Users of social networking wunderapp Facebook know that not only is the site a great way to waste whole days throwing sheep and zombie-biting people but you can also keep tabs on all of your friends. I spend more than enough time online and ignore anything on Facebook except messages (so if you have been wondering why your ninja invitation lies unanswered - now you know!) but I am only human, and when I noticed an app called Kanji Box my curiosity was piqued. Kanji Box is a simple quiz application which operates within Facebook. It allows you to choose an ability level (grasshopper through to JLPT Level 1) and then test yourself on kana, kanji and vocabulary. Once you have trained up via the drill function you can sit a quiz and then get feedback in the form of stats: having a score is a great motivation because it gives you a clear target to beat next time you sit the quiz. The stats page also shows your progress in terms of both JLPT level and 常用漢字 - General Use kanji (plus the 人名用漢字 - kanji used in personal names). I gave the quiz function a try. Fast, straightforward and fun - if you are going to blow off some time online at least with Kanji Box you are learning something (not that zombie-fighting isn't a useful skill......). The best part is the social networking aspect - you can invite friends and compare scores. Nothing quite like the motivational factor of "OMGWTF! - Tom scored 1076 points on JLPT Level 1! My score is pathetic - better start drilling." (cue Rocky theme song)
Since we are all wont to visit Facebook at some time or other I recommend Kanji Box as a way to harness the power of constructive procrastination. The only downside - at some point your concentration will waver and you will start seaching for that girl who used to sit next to you in kindergarten. And it's a minor bugbear, but I like kanji for either the singular or plural - "kanjis" sounds like a type of fruit or a venereal disease.
(I'm off to see if I can match Tom's score.)
Hey, there's the update I was hoping for! ;)
Good to see Facebook has something useful in it. I'll give it a go, breaking my new year's resolution of spending less time on the net and more time working in the process.
Posted by: Jake | January 09, 2008 at 03:41 PM
Someone knocked me off the number one spot!! My world is shattered. How they got more points for an identical perfect score eludes me though.
Posted by: Tom | January 11, 2008 at 06:15 PM
私は言語を教える/習うためにいいサイトを見つけました!そのサイトはhttp://www.lingueo.com/
lingueoには講師になったら、母語を教えると、お金がかせぎます。生徒になったら、日本語を勉強することができます。
I found a great site to teach and learn japanese! It's between SNS and e-learnig website. This site is: http://www.lingueo.com/
You can teach your mother tongue on Lingueo and eaｒn money. You can learn japanese with native speaker:-)
It's so cool !
Lucynda
Posted by: lucynda | February 17, 2009 at 01:49 AM
Just wanted to let you know that it’s not showing up properly on the BlackBerry Browser (I have a Pearl). Anyway, I’m now on the RSS feed on my laptop, so thanks!
Posted by: buy acai | January 10, 2010 at 08:13 AM
Interesting app... although I would recommend to use SRS software like Anki instead. It is MUCH more effective for reviewing the kanji and also the kana.
Still, thanks for sharing! :D
Posted by: Learn kana | June 29, 2011 at 03:28 AM
interesting Article, any idea where i can find some usefull teaching material online?
Posted by: Wael DEC | July 05, 2011 at 04:26 PM
I've also started using Anki, after a recommendation on JapaneseLevelUp. It's a bit hard to set up, but very easy to use, and works really well. He recommends using the RTK 1-3 deck, which I find harder since it doesn't give readings (thank goodness for Google and Rikaichan), and I don't have a copy of "Remembering the Kanji"... For sentences and grammar, I also recommend the "Tae Kim's Guide to Japanese Grammar" deck, based on http://www.guidetojapanese.com ...
As for the Kanji Box app, too bad I can't use it because, for security reasons, I had to permanently disable apps on my FB account and deadlock it into HTTPS mode (most apps don't support SSL).
Posted by: Kimura | August 29, 2011 at 01:45 PM
Just in a few days, I've learned some new things and think Kanji Box is a really helpful tool. It's kind of like a flashcard game. Anyway, check it out if your looking for a way to test your skills without having to go buy anything.
Posted by: Dwein Einz | November 24, 2011 at 03:52 PM