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why did Heisig choose that keyword when this is so much clearer? - Printable Version

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why did Heisig choose that keyword when this is so much clearer? - xingji - 2009-10-28

For those who came to Heisig - not as a beginner - there are a few keyword choices that are really unnerving and I've been ranting on the story pages for a while now. Here's a list of the ones i find most annoying (it's not comprehensive as i'm only at frame 1709 - Heal was the last drop)

55. upright 貞 - much prefer chastity (i came to a certain peace with it now, by playing with uptight)

92. village 町 208. town 村 (can't see why he chose this and now the opposite)

145- but of course! 況

153 cape 埼 778 promontory 崎 1115 headland 岬 (arbitrary - but ok, just annoying)

164. thin 淡 227. dilute 薄 1363 dainty 細 (2577. lose weight 痩) (really confusing especially working from Japanese - ok - hosoi means thin... so does usui...and to get thin is yaseru...and in Chinese 痩 shou4 is thin/get thin)

1287 step 踏 - i got it wrong so often because i'm couldn't read"to step" (he tries to avoid ambiguity so often with

254. pagoda 塔 - this kanji is used with all the towers (especially true in Chinese)- 1624. tower 閣 - if you don't know how they look put 銀閣寺・金閣寺 in google image and tell me if that makes you think of a tower - o_O!

1481. previously 既 - with before and beforehand on his list he chooses previously as a keyword for a kanji mostly used for sudeni - already...in Chinese it's used for "since"

1590. wish 念 - i was wondering why we were stuck with petition for 願 (135) - this kanji can find better for a keyword! I'm sure! ( thoughts - mind etc)

1605. loins 腰 (not really Heisig faults here, but because i'm using Katsuo's primitive for loinscloth i'm always hesitating when i see this one) - #hip# makes much more sense (although it's true that koshi in japanese also means the front and back parts as well at the hips per se)
1630. godown 倉 - i'm convinced that most non native speaker of English had to check that word - why not go with "attic" or "granary"

1652. flats 軒 1656. eaves 宇 - noki - eaves in Japanese is written 軒 / 宇 is almost always used with the meaning of cosmos/universe etc. what on earth is FLATS??? especially for a counter of houses - when eaves fit so perfectly!

1709. heal 療 2037. healing 癒 - this is almost a joke. When therapy or treatment is open for 療
- this really makes me feel Heisig didn't care so much at the end of the book. You see more primitives unexplained or sloppy
- zoo (never explained)
- spear (used only twice- very bad choice of primitive when the fiesta's radical is actually a spear - it's bound to confound people who have studied japanese before)
- someone --> becomes puppet on string with no explanation
- put tent--> blending with elements of teepee? really??
.


why did Heisig choose that keyword when this is so much clearer? - bodhisamaya - 2009-10-29

There are dozens of threads that discuss this. Go to search and type in keywords for an overview of them. Katsuo made a post just a few hours ago on a similar thread: http://forum.koohii.com/showthread.php?pid=75502#pid75502


why did Heisig choose that keyword when this is so much clearer? - mezbup - 2009-10-29

xingji Wrote:For those who came to Heisig - not as a beginner - there are a few keyword choices that are really unnerving and I've been ranting on the story pages for a while now. Here's a list of the ones i find most annoying (it's not comprehensive as i'm only at frame 1709 - Heal was the last drop)

55. upright 貞 - much prefer chastity (i came to a certain peace with it now, by playing with uptight)

92. village 町 208. town 村 (can't see why he chose this and now the opposite)

145- but of course! 況

153 cape 埼 778 promontory 崎 1115 headland 岬 (arbitrary - but ok, just annoying)

164. thin 淡 227. dilute 薄 1363 dainty 細 (2577. lose weight 痩) (really confusing especially working from Japanese - ok - hosoi means thin... so does usui...and to get thin is yaseru...and in Chinese 痩 shou4 is thin/get thin)

1287 step 踏 - i got it wrong so often because i'm couldn't read"to step" (he tries to avoid ambiguity so often with

254. pagoda 塔 - this kanji is used with all the towers (especially true in Chinese)- 1624. tower 閣 - if you don't know how they look put 銀閣寺・金閣寺 in google image and tell me if that makes you think of a tower - o_O!

1481. previously 既 - with before and beforehand on his list he chooses previously as a keyword for a kanji mostly used for sudeni - already...in Chinese it's used for "since"

1590. wish 念 - i was wondering why we were stuck with petition for 願 (135) - this kanji can find better for a keyword! I'm sure! ( thoughts - mind etc)

1605. loins 腰 (not really Heisig faults here, but because i'm using Katsuo's primitive for loinscloth i'm always hesitating when i see this one) - #hip# makes much more sense (although it's true that koshi in japanese also means the front and back parts as well at the hips per se)
1630. godown 倉 - i'm convinced that most non native speaker of English had to check that word - why not go with "attic" or "granary"

1652. flats 軒 1656. eaves 宇 - noki - eaves in Japanese is written 軒 / 宇 is almost always used with the meaning of cosmos/universe etc. what on earth is FLATS??? especially for a counter of houses - when eaves fit so perfectly!

1709. heal 療 2037. healing 癒 - this is almost a joke. When therapy or treatment is open for 療
- this really makes me feel Heisig didn't care so much at the end of the book. You see more primitives unexplained or sloppy
- zoo (never explained)
- spear (used only twice- very bad choice of primitive when the fiesta's radical is actually a spear - it's bound to confound people who have studied japanese before)
- someone --> becomes puppet on string with no explanation
- put tent--> blending with elements of teepee? really??
.
I do agree on this issue but out of 2000 it ain't so bad to only pick out a handful. There's a few more I've encountered but they don't spring to mind. It's not really that important.