As most would probably agree, tree, flower and fish are the hardest sections of RTK3, so I thought I'd start a thread for sharing tips on how to remember these kanji.

Here are my tips.
Please, feel free to post yours.

1. Personification. In RTK1, my flower primitive was a flower. Now it is a florist. As I don't know any actual florist, I've just chosen a fictional character, and made her work in a flower shop. Using characters is great because, even if the story isn't set on a flower shop, and has nothing to do with flowers, it can still feature the flower lady.

2. Google around. Most flowers have meanings associated with them. Jasmine flowers, for example, are symbol of elegance and grace; orchids are associated with luxury. Some plants have special meanings in folklore (it is said that hawthorn wood can kill vampires); some have medicinal use (butterbur can cure headaches); other appear in popular expressions (the face of a pretty woman is often compared to cotton roses 2362 芙蓉の顔); or in literature works (Blaise Pascal once said the humans are 'thinking reeds' 2411 人間は考える葦).

These pieces of information can often help you compose interesting stories.

3. Pictures. If you're using Anki, you can add pictures of the plants to your cards. I'm not sure how useful this is for remembering, but, at least, you get to know the real thing, instead of just memorizing silly stories.

iSoron Wrote:In RTK1, my flower primitive was a flower. Now it is a florist. As I don't know any actual florist, I've just chosen a fictional character

It occurs to me that Jumbo from Yotsuba&! works in a flower shop...

All good tips, and I've used them. Never thought of the florist bit, though. Happen to know one, so if my stories go bankrupt later I can revise them with her in them.

Another idea, especially with flowers, is to play word games with the name. For example, Jasmine, Holly, Hazel, etc. are all girl's names, and I incorporated those into my stories.

To be honest, I might be the only person on the site who found the flowers and trees easier than other sections, probably because the names are specific. It's easier to distinguish between a cypress and an oak than it is between nightfall, dusk and evening. IMHO.

[ファブリス]

All great tips.

As for point 3, I fnd it important if only to visualize something. But I don't feel the need to add a picture to SRS as there will be some kind of lasting impression anyway. For example I hardly remember a "catalpa tree" in its entirety but remembered the shape of the leaves, which I used in my story.

I also remember the "wisteria" flower image, the kanji, but often forget the keyword.

I would say definitely make a point of seeing at least once an image for every single flower, tree and animal that may appear as a keyword in RtK.

Would you guys think it would be better to finish these sections in one sitting? Or to just spread them out like normal.