Hello everybody, i am french, i go from time to time on this website.
Unfortunately, i didn't have much time to post or get in touch with other japanese learners.

I started studying the kanjis specifically since November ... yeah i know, 8 months in and still not done. But i work 45 to 50 hours a week and also am trying to study maths / computer science, so sometimes i would takes 2 to 3 weeks without adding any new kanji, and sometimes i would just give myself a rest, or when my retention rate is getting really low

It is sometimes quite exhausting and i don't have much time to do ... pretty much anything else.

But my efforts will soon pay off, since i am 2022 kanjis in, and with my latest schedule of 100 kanjis a week, i should be done by next week. I don't know how people can study 100 kanjis or more a day. I have a pretty low retention rate (85% or so) and can only afford to add 20 - 25 new kanjis a day max. Even with that, i have to review 100 to 120 kanjis a day, it takes me 1 hour a day, it's really a pain in the ass.

It is also sometime reaaaally hard to even make a story, let alone one that makes sense ... let alone one that i won't forget. Learning and retaining is getting awefully difficult ... and i don't always find help on this forums.

Anyway i feel almost on top of the world i can't believe this is happening, i didn't even think i would go that far, i tought i would have given up earlier.

I would like to get in touch with other learner post-RTK1, it would be cool to try to communicate, share tips, and so on (gotta try to do it with maths also)

lol, congrats! The hardest part is now behind you!
<spoiler> Actually no </spoiler>

Any plans for what you'll do after RTK?

Welcome!

cless91 Wrote:..., i didn't even think i would go that far, i tought i would have given up earlier.

A word of advice: Please get rid of this attitude as soon as possible. It's very harmful. Instead, imagine yourself doing whatever you want to do when you are fluent, like talking fluently with Japanese friends or working in a Japanese firm, etc...

Why does everyone say 85% is a low retention rate. I dream of an 85% retention rate

Anyway, keep going and don't rush it is my advice.

Congrats! You are nearly there! 85% isn't that bad, IMO. Please do not be bothered with those statistics and graphs. Reaching 90-100% RTK retention rate is not your final goal. After RTK, do Grammar, Vocabs, etc... just keep on moving forward even if your RTK retention rate drops to whatever level.

Haha, the plan is to read of much material as i can. I don't know much vocabuary or grammar but i would like to read material with as much kanjis as i can get, to learn how to pronounce them, and be "fluent" recognizing and reading them, since right know it would take me 1 to 5 seconds per kanji to just remember what it means.

I tried some mangas, but even with furiganas, it's hard to understand without a beginner / average grammar level.
now i'm turning to children books to read in the train and subway like issunboushi, momotarou.

Any good advice for grammar ? I heard about Tae Kim method but i would like to have more pointers.

I think it's low since for the like 1000 - 1400 first characters, i would have a 95% or so retention rate. I don't know if it's the amount of characters or the fact that i spend less time making up a story than i used to, since i'm trying to study maths at the same time and i'm having a harder time making up stories.

I don't know what's the big plan with japanese, i got into it basically as a challenge, i wanted to learn a language, japanese has a reputation of being particularily difficult, i wanted to prove to myself i could do it, and i used to be a manga fan when i was in high school.

I'm thinking about working there for a couple years yeah, it would be cool. Or showing off to my friends with my language skills lol.

2100 !! If anything goes right, i should be done by thursday. I'm seething, i want to be finish it so bad, but i have to still apply myself in making up and memorizing stories. The stories shared by other users are great help btw ! My imagination is off

A few sleeps away, no? That's great. Keep it up.

I wouldn't worry about it taking 8 months that's only because it's the most boring tedious part. I'd rather watch paint dry or live in my imagination for 6 hours than do 1 hour of Kanji the RTK way. You'll be able to get through a 2k vocabulary deck much faster no doubt.

I don't know if i'm gonna do the core 2k or whatever is its name, seems a bit boring to me. I think i am gonna do vocabs and grammar then maybe read child book, i'm just craving to read REAL japanese.
Oh and by the way, yaaaay i made it, i just finished the 2200 characters

Um... children's books are deceptively simple. You may find the lack of kanji, usage of children's vocabulary, sound/psychological words (ザザザザザ どきどき, etc.) a lot more difficult to parse then something, say, a graded reader.

I would suggest skipping the children's books altogether and go straight to graded reader materials. This will help you gauge your level of comprehension better.