JapanesePod101.com

Blog / May 2015

  • 27 May 2015New : On / Kun example words on SRS flashcards.

    The Spaced Repetition flashcards can now display an example On and Kun readings. The readings are shown as part of an existing word, rather than isolated. On readings are written in katakana, and Kun readings in hiragana. The reading for the kanji is highlighted in red in the full word pronunciation.

    This feature was previously found in the "Custom Review" option but is now available as an option in the Flashcard Settings page. You may want to enable it once you have completed RTK, so you can get more out of the SRS reviews, and leave it out when you just started the RTK method so you can focus better on the kanji writing. In the latter case keep in mind you can always do some (non SRS) review sessions with vocabulary in the Custom Review page.

    For upcoming updates, I am considering a significant change to the SRS that could streamline reviews and reduce the amount of due cards. The idea is pretty simple: instead of sending failed reviews back to the red pile, there would be the option to "demote" a card to a lower box, and also set its next review interval to a small amount, eg. ~ 3 days.

    If the next review fails, the card would eventually fall back to the red pile. A card in box 1 or 2 would likely fall back to the red pile, but a card that already has 4+ successful reviews would not return to the "failed" pile straightaway. Instead it would come back for review within a few days. Upon succesful review it would be rescheduled based on the lower box it was moved to, so for example instead of 6 months it might come back in a month. Still this would save several reviews trying to move up the card again.

    Any input would be appreciated. Let me know what you think!
  • 18 May 2015Soon: On / Kun examples words in SRS flashcards

    I am working on adding the On / Kun example words that are currently available in Custom Review, to the Spaced Repetition flashcards.

    Thus when you have completed RTK you may want to enable this option so you can start associating characters to their readings,, and potentially note down some vocabulary as well.
  • 13 May 2015Forum link.

    The community forum link is back. You can access the forum from the "More" dropdown.

  • 7 May 2015Small QoL tweak for story editing.

    The error message displayed when saving a story that is too long now displays the count of characters that are over the limit (for example, "Story is too long (512 characters maximum, 23 over the limit)"). This should make it easier to whittle down a long story or text imported from other sources. Thanks to ralfkl for the suggestion!

    And wow... Kanji Koohii (previously "Reviewing the Kanji") will be ten years old this August ! That is rather ancient by Internet standards =)

    On a personal level, I am awaiting surgery (septoplasty) in July, which should help me breathe properly through the nose! I feel like this has a big impact on my sleep right now, and my general energy and motivation levels. Things got worse about a year ago when I started waking up regularly with a headache and a heavy head that lasted the whole day. Thankfully with nasal strips those headaches are gone. Now I just have to slog through the mornings till surgery. >_>

    And as always, thank you for the support! There have been generous donations in March, more than usual thanks to a donation run from Sebastian.

  • 1 May 2015New page: Flashcard Settings

    There is now a new Flashcards section in the Account & Settings page which will hold general settings for the flashcards format and spaced repetition.

    The first option available is called "Review new flashcards (blue pile) in RTK order." Check this option if you would like to review new cards in their index order. This makes the test somewhat easier since characters that use similar primitives will appear in the same order as they are introduced in the book (thus hinting at which primitives the characters are made of). On the other hand it may also help users who have difficulty passing the first review, by emphasizing the connections between the characters made of similar primitives. Up to you! And of course you can switch it whenever you like.

    The option to shuffle the cards was also added to Custom Review > Review a range of kanji, as a new checkbox. This option is now off by default. I thought this would be a more sensible default for non-SRS reviews. If not, let me know what you think!

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