Sneaky vocabulary tricks

I know there is no quick or easy way to learn Japanese. But as a solo student I seem to spend a great deal of time trying to learn vocabulary lists only to forget the new words the second I move onto another topic. Does anyone have any hints on how to learn new words?

I don't know if there are any real tricks. The only thing that works for me is systematic review that gets less and less frequent as time passes. I still occasionally review word lists I learned several years ago. So I guess my suggested "hint" would be to make a nice clean list each time you learn a new set of words. (I put all mine into the computer.)

I also find handwritten flash cards to be invaluable for initial learning, like maybe for the first week or so of review. For me, the act of writing the words is a powerful part of the learning process, although different people learn in different ways.

actually USING what youve learned. Listen japanese in music , dramas (with subtitles at first, even that helps) movies, you name it , and recognize words youve learned. Youll find your brain starts connecting the words with the contexts in which youve heard them. I dont know what your level is right now, but absolutely the best thing is speaking japanese , either with natives or fellow students. Skype is perfect for that, and many people use it for language exchange. For me it helped tremendously, its closest thing youll find to studying abroad, and its free!

goodluck