In this article, we will cover what you most need to know about this tool that can help you memorize Japanese, Korean, English, or anything else you are learning.
Contents 9
Anki - 暗記
The word Anki comes from Japanese and means memorization, 暗記. Have you ever wondered how the Japanese manage to achieve such strong results in tests?
Along with a strong dedication to studies, the Japanese have always paid a lot of attention to flashcards.
Which are simply a way to repeat information that was previously learned. An example of its use is:
You learn a piece of information, then you put a clue or question on the front of this paper card and the answer to that clue on the back; your goal is to get it right before you turn it over.
For example, on the front you put "house" in English and on the back "家". It looks simple, but it is very effective and gives the person who practices the chance to transfer information from short-term memory to long-term memory. If you are learning Japanese, you can do the same with hiragana and katakana after you have understood them in a kana guide.
It is important to remember that our brain is very strict about what it will or will not store in its consciousness; if it suspects that something is not important, it will gradually remove it from your memory until it disappears. To support this scientifically, there is the forgetting curve described by Hermann Ebbinghaus.
This theory uses a graph to illustrate the idea: we retain information for a certain period. Within this concept, after 24 hours often only about a third of what was just learned is still retrievable, and as the days go by, more of what was learned without review fades away.
How to overcome the forgetting curve?
The study approach using flashcards is highly recommended to flatten the forgetting curve; however, if you need to memorize that information for a longer period, it will require you to organize, separate the papers or notes in the right order, on the right day, on the shelf or list that you determined as your study location.
If we look at this practically, not everyone has that time or patience, and many who do would certainly like something that shortens this process.
This is where Anki comes in, the SRS program. SRS stands for spaced repetition system, the same idea behind other Japanese tools we describe in the article on spaced repetition.
That's why it's named that. It is a system that will repeat what you added to it at spaced intervals. It will automatically show you on the right day and moment when you need to review what you learned.
Let's say you added the word house in English today, which means 家.
The next day it will show you again. Why? Because without review a large part of the information is already gone the next day, so you need to see it again the next day, and this is how Anki works.
The program will show it to you before most of it is gone.
Anki Buttons
So, you review the next day, what will it do? Anki has 4 response options.
Again, Hard, Good, and Easy.
Depending on your answer, it will space out, showing that card on a different day. The recommendation is that you mainly choose between Good and Again.
But why? The reason for this is that we often forget the card, but we want to get rid of it, so we end up clicking on Hard, causing it to take too long to appear. The same goes for clicking on Easy: it takes a long time to appear, causing you to often forget by clicking on Hard or Easy too much, so it is recommended to choose only between the buttons Again and Good. The Anki manual itself says that these two buttons are enough if four feel like too many.
Why use Anki?
Anki is ideal for anyone who wants to deeply remember what they study. Regardless of age, it is even a great way for you to improve your memory as well; I am an example.
After I started using Anki, I noticed that I could remember things more easily.
Why is that? This is because our memory, the more it is developed, the better it gets; the things you used to forget become less frequent.
Is Anki Free?
Anki is free for Android, Windows, Mac, and Linux users. For iOS, the official app AnkiMobile is paid, a one-time purchase of about $24.99.
That happens because AnkiDroid on Android is its own community project, while AnkiMobile is the official iOS app and helps fund development. Fortunately, there are free alternatives that connect to Anki, such as reviewing through AnkiWeb in the browser. For a broader look at Japanese apps on the phone, see our comparison of learning apps.
How to Install Anki on Mobile or Computer
If you go to the link below, you will find the official website; scrolling down the bar, you will see the available download options; by clicking on the format you want, if you are on mobile, it will direct you to the app, if you are on the computer, the download will start.
What not to do when using Anki
What generates a lot of frustration among various Anki users, causing many to give up, is the misuse; if you don't know, Anki should theoretically be used every single day.
Why? Because what you added, for example, last month can appear that day with other cards. And if you don’t see it that day and decide to see it the next day, it will accumulate with the cards from that day.
Many give up due to lack of motivation. However, some people don’t know, but it is possible to add rest days from Anki through extensions that you add to Anki. One of them is, for example, the one linked below; before adding any extension to Anki, search for it; this extension was created by Migaku, and we will leave the link to the website below.
There are other extensions within Anki to make your life easier when using it, but we won’t go into too much detail here.
Stepping a bit away from this technical part, if you want to have rest days without needing to use these extensions, you just need to have limits on new cards in Anki.
In Anki, you can see in your statistics how many cards will appear for you the next day.
So you create your own limit; if more than 100 cards are going to appear the next day, for example, then today you don’t add any new ones; if you want it to show only 50, or 30, or even 20 every day, then you stay a while without adding to Anki and only review what you already have in it until you reach that number.
In terms of time, the more accustomed to Anki you become, the less time you need to spend; in other words, it is very possible and easy to spend between 5 to 10 minutes daily on Anki.
And then I ask, what are 5 to 10 minutes of your day in exchange for the results you will have?
So you should remember that adding too much to Anki when you already have many to review is a mistake.
Avoid also adding things you haven't learned before; that is, only add what you have learned and understood in your studies because if you haven't learned, Anki will function as a means of learning and memorization, making it even harder. It is a possibility, but avoid it until you truly understand Anki more deeply.
Not researching or studying about Anki is another mistake; it is important to always seek to understand more and more about it to get the most results with the least effort; even today, considering myself a specialist in Anki, I continue to seek ways to make it more efficient.
Results from using Anki the right way
If you use Anki to do well in your tests, you will notice a striking difference between your results before and after; you will be able to internalize more, and what you usually get wrong will tend to be noticed more and corrected better over time.
If you are a medical student and know you need to remember huge names and concepts that tend to slip from memory, you will notice that these ideas weren't so difficult; they just needed a little repetition.
If you are a language student like me, and you know that to learn any language it is important to review an expression, word, or phrase many times, you will realize that when you watch or read something in the language, what you studied is appearing, and you are able to remember. Sentences from a light novel work especially well for that, because they already sit in a real context.
Myths and Lies about Anki
The first myth about Anki is that if you use it and only it, you will become great in the area you are working in.
Anki alone is not enough for that. Something important about memory that I haven't mentioned is that it works with contexts; the more differentiated situations you see something in, the better it will stick in your memory.
Anki serves to enhance that.
In other words, if you use it for English, you should: see it in Anki, see it being used by a native speaker, see it explained in your class; you should be involved in all activities that involve that information you just learned.
Whether you are a medical student or a language student, it is always important to connect theory and practice; what you learn needs to circulate around you; you need to live learning, and for that, you will need to execute, read, listen, speak, write about it, and do everything you can to make your mind specialize in it.
Another myth about Anki is that if we are going to see it in other places, why have Anki. Anki enhances something you already know and do.
Imagine a scenario where you use cheap fuel and another where you use more expensive fuel for your car; both will take you where you want to go, but you know that good fuel will make a huge difference, as it will ensure better performance for your vehicle.
A common myth is also to say that Anki is useless because if you lose everything you have written in it, you will forget.
If you use Anki and also the other resources that provide you with learning and exposure to what you study, such as books, classes, podcasts, consequently, you will see again what you put in Anki, further reinforcing the memory you had by doing it in Anki several times; an example of this is me.
I have already lost a deck in Anki that contained 3,000 sentences in the language I study, but much of what I had learned there remained, and whenever I saw it in reality, I remembered.
They also often say that Anki is a lot of work; it is easier to consume things all at once and review in the traditional way. It is an option, but part of this idea of work created in people's minds is precisely because they do not know all the ways to use it, using it in a way that makes it laborious.
But in the end, even with all this, I still don’t feel good using Anki, and then?
It happens. Anki is adaptable, but the desire, will, motivation, and discipline do not come from it; they come from the user.
Although discipline is important when studying, it is also important how we feel about the approach we adopt when studying something; if we hate the way, the method we use, we can indeed think of different ways to fill that space with other techniques.
But it is always good to think if the problem is the tool or us, because we criticize the efficiency of something or the method just because we don’t like it.
Thank you for reading this far; I hope this text helps you take the first steps in using Anki, which is becoming increasingly popular among students all over the world in various fields of study. Until next time.
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