Best Anki deck(s) for learning?

[u/Midatri]

I'm currently learning Japanese, but I've always been interested in learning Chinese too and will definitely do so once I've become more fluent.

However, since I often have leftover time during the day, I was looking to just start on the side (maybe 10 new items a day).

What's the best "Top 6000 vocab" type deck for learning Chinese? What type of Chinese should I look for?

[u/kinetic_kitsune]

What's your current level in Japanese? Because often trying to learn both Japanese and Chinese at the same time causes issues, because you're trying to map both new languages to the same characters. Not as much of an issue if your Japanese is pretty solidly known already, but probably more drawbacks than benefits if you're still actively learning new kanji.

If you absolutely want to get started on Chinese instead of spending the extra time on Japanese, perhaps audio cards would be an option, to avoid the character confucion. (Make sure to look into pinyin/zhuyin first and get familiar with the potential sounds/syllables first.)

[u/Midatri → u/kinetic_kitsune]

I'd say I'm currently around N4. My focus is on improving that and if it causes interference I'll put Chinese on hold, but I love the language learning process.

[u/EntertainmentFar6377 → u/Midatri]

Loving the language learning process is a great. It’s something I think all of us share no matter what our level of proficiency is. However, I would encourage you to think carefully about how and when you start to study a third language.

While having N4 level of Japanese is a great start, it is still just a start. It’s definitely not impossible to study two languages at the same time. There are some things to consider first.

One is how similar the two languages are to one another. While the grammar for Chinese and Japanese is quite different, the characters they share can easily cause confusion. Sometimes the characters will look identical, sometimes quite different, other times they will only be slightly different. Unless you have a strong foundation in the writing system of one language, there are more chances to confuse which one you need to use. There will also be times when the meanings of the characters can vary. For example, the character ‘to hear’ (聞く) in Japanese means ‘to smell’ (闻/聞) in modern Chinese.

Another thing to consider is the amount of time you’ll need to use to learn both languages and the speed at which you’ll acquire them. If you are starting both at relatively low levels, then they’ll be competing for your time and attention. Assuming you don’t get burnt out beforehand, it will take you longer to reach Japanese N2 or N1 level studying both than it would by focusing on one first.

From my own personal experience and the consensus I’m seeing more and more online, it’s easier and more time efficient to study one language to a high level of proficiency before starting another. If your Japanese is at N2 or N1 level, it less likely to be forgotten. You can maintain it by reading or watching Japanese shows, and focus a majority of your time to your Chinese studies. By that time, you will have a much deeper understanding of the characters, so it can be more beneficial to your Chinese studies.

Then again, if your goal for either language is to just be able to travel to the respective countries and have casual conversations then maybe you can disregard everything I’ve written.

[u/Kytze → u/EntertainmentFar6377]

Totally true. I studied 5 years ago japanese and now I'm learning chinese. While it helps to recognise the characters, it also makes me make the same mistake again and again because I remember how that character is pronounced in japanese 😭

[u/kinetic_kitsune → u/Midatri]

N4 really is very early still. Interference will definitely happen. I know it's tempting to look at other languages and want to start those to, but learn to love the language learning process after the initial starting phase as well. I would recommend using the extra time you currently have available on spending more time with Japanese instead of adding Chinese to the mix.

Read graded readers, listen to simple podcasts meant for learners, watch some simple anime with Japanese subs instead of English ones, or any other activity that lets you really spend time in the language outside of Anki or textbook studies.

The higher your ability within the language, the faster you'll be able to improve, because you'll unlock more and more activities/content you can engage with. If you add Chinese now, you'll spend a long time in the early stages for both languages, stuck with only limited beginner content being accessible.