If you're repeating the same card over and over again, then you should probably suspend it, or set anki's 'leech threshold' lower and it will get automatically suspended.

When a word won't stick, you need to take the time to actually study it instead of just look at it. Look up the full dictionary entry, find examples of it being used. (If you take words out of your textbook or reading material, you already have at least one context.) ALC is also good for finding context.

I like to put dictionary sentences on my flashcards - they are usually short and illustrative anyway, and come with a reasonably reliable translation. Short or easily shortened sentences from my reading are also good candidates. If I have a 5-7 word sentence with my question word highlighted, I almost never get it wrong again.

If you simply can't remember the pronunciation, try creating a mnemonic for the sound of that word. (It doesn't have to be good, it just has to last one day usually to get the ball rolling and then you'll just remember.)

If that doesn't work, break up your learning - study the vocabulary as a hiragana word and only when you're solid on that do you add the kanji. It's very taxing on the brain to learn both at once kanji->meaning, kanji->reading ... it's easy to go through a card many times remembering one or the other but never both on the same viewing.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. With time you will start to have the opposite problem, where you can frequently guess or remember easily the correct reading of new vocab words, but not the meaning. You will start to notice that certain radicals seem to cause the same ON-reading in different kanji, etc.

In my quest to speed up review time I came across a piece of information that has changed the way I review for the past 6 months. Go through the cards and when you fail a card, fail it. Next time it shows up pass it and wait for it tomorrow. You won't get the reading right tomorrow or maybe you will. but eventually you'll get it right and it will be fine.

Be Awesome Tip: Write your failed cards down on paper three columns Kanji, kana, english and glance at it through the day. Works best if you review in the morning. At the end of my days I throw the piece of paper in a folder and never look at it again. Repeat.

Last edited by NoSleepTilFluent (2012 January 02, 7:13 am)

Another I use when I'm lazy. Is limit my new cards based on reviews for the next day. So for instance if after my reviews the next day says there will be 76 reviews I would only add 24 cards for a total of 100 reviews the next day. That way I'm always sure what the work load will be for the next day. When I feel adventurous I'll add more but that has come back to shoot me in the foot more often then I'd like to admit.

My experience was that memorizing readings is at its most difficult when you're just starting out. The more words you know the easier it gets. Just keep a steady pace and don't be frustrated with slow progress in the beginning. If something's really giving you trouble, then, like others have suggested, you can try using a mnemonic technique. Heisig outlines one in RTK2 if you don't want to come up with your own.

What's the name of the deck you're using?
I just finished RtK 1 and want to look into it for learning vocab.

Betelgeuzah wrote:

Core10k, a bigger version of core2k/6k. Might be an overkill but so far so good!

Here's a link http://www.mediafire.com/?nieqms7ju0ome5a

Hi! I have a question: Are there any audio files for this deck?

Thank you!

The audio for Core 10k is separate and can be downloaded from here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0C84FEL6
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S1FLTWLN

Betelgeuzah and mmhorii,

thank you for your quick reply!

mmhorii wrote:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0C84FEL6
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S1FLTWLN

Thank you for the link. Do I have to use both files and make one folder out of them?

I'm going to agree with Jaxon as well. The learning gets easier as your vocab expands. One thing I will not though as I downloaded the Core10k deck off shared decks on Anki, is that the cards are not set up in the optional n+1 format. I exported the core2k cards out first and started on those, but when I got to adding in the other 4k for the full core6k I used the revised lists over in Nukemarine's beginner thread. I reorganized the 4k to fit the modified version and found the 4k much easier going now.

I will say though I am a bit skeptical about the rest of the core10k deck after the 6k stuff because much of it looks like stuff just ripped from EDICT definitions and haphazardly put together. I guess I'll see though. Still trying to catch back up on reviews. No reviewing for 4 days resulted in a 500card back up, I'm about 60% through the core6k. Kind of annoying.

EDIT: Oh, something else I would like to tag on for any kind of SRS reviewing be it vocab or RTK. Go into Anki preferences and uncheck "Show next time before answer." Knowing the intervals for stuff WILL affect how you answer. For SRS you need to be trusting in the algorithm to really get the benefit.

Last edited by vix86 (2012 January 06, 8:07 am)

The 10k sentences are somewhat quirky. Here's a small sample:

　
人前 で おなら を して しまった
I farted in front of other people.

そんな こと を 言う と 君 の 人間性 が 疑われる よ
When you say such things I doubt your humanity.

怒った 父 に げんこつ で 殴られた
I was punched by my angry father.

叫びたい 衝動 を なんとか 抑えました
I managed to suppress the impulse to shout.

I haven't done any of the 2k/6k/10k sets, but those sentences look pretty normal to me, like things you would see in novels.

I don't know that I've actually seen おなら anywhere but the book on farts by the same author as "Everybody Poops," but a person with a 10k vocabulary probably should know the word.