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Learning Japanese

Japanese Flashcards and Spaced Repetition: How to Use Them Well

By the Hanabuddies team · · 3 min read

Flashcards with spaced repetition are the most efficient way to memorise Japanese vocabulary and kanji. A spaced-repetition system (SRS) shows you each card just before you are likely to forget it, so you spend time on what you don’t know yet and very little on what you do. The keys are to learn words in example sentences rather than alone, add only as many new cards as you can review every day, and use what you learn in speaking and writing so it doesn’t stay stuck on the cards.

How spaced repetition works

When you review a card and remember it, the app waits longer before showing it again: a day, then a few days, then weeks, then months. If you forget, the card comes back soon. Over time, each word needs only a few seconds of review a month. This is why a steady 15 to 20 minutes a day can build a vocabulary of several thousand words in a year or two, which is roughly what you need for JLPT N3 to N2.

Making good Japanese flashcards

  • Use a sentence, not just a word. Put the word in a short example sentence and highlight it. You learn its meaning, grammar and typical partners at once.
  • Include reading and audio. Add the kana reading, and audio if your app supports it, so you learn how the word sounds, not just how it looks.
  • Test in the useful direction. Japanese → English helps reading and listening. English → Japanese is harder but builds speaking. Start with the first and add the second for words you want to use.
  • Make your own cards for words you meet. Words from your own reading, lessons and work stick better than a random list.
  • Keep cards small. One fact per card. If a card keeps failing, split it or add a picture or example.

Flashcards for kanji

For kanji, learn them through words rather than as isolated characters with long lists of readings. A card for 電車 (densha, train) teaches you 電 and 車 in context and gives you a useful word. Our guide on how to learn kanji covers radicals, writing and readings in more detail.

How many new cards a day?

Every new card creates reviews for weeks to come. A good starting point is 5 to 10 new cards a day. If your daily reviews take more than 30 minutes or you start skipping days, add fewer new cards for a while. Missing a few days creates a pile of reviews, so short daily sessions beat long weekend ones. See our study routine for busy adults for fitting this into a full week.

Common mistakes

  • Downloading huge pre-made decks and adding 50 cards a day, then giving up after a month.
  • Treating flashcards as studying Japanese. They support reading, listening and speaking; they don’t replace them.
  • Marking a card “correct” when you only half knew it. Be honest, or the system shows it too rarely.
  • Never using the words. A word you have said in a real sentence is far easier to remember than one you have only clicked.

Flashcards and lessons together

Flashcards are good at getting words into your head; lessons get them out of your mouth. A simple routine works well: add new words from each online lesson to your deck, review them during the week, and then use them with your tutor in the next session. The tutor can also suggest which words are worth learning and which you can skip for now, which saves a lot of time.