Japanese Experiences: Core 2k vs. Core 6k
One of the best decks I dealt with so far with Anki was the Core 2k set of decks. Specifically, there was a Nihongo Shark variant out there. And it has been AMAZING.
But, while I was in the process of learning that, I was still looking up suggestions on where to go afterwards. I came across one very common thread of thinking; Don't do Core 6k. There were a host of suggestions:
I would say, grammar in Core 2k was VERY light. And mostly limited to N5 level stuff. Vocab was also fairly light. I'll admit, the Core 6k vocab I've seen so far is a 40/40/20 mix of things I've never heard that I can remember/things I've heard, but rarely/things I've heard commonly. So, 80% is fairly rare so far.
But, whether or not it is useless for grammar depends on what you did on the side while going through the Core 2k stuff. As I said, Core 2k has SUPER simplistic grammar. The Core 6k deck I'm using is still not THAT complex. But, it does seem to dig a bit more into N4 grammar and longer and more complex sentences some times.
I can't say I'm really using it for the grammar though. Or even the vocab. I did the Core 2k while I was doing the Nihongo Shark Kanji deck which isn't focused a ton on readings, but on meaning. By the time I finished that, I was either already done or mostly done the Core 2k deck. So, I wasn't applying my Kanji knowledge much.
With the Core 6k deck, what I'm finding is a LOT of compound Kanji words which are variants of Kanji heavily used in the Core 2k deck. So, it is turning out to be a great way to reinforce the meanings of the Kanji while learning some of their more common meanings. For the first time I'm HEARING a new word and some times actually guessing accurately at the meaning or at least the meaning of some of it's components. With reading, the accuracy is even higher.
What I think a lot of people overlook is that the Core decks are some of the Anki decks with the most number of native speaker recordings available for free. If listening is a weak spot of yours, these decks have a card where the words are JUST spoken and from there you need to determine the meaning of the sentence or at least the key word. The only weakness in the decks is the lack of cards going from English to Japanese. After my listening skills, forming sentences is probably my next biggest weakness.
So, I do think it makes a big difference depending on what else you're supplementing your studies with, your pace, etc... I certainly understand the arguments against the Core 6k deck. If your listening, vocab and grammar skills are all more than good enough for the N4 level material, then you probably won't gain much from the 6k decks. But, writing it off as useless or bad is also wrong. You might find better resources. But, I don't think these decks teach anything bad or wrong. They just may not challenge you in the right ways depending on what you've already done and what you're doing.
For me, the deck is kicking my ass. Though, I'm JUST focused on the words the decks are focused on. I am trying to understand the whole sentence in each card and foster a deeper understanding of the words, their kanji and their usage. I can nail the target word every time and not give myself full marks unless I feel confident with the whole of the content. And, if I'm struggling at all, I feel like it is useful.
But, while I was in the process of learning that, I was still looking up suggestions on where to go afterwards. I came across one very common thread of thinking; Don't do Core 6k. There were a host of suggestions:
- Dive into consuming Japanese media (news, books, etc...) using a pure Japanese dictionary.
- Focus on grammar, then dive into media using whatever to fill in the gaps
- etc...
I would say, grammar in Core 2k was VERY light. And mostly limited to N5 level stuff. Vocab was also fairly light. I'll admit, the Core 6k vocab I've seen so far is a 40/40/20 mix of things I've never heard that I can remember/things I've heard, but rarely/things I've heard commonly. So, 80% is fairly rare so far.
But, whether or not it is useless for grammar depends on what you did on the side while going through the Core 2k stuff. As I said, Core 2k has SUPER simplistic grammar. The Core 6k deck I'm using is still not THAT complex. But, it does seem to dig a bit more into N4 grammar and longer and more complex sentences some times.
I can't say I'm really using it for the grammar though. Or even the vocab. I did the Core 2k while I was doing the Nihongo Shark Kanji deck which isn't focused a ton on readings, but on meaning. By the time I finished that, I was either already done or mostly done the Core 2k deck. So, I wasn't applying my Kanji knowledge much.
With the Core 6k deck, what I'm finding is a LOT of compound Kanji words which are variants of Kanji heavily used in the Core 2k deck. So, it is turning out to be a great way to reinforce the meanings of the Kanji while learning some of their more common meanings. For the first time I'm HEARING a new word and some times actually guessing accurately at the meaning or at least the meaning of some of it's components. With reading, the accuracy is even higher.
What I think a lot of people overlook is that the Core decks are some of the Anki decks with the most number of native speaker recordings available for free. If listening is a weak spot of yours, these decks have a card where the words are JUST spoken and from there you need to determine the meaning of the sentence or at least the key word. The only weakness in the decks is the lack of cards going from English to Japanese. After my listening skills, forming sentences is probably my next biggest weakness.
So, I do think it makes a big difference depending on what else you're supplementing your studies with, your pace, etc... I certainly understand the arguments against the Core 6k deck. If your listening, vocab and grammar skills are all more than good enough for the N4 level material, then you probably won't gain much from the 6k decks. But, writing it off as useless or bad is also wrong. You might find better resources. But, I don't think these decks teach anything bad or wrong. They just may not challenge you in the right ways depending on what you've already done and what you're doing.
For me, the deck is kicking my ass. Though, I'm JUST focused on the words the decks are focused on. I am trying to understand the whole sentence in each card and foster a deeper understanding of the words, their kanji and their usage. I can nail the target word every time and not give myself full marks unless I feel confident with the whole of the content. And, if I'm struggling at all, I feel like it is useful.
Comments
Post a Comment