How to learn Japanese using Anki

Let's learn now to how to learn japanese using Anki step by step!

Anki is a free language learning tool based on SRS (Spaced Repetition System), aiming to review everything we have learned to ensure more quality in studies.

After having written about the SRS system along with its advantages and disadvantages, many readers have emailed me asking for more information on how to use an SNS to learn japanese, which are the best free SRS programs and etc.

How to learn Japanese using Anki

Because of this, I decided to create an article to help some readers use an SRS program in their studies, or at least serve as a starting point for doing so.

How to learn Japanese using Anki

 

Why did I choose Anki to learn Japanese?

Nowadays, I don't have very frequent access to the internet. Due to this difficulty, Anki ended up being my preferred choice for learning Japanese, reviewing phrases and words I learn during my studies.

Another strong point of Anki is its translation into Portuguese, made by our friend Jô Nakashima. This helped a lot to spread Anki as a study tool for learning Japanese.

Many students prefer to use the smart.fm, which is also free, is online and does not need to install programs on the computer. However, it requires free internet access during studies.

Where to find Anki?

You can find and download Anki from the official website, on the Anki Download page, or by clicking download to download the latest version.

Some initial concepts

before starting to learn japanese using Anki It is necessary to have knowledge of some initial concepts such as Decks, Cards and Anki's review scheduling system.

What are Decks and how do they work?

Think of Decks as boxes where your Cards are kept. We usually have one Deck per file in Anki and you can use this concept for a differentiated study of Japanese grammar, Japanese verbs, Japanese particles and so on.

When we create a new Anki file, using the “file>new” menu (file>new), we also create a new Deck (card box). And now we can start creating our cards for review.

What are Cards and how do they work?

Cards are the cards used as FlashCards, where the question will be shown so that we remember the correct answer for it.

After adding sentences in Anki, you start reviewing the sentences. Then Anki shows the sentence in Japanese and you have to remember the Portuguese translation. With this we can better fix the words and phrases in our mind, memorizing many interesting terms in Japanese.

And the scheduling system?

When you answer a question in anki, by clicking one of the buttons at the bottom of the cards, it automatically schedules the next review for that card. It is at this moment that the SRS system comes into play, giving increasing time slots for reviewing the same card.

When replying that it was easy to remember a card's answer, Anki schedules its review for a long time. Likewise, when we replied that it was difficult to remember the answer, Anki schedules the review of the card for a short period of time. That way, we focus on what we haven't learned yet by avoiding unnecessary content revisions.

Want to know more about learning Japanese with Anki?

Initially, I thought of creating a tutorial showing how to use Anki step-by-step, but since the web is full of articles related to the subject, I thought it was better to “link” them than to write another article on the same subject. Below are some video lessons and a series of links with very interesting articles on how to learn Japanese using Anki, I hope you like it.

Video lesson 01 – An overview of Anki (in English)

Video Lesson 02 – How to Add Cards and Content to Anki

Video lesson 03 – About revisions in Anki (in English)

Video lesson 04 – How to edit and customize your cards in Anki (in English)

Learning Japanese – Anki and SRS

Hope you can learn Japanese using Anki with the tips above!