Hi I’m new to this app and was just looking for some pointers for the best place to start as prior to this I was using Busuu but was recommended this app as it would be more beneficial but I seem to struggle more and end up guessing instead of learning
I would write out a chart with the symbols, practice the mnemonics you find easy to remember without the chart and practice the ones that are not with the chart regularly. Do focused reviews set to mistakes every thirty days. Keep the chart until you are down to 5 or ten maximum focused review
In the upper right corner is a question mark icon. Tap it. You will find very extensive explanations on how to use renshuu, where to start, what to do.
If you are a beginner for japanese, then yes, Hiragana is the very first thing to learn. There's no way around it, to be honest.
There's also Games > Quick Draw, which is a fun way to practice writing Hiragana (later also Katakana and Kanji), in case you don't want to do that on paper. Writing will massively help memorising.
The Quick Draw games are pretty fun, but it's best to play it on a smartphone or tablet rather than on a computer (unless it, too, is also a tablet if you're doing digital art for fun or or commissions).
You can even find some free printouts, here or elsewhere online when doing a general Google search, where you can print them out and practice writing the kanas, literally like when learning to write the English alphabet in elementary school.
I've already studied kana well enough that it's almost second natural when reading furigana, though eventually you'll need to transition from furigana to regular kanji. Right now, personally, I'm struggling with memorizing certain kanjis and vocabs, but it's best to be kind to yourself and "take the L" as they say. The space repetition system in Renshuu is quite intuitive in gauging which letter or word you're struggling with, and you can also customize them on this app how much time passes before it quizes you.
And just keep practicing whenever you can. Use it or lose it, as my Spanish teacher said, lol 😖
