Anyone change the keyword to a kanji? Heisig obviously did it himself for later editions of the book.
I use Jim Breen's website (http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/wwwjdic.html) to look up the kanji (just type in Heisig's English keyword and viola!), then use the list of entry numbers to look up the kanji in Halpern's New Japanese-English Character Dictionary. If they keyword is wildly different from Heisig's, or if Heisig chose an antiquated meaning that is rarely in use these days, I look up Halpern's keyword in RTKI and see if Heisig already used it. If not, then I change it, and my story, too. This has made it easier to learn some kanji that otherwise would have been a big stretch for me.
I'll give an example:漫 LOOSE (830). I've changed it to RAMBLING (Halpern 700). Now I have a story for the Sun Eye Crotch mandala cult, who spend all their time crotch-gazing instead of navel gazing. While out on a ramble crotch-gazing, one falls into a puddle of water.
I have only a handful of changed keywords, but I find it helps when I'm reading Japanese. The only problem is in reviewing the cards on this website -- I'll come across a keyword and think "I don't remember that", only to find I changed it!
I use Jim Breen's website (http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/wwwjdic.html) to look up the kanji (just type in Heisig's English keyword and viola!), then use the list of entry numbers to look up the kanji in Halpern's New Japanese-English Character Dictionary. If they keyword is wildly different from Heisig's, or if Heisig chose an antiquated meaning that is rarely in use these days, I look up Halpern's keyword in RTKI and see if Heisig already used it. If not, then I change it, and my story, too. This has made it easier to learn some kanji that otherwise would have been a big stretch for me.
I'll give an example:漫 LOOSE (830). I've changed it to RAMBLING (Halpern 700). Now I have a story for the Sun Eye Crotch mandala cult, who spend all their time crotch-gazing instead of navel gazing. While out on a ramble crotch-gazing, one falls into a puddle of water.
I have only a handful of changed keywords, but I find it helps when I'm reading Japanese. The only problem is in reviewing the cards on this website -- I'll come across a keyword and think "I don't remember that", only to find I changed it!
Edited: 2007-02-28, 10:47 am
