Learning all 2,042 kanji in RTKI is a big task. Over the last decade, I've attempted it twice. Each time I grew weary of the work and the time away from the family, and I gave up.

But I've completed other big tasks. What worked then? I thought of it as "giving myself a gift." Last year, I gave myself the gift of completing my Japanese-to-English translation of a novel (which was really difficult since I had to look up all the kanji). This year, my Christmas gift to myself is to complete RTKI.

So each morning or evening when I open my RTK book and kanji.koohii.com, I think of Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks and repeat "Every day, once a day, give yourself a little present."

That gives me three separate motivating factors. First, I like giving. Second, I like receiving. Third, I like knowing that I will be *done* by Christmas.

I'll deal with RTKII and readings next year. ^_^

--Z

Nice post,

I love the topic of motivation, as I think its the key to succeeding at practically anything.

Nowadays motivating myself to study Japanese isn't so hard as I live in Japan and see my own Japanese inadequacies everyday, especially those related to Kanji.

More than likely most of the people reading this don't really need that much motivation, beacuse, well, you're here aren't you? studying? and perhaps gaining yet more motivation from the others that are here studying alongside you. That might sound a little cheesy but it definitely helps me to know that there are others like me who are struggling and striving toward the same goal (perhaps the greatest motivator of all), Japanese literacy.

Finishing RTK by christmas? on about 860..ish (忘れり物も), gonna try and get through RTK1 before the JLPT on December 3rd.

About 17 weeks till xmas? I have about 440 left so roughly 26 per week.

Yeah, I love the thought of giving yourself a gift for Christmas. I too am a once on once off for the RTK1. My total is to finish remembering the book in 28 days total start to finish (~73 per day). I am up to 471 so far... GANBAROU.

I have twins at home (wife is Japanese and they are in Japan until I join them towards the end of the month) so it is now or never.

Hard with a full time job, but this software is great for reviewing. Some Kanji which I forgot the first time around, ... well, let's just say they are starting to automatically update, morphing into more powerful stories.

Thank you everyone for using this site to study and for posting messages in the general discussion. You give me courage to march onward.

if i keep up mine recent pick up in speed, i might make it!

Fortunately, for me, I am going to give myself a Labor Day gift. I am planning on finishing on Monday. Only 3 chapters left!!!!

For me, this is the third time picking up RTK 1. I picked it up about 2 years ago and made it through 800 kanji and became too busy with work and schoolwork. Last year I made it to 1200 kanji but I began getting frustrated at practicing kanji flash cards and over and over and having little time to devote to learning new kanji. I became frustrated and quit.

Then I decided I would give it a go regardless of how tough it became in June. After my first few weeks back on the job, I found this website and it has made learning the kanji a cinch. (For that I send out a gigantic thanks to Fabrice). Without his help with this website, I probably wouldn't have seen the end of RTK 1.

jondesousa Wrote:Without his help with this website, I probably wouldn't have seen the end of RTK 1.

I agree, I got stuck at about 500 the first time round (June this year). The main problem for me was review. I hate flash cards, I point blank refuse to use them. This site is the answer, plus getting them onto my pda with Supermemo (although as we've discussed, because of the unicode problems, I can't recommend SM for pdas).

However, now I've got to the part where Heisig's stories run out, the study area of this site has no doubt prevented further "stalling". Actually, I found the section where Heisig only provides "plots" to be very difficult. I didn't find this concept (plots vs. stories) helpful at all, the "plots" mostly just seemed like crap "stories" to me.

I actually don't care how long RTK1 takes me, now. Even if it's a year, which it may well be, it still seems like a miracle.

Pangolin Wrote:I actually don't care how long RTK1 takes me, now. Even if it's a year, which it may well be, it still seems like a miracle.

It is. Compare this method with how long it takes, and how fustrating it is, to learn them by rote. I took an intensive Japanese course about a year ago, before I was using Heisig, and the Japanese instructor would just throw compound words at us and didn't seem to get that we just weren't going to be able to recognise them when we saw them again tomorrow. It was so fustrating, there simply wasn't time to rote-drill 10 - 20 new compound words in kanji, and it prompted me to try out Hesig.

It's also great just to know that there's a more efficient method for learning the kanji. When you tell beginning Japanese students that even the Japanese can't read a newspaper by the time they enter high school, and maybe only just can by the time they leave, what hope does it give them, when they have to learn the language and as an adult to boot? My high school Japanese teacher did this, and I consequently dropped Japanese the very next year.

I'm glad I eventually picked it up again though!

That was my christmas gift last year, but it somehow spilled over until July this year. So now I've been working on JFE and this is my gift to myself by christmas I believe.

Finishing every chapter i regard myself eating one "jelly bean" i import from california only for the heisig learning purposes.. that sounds strange but i always finish up a chapter thoroughly to get these sweets

my aim is to master the "pure groups" from RtK2 till christmas eve, heh.

ivoSF Wrote:if i keep up mine recent pick up in speed, i might make it!

I hear you
Im gonna aim for x'mas now

OK let's go.

I am clawing back my pile of cards after some busy days...about halfway there on RTK1 (making my second pass after I went a bit too fast the first time).

See you at the finish line!

I'll try this. I've stoppe da few times during the year and i'm currently at 1,050. In 8 weeks I might be able to wing it, though I am quite busy. I feel if I push for the goal, it will get me closer, which is the point.

Great idea

I'm insane to try considering where I am frame-wise... but I'm game!

I'm definitely gonna do this! I have 300 left in RTK1 and I procrastinated all summer, but by golly, I'm going to get there before Christmas!!

Opened this thread and wondered why I didn't recognize any of the posters. Then saw it was during 2006... lol

Offshore Wrote:Opened this thread and wondered why I didn't recognize any of the posters. Then saw it was during 2006... lol

Whatever. A little necromancy can't hurt. Maybe.

Anyways, finishing RTK1 by Kurisumasu was my plan too when I started learning Japanese in the middle of September. So far I've learned all the kana and several hundred kanji. Pretty easy so far, but I can imagine it becoming somewhat bothersome later on.

So far, though, this is quite a fun little creative outlet. Screw poetry, I'm learnin' kanji!

After a big period with no adding cards and no reviews now behind me (I hope), my goal for the end of the year (a bit like a Christmas gift) is to reach the 3/4.

205 kanji and 2 months to do it

(normally this should be OK, I add approx. 20 cards a week)

I did it, (restarted) in september, finished a week ago nice christmas gift

I'm at 1183/2042

Perhaps it's a LITTLE too late to jump on the christmas completion bandwagon LOL

Not if you aim for the end of christmas

Splatted Wrote:Not if you aim for the end of christmas

If you mean end of christmas day, that's still 200+ per day, no thanks.

Christmas vacation, I don't have one, I'm at home healing from a car accident anyways ^_^

I meant the twelve days of Christmas, thats Only about 60 a day^^

Splatted Wrote:I meant the twelve days of Christmas, thats Only about 60 a day^^

That's not so bad, I DID do 98 yesterday, and the fabled 130 kanji lesson in a day ^_^