I don't know if this has been posted before, but i just wanted to share a technique I use when I'm reviewing-

1. When I first look at a keyword for a new kanji, often a concrete image doesn't appear in my mind.

2. However, when I'm reviewing and I'm stuck on a kanji, I find myself racking my brain and often an image or scene DOES appear related to that keyword. I take that chance to write down what does appear.

E.g. Today I got stuck on "salvation" and a gospel church scene came to mind, so i wrote down salvation=gospel church

3. Then, when going through my failed kanji, I include whatever came into my mind in my new/amended story.

E.g. The taskmaster is gospel choir, singing about requesting salvation for those he mercilessly whipped.

I hope this helps!

By the way, I love this site! Thanks Fabrice! And I now have two sets of flashcards sitting around, my White Rabbit (God bless them) and 400 handmade RTK flashcards. I do think the White Rabbit ones will be helpful someday though for the vocab.

Zactacular Wrote:when I'm reviewing and I'm stuck on a kanji, I find myself racking my brain and often an image or scene DOES appear related to that keyword. I take that chance to write down what does appear.

Then, when going through my failed kanji, I include whatever came into my mind in my new/amended story.

Good idea. I'm going to give it a bash next time I get a blank!

Good god this is such a simple idea and I never thought of it. Genius 君, pure genius! I have started doing it already and I think it has kicked 5 or so problem kanji up into my memory where they belong. Thanks for the great tip.

I've always done that. My only problem is that with 2042 kanji, many of whose keywords are vague or have multiple meanings, some days I come up with different stories and/or stories that don't fit the main meaning of that kanji.

That said, this technique is of course the best avenue when used right; it's a continuation of what one should be doing the first time they learn a kanji.

Zactacular Wrote:By the way, I love this site! Thanks Fabrice! And I now have two sets of flashcards sitting around, my White Rabbit (God bless them) and 400 handmade RTK flashcards. I do think the White Rabbit ones will be helpful someday though for the vocab.

Just wanted to see what you thought of the White Rabbit Press cards, now that you've had them for a few months...

Max Hodges
Publisher
White Rabbit Press
http://www.whiterabbitpress.com

I don't know if anyone gets this. For kanji that I know really well in my reviews, a visual image of the kanji clicks into my head. If my head is blank and no images come up, I read the notes I took and refine the story.