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RTK1(4th edition) + Supplement or Genki 1 - herts24 - 2014-04-13

I just finished learning to read kana(to like, 95% accuracy) and I was wondering what I should move on to. My only current options are what I posted as the subject, and I'm not sure which would be more beneficial to learning Japanese. I'm also open to other options, provided they're free of charge.

RTK1(4th edition) + Supplement or Genki 1 - Linval - 2014-04-13

Both are beneficial - but both serve quite a different purpose as well. RTK is a method to, well, remembering the kanji, while genki is an integrated course. I'd suggest you try both and stick with what you prefer, or mix up the two. Either way, it will be time well spent.

If you want to get started on vocabulary / sentence pattern / kanji learning in context, then you can't go wrong with the core 2k / 6k decks, which you'll find here https://ankiweb.net/shared/decks/ .

My personal suggestion would be to go through RTK first, just to see if the method works for you. From then you can decide wether or not you want to focus solely on it, or if you want to mix it up. RTK might not give you instant gratification, but it's the best way to completely demystify the big bad kanji roadblock, which is --- again, in my opinion --- more valuable than straight-up textbook learning.

edit : typo

RTK1(4th edition) + Supplement or Genki 1 - herts24 - 2014-04-13

Would the core 2k / 6k be best used on it's own or alongside RTK, because I'm thinking of just going down the RTK path for now. Also, is the pronunciation of kanji less important than the meaning of the kanji? Like, can I learn that after I've gotten a good grasp of the meanings of different kanji?

RTK1(4th edition) + Supplement or Genki 1 - Linval - 2014-04-13

RTK seems to work better on its own, and you might just get faster through it too. If you don't mind doing only RTK for a little while, then I'd suggest you do just that, at least until you've got a good chunk of kanjis under your belt.

edit to your edit : the pronunciation is best learned later, in context. For now, focus on the keywords.

RTK1(4th edition) + Supplement or Genki 1 - herts24 - 2014-04-13

Then I will do that. Thank you very much for you help.

RTK1(4th edition) + Supplement or Genki 1 - Dustin_Calgary - 2014-04-13

Keep in mind, the meaning of a kanji may or may not let you know what a compound means, and there are multiple readings that a kanji can make as well depending on the piece of vocab.

There may well be times where you can figure out a word though based on context and the kanji keywords you remember.

Speaking of travelling you may happen upon a sentence like this.

飛行機に乗る。

飛 fly
行 going
機 mechanism

乗 ride.

Ride the "fly going mechanism" or ride the "airplane".

Other times it may well be impossible to figure out a meaning from keywords alone, they might have a different meaning connected with them used, or be used for phonetic purposes etc.

All in all, I think that RTK is a great tool to use, but try to get through it rather quickly, then as you come across Kanji in a course like Genki, and you will instantly remember them, rather than fighting them the whole way :p

Also in my experiences, I had much better success after RTK, rather than half-wy through it with other lessons on the side.

That being said, using the core decks in anki is a pretty good free vocabulary resource, and there are plenty of free online grammar resources as well, but genki is awesome.

Good luck.

RTK1(4th edition) + Supplement or Genki 1 - Dustin_Calgary - 2014-04-13

Also, I just learned readings in context within vocab that I came across, rather than a list of sounds that a kanji can make, much more useful foe me ^^

RTK1(4th edition) + Supplement or Genki 1 - herts24 - 2014-04-13

I'll be sure to keep that all in mind. I'll deal with the core decks after RTK, or perhaps when I feel a little more confident with kanji in general.

RTK1(4th edition) + Supplement or Genki 1 - Dustin_Calgary - 2014-04-13

It'll be like night and day I tell you ^^

RTK1(4th edition) + Supplement or Genki 1 - amillerchip - 2014-04-14

If you're one of those people that gets through RTK quickly, go for that first. If you're like me and after 2 months you haven't got very far, I'd cut back on the kanji and start Genki. I wasted 1 or 2 years on not progressing Japanese because I was trying to "finish" RTK. If that's happening, you could go through Genki and meanwhile add about 5 RTK kanji a day + keep up the SRS reps.

Also if I were starting again I would do this:
http://japaneselevelup.com/how-to-use-anki-to-master-japanese-part-2-sentences-j-e/

RTK1(4th edition) + Supplement or Genki 1 - poblequadrat - 2014-04-14

Despite what Heisig seems to say, in my experience doing RTK and taking a course at the same time is beneficial. The problem is that both activities are time-intensive, but if you have 3 or 4 free hours everyday, I'd do it. You could also study your textbook one day and kanji the next, which is slower but less taxing.

I think doing RTK alone is only worth it if you are going to do it really fast, in 3 or 4 months at most.

What I'd definitely leave for later is pre-made vocabulary decks. Wait until you know a bit about grammar and kanji and it'll be easier. However, I'd create my own deck so I could add all the new vocabulary and structures I'd find in the textbook and not forget them. I'd write the translation on the front and the Japanese on the back.

RTK1(4th edition) + Supplement or Genki 1 - mc962 - 2014-04-14

poblequadrat Wrote:Despite what Heisig seems to say, in my experience doing RTK and taking a course at the same time is beneficial. The problem is that both activities are time-intensive, but if you have 3 or 4 free hours everyday, I'd do it. You could also study your textbook one day and kanji the next, which is slower but less taxing.

I think doing RTK alone is only worth it if you are going to do it really fast, in 3 or 4 months at most.

What I'd definitely leave for later is pre-made vocabulary decks. Wait until you know a bit about grammar and kanji and it'll be easier. However, I'd create my own deck so I could add all the new vocabulary and structures I'd find in the textbook and not forget them. I'd write the translation on the front and the Japanese on the back.
I found this useful also. Because I am taking Japanese classes at my college we use Genki. I decided to pick up RTK and the Core decks on the side in order to go beyond the somewhat slower pace we go at in class sometimes. I found both to be beneficial, especially since I wouldnt have gotten through RTK so quickly and would be annoyed at the lack of Japanese. In the end I felt it was beneficial, especially when RTK started allowing me to recognize kanji in genki. At the same time, going through Genki's 15 or so kanji per chapter provided nice little "mind-resting" points during RTK studies when I could easily picture some of the more difficult heisig kanji because I had already learned them.
Basically, if you have the time, you can certainly do all of them and benefit quite a bit from it. But if you don't have the time for all and are motivated enough, I'd say you might want to stick with RTK