I think I understand how to set up the fields, but I have no idea how the tool identifies which deck the card goes into and which note type should be used. Do you need to use a specific note that the Anki add-on generates as you install it or something?

(2016-06-09, 4:54 pm)FlameseeK Wrote: (e.g. instead of having a color background button, you have to input the code and look up the proper color name or number... -.-). That should be an advanced feature, not a requirement.

I know, right! When Damien released Anki 2.0 like that I thought he'd lost the plot, and the fact there has never been a UI created to make that stuff more user friendly is baffling to me. I'm about as much of a power user of Anki as they come and that's entirely because I just kept bashing my head against these hurdles until I bled out and died on the sidewalk of life. A lot of people probably bang their head once and look elsewhere, which is a shame because I think an overhaul focused on making Anki more user friendly (without removing any functionality of course) would open it up to a lot more people who might make cool stuff for it. Be that in the form of add-ons or user shared decks, it'd be great for the whole Anki platform to benefit from an influx of users who weren't immediately turned off when they realized they had to actually type the name of a font. No software has ever made me do that... What the didgeridoo! I'm still perplexed by the fact it hasn't been changed. Maybe life got in the way of finding the time for that―the perils of a (largely) one man endeavor and all that.

(2016-06-09, 5:17 pm)FlameseeK Wrote: I think I understand how to set up the fields, but I have no idea how the tool identifies which deck the card goes into and which note type should be used. Do you need to use a specific note that the Anki add-on generates as you install it or something?

Are you following the instructions on http://rikaisama.sourceforge.net/ ? I remember really taking my time to read all that stuff carefully and go through it step by step when I finally decided I needed to get in on some of that hot import action.

(2016-06-09, 5:17 pm)Roketzu Wrote:

(2016-06-09, 5:17 pm)FlameseeK Wrote: I think I understand how to set up the fields, but I have no idea how the tool identifies which deck the card goes into and which note type should be used. Do you need to use a specific note that the Anki add-on generates as you install it or something?

Are you following the instructions on http://rikaisama.sourceforge.net/ ? I remember really taking my time to read all that stuff carefully and go through it step by step when I finally decided I needed to get in on some of that hot import action.

I'm trying to, but they're as confusing as it gets. I understand the part about fields, but I don't see anything explaning how to set up the rest of the Anki deck properly. The question I asked is specific enough - do I need to choose a specific note type? All I want is to be through with this and study for the rest of the day, yet here I am trying to understand and set up this mess for hours.

I think everyone has some anki related issues (I think). I can't for the life of me get morphman to work so that's my crucible.

Like Roketzu stated, you should really read through the Anki import guide step-by-step. Its kinda tedious but the only way to get it functionally working. Again, don't forget the dummy card right before trying to import the first time. I don't think it states it in the guide but this has been the only way I ever got the import to work for me.

Well I don't want to deviate too much off topic so I'll add some stuff related to it.

If/when you get the Anki import working, you can easily make a "core deck" for your media of choice if you have access to scripts of sort (anime subtitles, visual novel script via the text hooking programs I mentioned before, web content, books in txt format, etc.) with literally a press of a button. This can be done after an extensive reading session. If you must have it done while extensive reading, you can always turn add the checkmark to "hide definitions" so that it will only show the readings. That way you are still "technically" extensively reading.

(2016-06-09, 5:17 pm)FlameseeK Wrote: I'm trying to, but they're as confusing as it gets. I understand the part about fields, but I don't see anything explaning how to set up the rest of the Anki deck properly. The question I asked is specific enough - do I need to choose a specific note type?  All I want is to be through with this and study for the rest of the day, yet here I am trying to understand and set up this mess for hours.

I can't remember if note type was a factor or not. Anyway mine is Japanese example_sentences, though I think that may be because another addon required that example_sentences part. Are you getting an error pop up when you hit the import key? The deck you want to import the note into needs to be opened, you can't do it from the decks overview page or it will tell you that you need to open a deck first. I sometimes would have to close and restart both Anki and Firefox when I would have issues before, though it's been a while since I've had to do that. Also somewhat related to that, if Anki had crashed on me for whatever reason Rikaisama wouldn't work again until I restarted my computer.

I believe this is the most important part you need to get right before it will work so I'll show my settings:



I also remember sometimes having to add a new note just to make sure I had Anki set to the right deck (note type) before importing would work. For me it has to look like this:



I can't remember if the clipboard and save setting in Rikaisama had to be filled in before it worked but I have the same information in there as I have in the Anki tab.

It's been so long since I set this all up it's hard to remember everything, but I can at least say once it's up and running you won't regret having spent the time to get it working.

I think all you have to do to start a new Anki deck that is ready for Rikaisama input is:

Start a new deck (Create Deck)

Made sure the fields are

Expression
Reading
Meaning

(You can check/change the fields by opening the deck, choosing Add (add card) and then hitting the Fields button)

You now have a Real-Time Import ready deck. I don't think it is even necessary to make a dummy card.

Actually the fields can be called anything you want them to be - you just have to change the names to be the same in Rikaisama's anki setup (last tab on Rikaisama's options), but I am just giving the simplest method.

I agree that twiddling with Anki can be very unintuitive., but this particular operation is fortunately easy.

Note that you must have this deck open when you press one of the Real Time Import buttons (R for kanji on the front T for kana while the Rikai pop-up is active). The plugin will try to import to whatever deck is open at the time, and if the fields aren't named correctly it will fail.

After a lot of trial and error, it seems I can add cards. The audio thing though isn't working. I don't know if it's a problem with the feature or if I have to do something specific in the template (other than writing {{audio}} in the back of the card)

(2016-06-09, 6:14 pm)FlameseeK Wrote: After a lot of trial and error, it seems I can add cards. The audio thing though isn't working. I don't know if it's a problem with the feature or if I have to do something specific in the template (other than writing {{audio}} in the back of the card)

Do you have it set to save the .mp3 to your collection.media folder? As long as you have $t[sound:$a] positioned according to where you have it in your note type it should automatically fill out that field with the name of the .mp3 it just saved to your media folder.

I don't understand that "import" folder. What is it for? Do you need to create some sort of folder like that as well? I'm confused.
(I've managed to find collection.media though, so it might work.)

EDIT: It does work now. Thanks a lot for the screenshots, I probably wouldn't have been able to set this whole thing up without them. That being said, I'm still confused, because I have no folder under filename and I don't know if that matters.

I made a PDF with screenshots of how I setup a brand new Anki deck with Rikaisama Anki Import.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByuxEeA...sp=sharing

You'll know that it works when you see the small popup with the lightbulb say "Real-Time Import Note Added". You can see that it has indeed been added when you see my card browser in the last step. Hope this helps!

(2016-06-09, 6:24 pm)FlameseeK Wrote: I don't understand that "import" folder. What is it for? Do you need to create some sort of folder like that as well? I'm confused.

(I've managed to find collection.media though, so it might work.)

Actually I dunno what that import file is for, I don't think it's necessary. You will need to have the media files downloaded to your collection.media folder to get the audio to work though.

I guess the most confusing part about this was that you have to have your deck open at the time you import the whole thing.

EDIT: Thanks a lot for the help and patience guys! I probably wouldn't have been able to set this thing up properly without your help.

(2016-06-09, 6:18 pm)Roketzu Wrote:

(2016-06-09, 6:14 pm)FlameseeK Wrote: After a lot of trial and error, it seems I can add cards. The audio thing though isn't working. I don't know if it's a problem with the feature or if I have to do something specific in the template (other than writing {{audio}} in the back of the card)

Do you have it set to save the .mp3 to your collection.media folder? As long as you have $t[sound:$a] positioned according to where you have it in your note type it should automatically fill out that field with the name of the .mp3 it just saved to your media folder.

Thank you so much for this! I never managed to get the audio function working. I just added audio by hand - not too much of a hardship as I usually add audio J-definitions anyway, but this certainly streamlines the process.

While we're on the subject, does anyone know how/if the $s sentences token works? There aren't actually sample sentences in Rikai are there? I tried including it experimentally but it just seemed to repeat the reading or something.

I'm glad my obsessive questioning has actually helped someone else as well in return!

(I guess this goes to show how horribly counter-intuitive Anki can be at times)

(2016-06-09, 7:27 pm)CureDolly Wrote: While we're on the subject, does anyone know how/if the $s sentences token works? There aren't actually sample sentences in Rikai are there? I tried including it experimentally but it just seemed to repeat the reading or something.

I haven't used rikaisama in a while, but my deck does have sentences. I believe you can set it up to pull in the sentence the word appears in.

(2016-06-09, 7:27 pm)CureDolly Wrote: While we're on the subject, does anyone know how/if the $s sentences token works? There aren't actually sample sentences in Rikai are there? I tried including it experimentally but it just seemed to repeat the reading or something.

The sentence $s token works by copying the sentence of which the highlighted word came from.

Here is an example with my tokens in Clipboard & Save (it is the same for Anki Import) :$d$t$r$t$n$t$s = dictionary form, reading, definition, sentence

元素 げんそ (n,adj-no) chemical element; (P) 日本が作った新しい元素　名前の案は「ニホニウム」

Source (title of this article): http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k1001055...01000.html

[EDIT] Yes, yogert909 beat me to it! What he said.

Naruhodo. Thank you so much.

I just re-tried the sentence function and just got the kanji repeated, which was what happened before. But now I see the reason. Most of the time I am not Rikai-ing an online sentence. My words usually come from books, games or anime. When I need to look one up, I type it, Rikai it for the Sanseido definition, and hit R to send it to Anki.

I was wondering where these mysterious sentences came from since Rikai doesn't include a sentence database!

I will be able to make use of this function now, though I probably won't be using it all the time. However since I often do throw in an example sentence where I think it is needed to clarify the word, this should streamline things.

I kind of wish it wouldn't repeat the kanji when there is no sentence around it, but that is a very minor problem.

Again, my thanks for clarifying matters for this silly doll!

PS - thank you RawrPk-san. It wasn't until I read your post that I realized where the sentences were coming from!

(2016-06-09, 8:01 pm)CureDolly Wrote: I was wondering where these mysterious sentences came from since Rikai doesn't include a sentence database!

If you want example sentences from the tanaka corpus, you could use epwing2anki. Just save a text file from rikaisama or export one from anki.

Thank you again. Currently I rely primarily on massive input to contextualize words, with Anki more as a backup to stop words from falling into the void between natural exposures.

For that reason I now mostly use sentences only when I feel the definition is inadequate to convey the meaning to me. When that happens I hunt around for a sentence to clarify it as succinctly as possible (sometimes replacing the definition with the sentence altogether).

Because of all that I probably won't try to automate the sentence procedure too much as I need hands-on control of it. In fact the way the real-time input sentence function does work (now that I understand it) turns out to be pretty much ideal for me, since it allows me to find the sentence I want and then import the word along with the chosen sentence.

I very often shorten the sentence anyway before TTS-ing it, cutting out unecessary 私はs and such, as well as clauses that don't clarify the word and aren't needed to make a meaningful sentence.

This is all based around the facts that a) my current Anki method is very audio-centric and b) since I do regard anki as primarily a backup I want reviews to be brief.

The setup sounds a bit complicated but in most cases I don't use sentences anyway. My ideal card is one where Sanseido provides (or can be cut down to) a one or two-word Japanese definition so that the new word and the known word kind of "ring together" audially in my head after a few exposures.

I am not really looking for the definition to be perfect. Its main function is as a "keeper" or "tacking stitch" for the word's general meaning, which will be refined over time by real exposure. However I do keep the full definition in text on the back of the card so that I can still refer to it if I feel unsure of anything, only cutting down its audio counterpart to the bare bones.

Oh dear. Too much information, perhaps. But someone may find it useful. I am planning a full article on this approach at some point.

Again, thank you.

(2016-06-09, 8:51 pm)CureDolly Wrote: This is all based around the facts that a) my current Anki method is very audio-centric and b) since I do regard anki as primarily a backup I want reviews to be brief.

I wouldn't worry too much about this part.  If your cards are formatted well then it should always keep reviews relatively brief.  It only takes me 20-30 minutes to do my reviews and my cards have the full sentence, images, blah blah.   My manual workflow to make the cards is slower than most people's probably though, takes me a few hours spread out through the week.

So even if you use Anki more as a primary tool you can still keep the reviews pretty brief.

If I want to play vns that are on the ps1 and ps2 is it possible to use things like visual novel reader? Or is that strictly for PC titles?

(2016-06-08, 4:40 pm)CureDolly Wrote: Essentially each of us finds our own balance over time. Obviously is always a trade-off. At one extreme are the people who do core decks and RTK for many, many months before even touching any real Japanese. At the other extreme are those who never touch Anki at all and learn purely by immersion and massive input.

It seems kind of hard to find a balance for now. Not sure if I will anytime soon either...

I've read some of the posts on your website since I bumped this thread and thought that maybe I should focus on frequent words that I don't know for the most part. But now that I've decided to give Shirokuma Cafe a try, it seems the vast majority of the words I don't know are actually very uncommon if not rare according to Rikaisama. Oddly enough, some of them are still considered common by jisho.org, despite the fact that Rikaisama says otherwise. Is there any rule of thumb you'd recommend that I follow?

With very little work today by my standards (halfway through the second episode), I've added almost 50 words so far. Am I being to greedy? I can easily see this holding me back if I do this daily, which is why I was a little worried about srsing stuff while trying to get a lot of input in the first place.

(2016-06-09, 8:01 pm)CureDolly Wrote: Again, my thanks for clarifying matters for this silly doll!

PS - thank you RawrPk-san. It wasn't until I read your post that I realized where the sentences were coming from!

どういたしまして！I had thought the exact same thing; that there was a sentence database but I figured it out on a fluke when saving a word that was contained in a sentence.

@FlameseeK: I had posted in the N3 thread a word frequency list of all 50 episodes of shirokuma cafe. Perhaps this will help narrow down your Anki adding selection. The first few/most frequent are particles so you can ignore those.

BTW, you can use the same tool for any set of anime subs and create frequency lists (words/kanji) from them.

That's an interesting question. I like to compare the different frequency indices. I think it is safe to say that if anyone says it is common then it probably isn't rare. These indicators are based on figures compiled from sources, so a word that doesn't occur often in one area (say newspapers) may be much more frequent in another (say novels). So if some source is calling it common, it is presumably common in some area, not a rare word per se.

However, if anyone is calling them rare, they are presumably not super-common either - not among the core-words that are found just about anywhere, for example.

I don't know your level precisely. The fact that most of the words you don't know are counted as rare at least by one source would seem to indicate that you have a reasonable working vocabulary for someone beginning to work with native material (probably better than I had when I started).

To some extent you can apply judgement. What are the words about? Are they about things you would express reasonably often and expect to read about on other occasions?

Shirokuma himself goes in for elaborate puns which can involve rare-ish (or just not very useful) words. I wouldn't say Shirokuma Cafe overall is super-easy for a beginner (though it isn't super-hard either) and the show as a whole has at times a predilection for wordplay and relatively sophisticated verbal humor (for example Panda describing some action of Penguin's in a way that may be accurate but uses an expression that isn't a very flattering way of putting it).

It might be an idea to try a few different shows or other materials and see what feels good to you on a language level. If you are getting on well with Shirokuma Cafe, though you may want to stick with it. If you are finding it awkward, poke around a bit and see if something works better for you.

I think you will find your balance as you go along. You will get more sense of what words you are likely to need and which you can skip for now. The aim, of course is to maximize your input speed and capacity, so while you want every word in the end, you will be doing it as far as possible in a very (very) rough frequency order.

It is never an exact science, but you will get more comfortable with knowing what you want to pop into Anki and what you don't need right now and what you feel you can pick up without Anki.

(2016-06-09, 10:36 pm)Mars Prism Makeup Wrote: If I want to play vns that are on the ps1 and ps2 is it possible to use things like visual novel reader? Or is that strictly for PC titles?

Exclusively PC. Most of the more popular VNs from the PS2 are available on the PC as well.

For console titles though, your best bet is to use an OCR or look them up by radicals on jisho.org
Unless you know a lot about the console, so as to hook the text threads... If so, please publish your tool. (this is sarcasm, by the way)

RE: mass import from Rikaisama to Anki
I just save everything to a tab delineated txt file (specified in Rikaisama's settings) and import them into Anki every once in a while. I mostly read on my phone, so there is no 'straight to Anki' importing.
Of course, I don't have sound on my cards.

This import feature is very intuitive (have your deck and fields ready; import the txt file; match the fields of the txt file to the fields of the deck, if necessary), and the only effort you have to put into your deck is the formatting.

Anki cards use very basic HTML and CSS (well, so long as you're not doing anything terribly fancy), and for most things, you really only need to know / be able to copy-paste a couple different lines of code (span-style, font, etc). I agree that a color slider similar to those available in even the most basic of image editors would be really useful for those of us who don't have a million different hex values memorized (though I honestly found it kind of fun to search for the best color text to go on the easy-on-the-eyes background I have), but I'd personally prefer any GUI tools to be optional (hide or show), they'd take up a lot of room.
I do think they'd be helpful for many, though.

Just thought I'd add a bit of a counter-point to 'formatting cards is too difficult!', since everything you need to know is either in the documentation or available in any number of books or websites in the form of basic web design (HTML and CSS).
Certainly doesn't mean that there's no need for tools, though; the fact that 'better' isn't attached to 'tools' is telling.