Sometimes when I want to recall a Japanese word phonetically (usually a compound) I have to first picture the kanji in my head, and then recall the readings that go with those characters in that compound, in order to help me recall how to say the word phonetically.

Often though of course I can just recall the word phonetically without having to visualize the kanji first.

Just curious if others find themselves doing this (picturing the kanji as a way of triggering their memory of how to pronounce the word).

(Presumably during a heated discussion in Japanese you wouldn't have time to go through these mental steps).

I don't speak Japanese because I find it a useless ability, but my listening ability isn't very good due to this reason. I hear words, usually with on-pronunciations, and then try and run the list of kanji possibilities through my head. Most of the time if this happens I don't end up remembering it.