If you have been studying Japanese for some time and often search for apps, websites, and foreign courses (most in English), then you have probably heard of Wanikani.
Wanikani is a Japanese study platform focused on learning kanji and vocabulary using SRS (Spaced Repetition System), which aims to improve memorization capacity during studies, mainly through mnemonics (phrases that use mental associations with pronunciations, little stories, images, or other similar words to remember the required information).
The site has a level scheme that simulates a video game. Initially, it is possible to use Wanikani for free up to level 3. After that, it is necessary to pay to proceed to the next levels. There are a total of 60 levels, and you can see your progress as lessons and reviews are completed.
In this article, we will see what this study platform is and whether it is worth paying for it to learn Japanese. We will also give suggestions for other tools.
Read More:
- Study Guide to Learn Japanese
- Japanese Club – Online Japanese Course from Suki Desu!
- How many kanjis do the Japanese need to know?
Table of Contents
What is Wanikani?
According to the official website, Wanikani is a web application for learning the Japanese language with a simple goal: to teach you most of the 2,000 jōyō kanji (meanings and readings), as well as 6,000 vocabulary words within one to two years.
“By using spaced repetition and mnemonic techniques, interspersing them, we create one of the fastest and simplest systems for people who want to learn to read Japanese” (Transcript from the official website).
Wanikani is divided into three categories with 60 levels each and 6 sub-classifications. The three main divisions are: Radical (部首), Kanji (漢字), and Vocabulary (単語). Radical is represented by the color blue, kanji by the color pink, and vocabulary by the color purple.
Each of them has 6 sub-classifications: Pleasant (快): Levels 1 to 10, Painful (苦): Levels 11 to 20, Death (死): Levels 21 to 30, Hell (地獄): Levels 31 to 40, Paradise (天国): Levels 41 to 50, and Reality (現実): Levels 51 to 60.
In addition, there are also 6 levels of SRS (Spaced Repetition System), which show how much an item has been seen and learned. They are: Apprentice (Aprendiz), Guru, Master (Mestre), Enlightened (Iluminado), and Burned (Queimado). Upon reaching “Burned,” the card is “burned,” meaning you have gone through all the stages of SRS and have likely memorized the content of the card.
The program is divided into lessons and reviews, and there is a schedule with predictions for future reviews.
Wanikani is created by Jaered Koichi, founder of the blog Tofugu. Currently, Tofugu and Wanikani are very successful companies in the field of learning Japanese. Tofugu is a blog that addresses topics about Japanese culture and the Japanese language. The art style of the portal is similar to that of Wanikani, with traditional colorful drawings.
To use Wanikani, you can choose to use the platform for free up to level 3 or pay for a monthly, annual, or lifetime plan to unlock the rest.
One curiosity is that there is a kind of mascot within Wanikani, known as Crabigator, which is a mix of alligator and crab: alligator + crab. See below the illustration of it:
My Opinion
I have been using Wanikani since 2021 and see that there are positive and negative points. Among the advantages, it is worth mentioning the possibility of learning the most important Kun’yomi and On’yomi readings of about 2,000 ideograms and over 6,000 words. The fact that the platform is always being updated, with frequent updates and improvements, is also something to praise. Another attractive aspect is the community. Many students provide user scripts that help improve various aspects of WK.
In terms of motivation, Wanikani is also extremely beneficial. Because it has a level system, the user always feels motivated to log into the platform daily to do their reviews. In addition to learning kanjis and vocabulary, it is also necessary to study the radicals (pieces/strokes that compose the kanji) within the WK lesson schedule. For those who do not know English, it is possible to create synonyms in Portuguese for each radical, kanji, or word (mainly through user scripts suggested in the community forum).
Other advantages:
- Fun.
- Spaced Repetition System.
- Content-rich platform.
- Color division: Kanji = Pink, Vocabulary = Purple, and Radical = Blue.
- Attractive layout.
- Extra study section (Extra Study).
- Active community.
- User scripts (Userscripts).
- Context sentences (Context Sentences).
Disadvantages:
- Difficulty for students who do not know English or are not familiar with using user scripts or browser tools.
- Some mnemonics do not help much in understanding readings and meanings.
- Prices for annual and lifetime plans are a bit expensive (charged in dollars).
- Requires daily time and effort.
In short, if you want to learn the main readings and meanings of the 2,000 kanjis from the basic list, Wanikani will help you with that. But if your goals with the Japanese language go beyond that, I believe it is better to use WK only as complementary material, as it does not cover topics such as grammar, listening, pitch accent, or conversation in depth.
To learn grammar, listening, pronunciation, and conversation, it is advisable to acquire a complete course such as Japanese Club.
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Alternatives
Below I suggest alternatives for those who cannot pay or do not want to use Wanikani. Most options are in English. Some platforms/apps are paid while others are completely free, such as Kanji Damage.
- Kanji Garden
- KameSame
- Kanji Damage
- Kanji Kohii
- Anki
- Memrise
- Quizlet
- Bunpro
- Marumori
- Migaku
- Kitsun.io
- Japanese.io
- Torii
- Houhou SRS
- Glossika
- Kanshudo
- Brainscape
- Study Stack
- Drops
- Tanoshii Japanese
- Duolingo
- Busuu
- IPPO!
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