Well, a bit of a milestone today, so congratulate me again. I had tons of expired kanji, that I couldn't manage to conquer. That being the case, they were not being reviewed at the proper intervals, and as I worked on the piles, the ones I promoted were being hidden in the piles of expired kanji....it just wasn't working. So, I finally decided to just fail all of my expired kanji in one quick catharsis. Then I resolved to [kana]kanarazu[/kana] (without fail) always hit the expired kanji, and to whittle on the failed kanji just a little at a time--so that I'd never have too many to review on any given day to handle. Well, that didn't always work, but it was better. Sometimes the expiration intervals just seemed to align and I'd have 150 or more reviews. :O Whenever that happened, then I wouldn't add any back in from the failed kanji. :|

Anyway, so today, I've got only about 171 failed kanji, but they're all RTK3 kanji, so I added my last RTK1 kanji to that first pile from the failed kanji. I'm going to post in here again, when the last RTK1 kanji get's to the top pile, because that's a celebratory milestone too. :lol: In less than a month, I'll be ready to start adding more RTK3 kanji. That'll be the "no failed kanji" day.

Congrats CharleyGarrett, but don't beat yourself up too much about getting 100%. 90% of 3000 is a lot more than 100% of 2042 .

Yeah! Finished the book today in just over FIVE WEEKS! I can`t believe it myself actually, but when I looked at MY PROFILE and say my starting date that was what it was.
Of course, I still have a lot of reviews to do, but at least the book is done.
I had a few weeks off from work also where all I did was hit the book. I also carried the book with me almost everywhere I went.

Here is how I studied, if anyone is interested.

My Goal everyday was at least 10 new kanji, no matter how busy I got. In truth, there were only a few days like that, but I always figured I could get 5 in the morning and 5 at night no matter how busy I got. Usually I did 25 or more a day.

At first, I focused on just doing as many kanji a day is I could handle, but later, I focused on completling lessons. That made more sense towards the end and also was very motivational to see my progress in terms of lessons rather than just number of kanji.

I ALWAYS did reviews first. That seemed to be an very important part of the leinter system, so that is what i did. Moving as fast as I did, I often have 150-200 failed kanji everymorning. But it wasnt really that hard. Out of that number, there were only maybe 20% I totally forgot, the rest were ones I almost remembered. Later in the day I would review from the failed stack again, and get most of them righ.

My goal was just to get a story, even if it wasnt always the most fixed story, and get it entered into this website. Sometimes I used my own when away from the computer, other times I used stories on this site. I found that even if the story didnt stick to well the first time, If I saw the kanji enough times in review it eventually would stick.

Also, I tried to follow Heisigs advice in the book as closely as possible.

My opinion about keywords. Usually I tried to go with the first image that poped in my head, no matter how crazy. Even if the keyword in my head isnt necessarly the correct meaning. Overtime, it think the story fads and the keyword itslef just sticks, and its pretty easy to change the meaning later when you start to study the kanji in compounds.

I also used Gnaural-the sound brain wave beat generator freeware I read about on this site. I cant give any stats saying it improve my overall study or retintion rate, (too many varibles for that). However, I do think it helped me get into the zone quicker and block out outside distractions. Maybe music would work just the some for most people, but I noticed after using Gnaural for a while then switiching to music, the change between songs seemed to disrupt me.

I studied japanese for about 5 years in college, and cant say I ever got more that 200-300 kanji to stick, even after being exposed to more than 1000 I am sure. I just hated the way kanji was taught at college. This approach is SOOO much better, and it really motivate me to finish the book. I already have a lot of grammer, so I can FINALLY more or less read!

Next step is Anki and 10,000 sentences, and I plan to use the text book A DICTIONARY OF INTERMEDIATE JAPANESE GRAMMER, which looks like a good level for me. Lots of grammer I dont know, plus example sentences and furigana for the kanji. I will also use a VERB book and of course, other books for fun.

Thanks for the great site! and thanks everyone for stoires, advice, etc.


One more thing I wanted to say. Around 1000 kanji I was like "man I canreally do this but around 1500, I was like "when is it going to end". I pushed thru though, and around 1700, I knew I was on the downhill. You might his this burnout yourslef, so hang in there!

Hello everyone! Long time reader (lurker), first time poster.

I just wanted to add to this thread and say that I finally added the last few cards for RTK1 to my deck. I don't really feel like I've finished the book, but now I know that all I have to do is review the cards in my stacks. (I currently have about 1100 cards in the last stack)

Some background: I bought RTK1 about a year ago and read it off-and-on without a real plan of how to learn the characters. I even printed out paper flashcards for all 2042 characters (!) thinking that this would help.

Fortunately, I happened upon this site and finished the book in about 4 months, including vacations, sickness, and everything else that life threw at me. I found that creating my own stories made them stick a little better, but couldn't resist the opportunity to borrow bits and pieces from others.

Thanks for making this website Fabrice! It's really one of the hidden gems on the interwebs!

Congratulations! It's a tremendous milestone on the long journey!

Congrats to everyone who finished RTK1! I finished myself today as well. It took me ~25 days.. with about 10 hours of study per day to finish it. Couldn't have done it without the study pages on this website and without Anki... Best piece of software i've ever used in my life. Thank you everyone!

Okay, here's my story. I wanted to wait until I hit some milestone-- no more red cards, everything in the fourth stack, but I passed 10,000 reviews today. I almost have 1200 in stack 4, too, so that'll do.

I started in 2003 with the method, got 800 or so stories jotted in the margins of the book, and promptly made it too complicated. I spent a lot of time making cards and stacking them, but my stories generally weren't good-- I remembered a few, especially ones with strong visual components, or ones I saw around a lot (like "Oil," on every gas station). For many kanji, I still had the images, but the stories didn't link clearly enough to the keywords, so I couldn't remember what they meant.

Later, I took a Japanese language course in Japan, so I tried to restart RTK, but I couldn't sort out the flashcards and keep up with my studies at the same time, so I quit again. Then in May I found this site. Five months later, I have finished inputting stories, and have reviewed all but a handful of cards a few times.

Some days I input no new cards; for a three day stretch, I did over 100 a day. I probably averaged 25 or so on days I was inputting. I also had almost 7 weeks of no reviews at all, and had one major, difficult life event get in the way. During that time I was thankful to have automated reviews as a distraction, but I had trouble making new stories. Theoretically I could have finished earlier, but I think I like it better slower, because it has given me time to go back and improve my poorer stories. I must also admit to spending too much time charting how soon I could finish and not enough time actually finishing!

The worst primitives for me are "State of Mind" and the ones with just a couple of strokes, like "slingshot," "snare," and "key," as well as rarer ones like "sunglasses." The best are ones with very personal meanings, like "Taskmaster," for whom I used my cranky karate teacher. I initially had trouble with "person" because I tried to use Don Quixote, but once I switched it to Mr. T, all was well-- thanks to whoever came up with that! The more concrete and active in my mind, the better the primitive. I also found my retention better when I made the story than when I borrowed one, though reading everyone else's stuff has been very helpful to see how to refine a story.

My percentage throughout has hovered consistently around 80%. It's kind of weird. I have some days when I just can't do any more, and then I miss a ton in a row, even of ones I should know, but it feels good just to let the Leitner system take care of it.

I also find myself whiffing on the 5th or 6th review of some old, rather basic cards. I think it's good, because then I just go back over them and learn them better this time around, reinforcing the links deep in my brain.

I got exhausted around 700; 1100; 1600; and 1800. I did a keyword-to-kanji self-test on paper around 1000, and will do another once I finish with the failed cards.

I have 326 kanji in my failed stack. My strategy is to start each day by quizzing the ones I failed in the past couple of days; the ones I recall go back in stack 1. Then I do my orange cards. Then I pick out 15-20 old cards, go over them a few times, and promote them to stack 1. My failed stack never crossed 400; it has been s-l-o-w-l-y going down since before I finished. I was spending three to five hours a day on this when I could, and more than one whole weekend; now it's less than an hour a day.

And now that I'm done making RTK1 stories, I've started doing the pure groups in RTK2 and the 200 or so 2Kyuu kanji I don't know any readings for. Yikes! I'm also slowly inputting stories for RTK3 kanji, like "aroma," as I encounter them. I will only add those at a trickle until after the JLPT, but then I plan on doing them right away, because it's already quite clear how many there are in novels & essays.

Thank you to everyone who posted stories, either on the site or in the forums. It has been very helpful to adjust my own learning strategies based on what you have all done, and nice not to feel alone during this formidable task. I've also enjoyed reading the forums a lot, as it's overall a very positive place with lots of smart, helpful advice.

Finally, thank you especially to Fabrice for this enjoyable, helpful, and elegantly designed site. I would not have finished without it!

Congratulations! Way to hang in there!

Congratulations to those who finished. :-)
I just completed RTK1 today and would like to thank Fabrice for this fantastic website and everybody who posted stories.
It took me a total of 7 months, I think, and I can only advice everyone who hasn't finished yet to just keep going, no matter what. Most of my problems started when I was thinking "I can do the rest of the reviews tomorow".
Although I'm done with (learning new) kanjis for now, it still doesn't feel like I've accomplished something.
Let's see how useful having completed RTK1 will be for learning vocabulary...

Way to go everybody!

Congratulations to those who made it!!!

Keep up the good work and keep studying every day.

Eventually, you (and I) will all reach fluency in Japanese.

Keep the dream going!!!

今日、僕は「RtK」の第一本が読み終わりました。
As you may or may not be able to tell from the quality of the above sentence, I must now shift my focus to grammar studies for a while.

First, though, a few reflections on the first book:

When I first caught wind of the Heisig method, it immediately sparked my interest. I have always had trouble remembering things in a direct way, as it were, while the brain's power of association never ceases to amaze me. As such, using stories to remember the characters seemed like a great way to take on this important stepstone toward Japanese fluency. Since then, I have never regretted it.

At first, what seemed most difficult to me was the sheer number of stories that I would have to learn and remember. I worked my way through the first few chapters dreadfully slowly, making sure that each and every story would stick perfectly. The stories did stick, but the slow pace bored me beyond words, causing me to lose interest and take far too long breaks from my studies. This went on for two years or so, during which I learned, forgot and re-learned the first 10-11 chapters at least four times. At this point in time, I was completely oblivious to Leitner and spaced repetition systems. Looking back, that was obviously the problem all along.

This summer, I came up with the idea of creating an application that would automatically schedule the characters for review and allow me to test my knowledge. The prospect of having to enter all 2042 characters manually, complete with stories, lists of primitives, stroke orders and so on was somewhat discouraging, so I said to myself, "Hey, maybe there's a list of all the kanji in RtK1 somewhere on the Internet." I googled "james heisig remembering kanji", and by way of a few other sites, I found my way here. Needless to say, I never got around to writing that program, myself.

Fabrice's site was exactly the kind of aid and motivation I needed to actually get somewhere in the book. My pile of 200 kanji quickly grew to 500, 1000, and now a full 2042. At first, the (dreaded) red pile was my favorite feature, as it eliminated the need to keep track of any failed kanji manually. I made it my goal to keep it empty whenever possible. As my deck grew, however, I discovered that I could work a lot faster by being less strict in this regard. Instead, the shared stories of other members and the Leitner system itself became my greatest assets.

The pace at which I approached the method varied greatly, from an abysmal 200 kanji in two years in my pre-Fabrice years (which I now like to refer to as the "Dark Age"), to 10 kanji a day, then 15 a day and, finally, 30 a day during the last few chapters. 30 kanji in one day appears to be close to my limit, as any attempts at more than 40 a day have resulted in horrible recall rates (especially in the case of lesson 23, which I tried to complete in 3 days). As a result of my 30kanji/day pace, my red pile has recently grown to about 200 kanji, but I've ignored it since I planned to take care of it after I finished the book (i.e. now). The only failed kanji I've bothered revising in these last few weeks are those that function as primitives, since they would otherwise cause further errors.

Anyway, the number of kanji proved to be less of a problem than I expected. After reaching the halfway point or so, I started mixing up characters with similar meanings instead ("uncommon", "unusual"). Another problem I've had is that my English vocabulary simply doesn't cut it, forcing me to look up the very keywords used in RtK ("equarian", "acquiesce"). Those characters usually stick once I manage to learn them, however, with the added bonus of improving my English. The ones that keep looping back and forth between the three first stacks are generally kanji with overly abstract keywords ("everywhere", to mention but one), as well as those containing primitives that are difficult to incorporate into a story (or rather, difficult to emphasize properly). One example of this would be 一 ("one", heh) when used as a primitive with its original meaning (i.e. not ceiling or floor). Just like others before me, I also have trouble with many of the tree kanji (not "tree" itself, but I'm sure you get the idea).

Next, I will focus mainly on grammar, finishing up the げんき series while rooting out my failed kanji, throwing in some AJATT and RtK 2 as I go. I will grab a copy of RtK 3 eventually, but right now I need a break from pure kanji grinding for a while.

I would like to offer my thanks to all whose stories I have used (far too many to name here). To those still struggling with RtK 1: 頑張って！

Congratulation! I hope your kanji journey continues successfully, regardless of your route.

I`m in! woot woot!!

EDIT: And by that I mean, Thank you Everyone!　

Just a couple of weeks ago I finished it at last! I could not make it without you guys, and Fuaburisu of course. Hooray!

Thanks to everyone. Congratulations to those who finished it, and for those who are still struggling I can only say Gambatte kudasai! you too will get there.

Salutations!
Firstly I'd like to express my total awe and gratitude For the person responsible for this site. =d
Just finished RTK1 mainly using the cards What does the latin at the end mean? running through a translation device I think It might have meant 'Say fairwell to kindness and welcome a wicked toothache'
Completed Japanese for busy people gave up on 'gone fishing' and I'm on to 'Japanese verbs' by Tim Matheson - A very good book I might add.
As For RTK1 It took about 2 months Mainly because of how hard I hit it. Probably 4-5 hours a day using the cards only ( lots of complaints from the wife and kids). One time, flying back to England, I spent pretty much the whole 13 hours on it My eyes wern't right for days.
Anyway I really enjoyed the method. If I were to put the same effort into doing something I hated I'd probably be more impressed with myself but this was more like being addicted to a computer game. somehow I doubt I'm gonna take to the next book quite the same. Cheers Tim

Angrybeez Wrote:What does the latin at the end mean? running through a translation device I think It might have meant 'Say fairwell to kindness and welcome a wicked toothache'

Something to the effect of "May the good ones do well, and the rest go to hell," as someone else had said earlier in this topic.

Congratulations, everyone!

Congratulations on reaching a very significant milestone in a [kana]subarashii tabi[/kana]

cheers Charlie and congrats' yourself!

Way to go!

I put in my last story and did the initial review test on those sets two days ago.

Of course, since I have 300 in my missed stack, I won't consider myself "finished" until 90% or more are in stack 5. However, since I'm not learning "new" kanji, I can study more of the missed stack. Before it was 30-40 studied every day. Now it's 50-60 though that can lower if I'm missing too many each day. If all goes well, should be "finished" in a month.

By the way, I began I guess around late February, early March with the discovery of Heisig via Kanji Clinic. Started here around July 15th (with about 300 to 400 Kanji under my belt using traditional flash cards), which definately super charged my desire to learn.

Now onto RTK2 (sort of), Anki sentences (JFE for now, with Kodansha Power Japanese series and Genki mixed in), and listening practice (audio rips and US movies in Japanese for now).

This is where our paths start to diverge from the commonality that is RTK1. Hope you all that used some of my stories found them helpful. Unfortunately, a majority of the stories I used came from KanjiCan, which I cannot post. The ones I used on site, I did try to star when I remembered.

Woooo!

Well done Nukemarine!

Congratulations, Nukemarine. Omedetou! Hontouni ganbarimashita, ne!

Bravo!

Kudos!

:lol:

Congrats! ^_^

Congrats Nukemarine! And thankyou for the stories.