I'm curious what mnemonic folks used to remember the order: AKSTNHMYRW. (Or perhaps with computers it's rarely necessary?).

I forgot my original one and borrowed one from the web: Kanji Strokes - Think Now How Many You Read & Write. Any others?

btw - I just realized (b/c my spelling looked wrong) that the word "mnemonic" is derived from the Ancient Greek word mnemonikos ("of memory") and is related to Mnemosyne ("remembrance"), the Mother of the Muses in Greek mythology. (And we think 日本語　is tricky..)

All Kana See Truly Now How Much You Read and Write them N!

From Remembering the Kana.

Well Jimmy, I'm happy to have provided you with a well-deserved post-Kana update for yours....N.

A Kind Samurai Told Naomi How My Yak Ran Wild (n)

I could never remember the one Jimmyseal wrote above (I actually heard it from somewhere other than the Heisig books - never having used remembering the kana).

This one is really a lot more of a visual story, and there are no unused words (a, them).

Heisig is very evil and offers a tune to help. Sing it to Frere Jaque.

Ah Ka Sa Ta
Na Ha Ma Ya
Ra Wa N
Ra Wa N

Now I know my Kana
Now I know my Kana

Din Dan Don

Or something to that effect.

Alaska street in New Hapmshire is on my row.
(just kidding, I didn't really use it; but this looked like fun...0

Jarvik: interesting visual!

Nukemarine: Did Heisig really? I assumed you were pulling my leg until I remembered the little ditty children use to learn their ABCs.

I wonder if Japanese schoolchildren are taught it in some standardized way? And what do they call it? Their あいうえおs?

All I know is that I hope I get used to the order - dictionary searches are taking too long.

Edit: tortured idiom (yank chain/pull leg)

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akasatana hamayarawa ([kana]akasatana hamayarawa[/kana])

I didn't remember it the first time I saw it but it stuck soon after.

Isn't it what Japanese children use?

Thora, yes he did. He wrote a book Remembering the Kana, which is how I learned of his method, and in the book he uses that to help one remember the order of the Kana. I still use it when I'm using a dictionary or at the video store.

@Nukemarine: You beat me to it! Guess we have good taste in books

I simply memorized them. Worked for me.

All Kings Should Teach Nymphs How Many Yards Remain Within (the) Nile

Back when I was learning the Kana with Heisig's book I really didn't like his song suggestion, so I just took the letters and made something up. I think because I took the time to make it myself it stuck without really trying to remember it.

Of course now I've written the kana tables out so many times over the last 19 months I can begin to see it without the mnemonic. Like how in English you just know if K is before or after O, so when looking something up you know which direction to search.

LOL leosmith! I DO use something similar!

Sheer repetition beats them into your brain. But I visualize them in pairs:

aka - the start, no image
sata - ST, street
naha - NH, New Hampshire
maya - MY
rawan - the end, no image

+1 for Frere Jaques. It's been at least 10 years since I learned the kana, and I *still* sing that song, usually without realizing it, as I thumb through any index or alphabetized list in kana.

I also hum Sesame Street's Big Bird's ABC-DEF-GHI tune when I thumb through alphabetized English lists.

The part I always had trouble with was the NHM. So after a while I used Tanahama, cause it sorta sounds like a name or something.

I learned the kana from Remembering the Kana and thought the song with the Fr?re Jacques tune was stupid. Guess what has consistently worked for me? Yep. That song. It never fails me.

Told you Heisig was evil.

Thanks all. So ...the Heisig cult has its own mantra does it...Din Dan Don. Speaking of which, I've decided to go with Fabrice's simple and non-English "akasatana hamayarawa" which, when recited a few times for memorization, makes me feel like I'm reciting a mystical Hindu mantra. Om

ziggr Wrote:I also hum Sesame Street's Big Bird's ABC-DEF-GHI tune when I thumb through alphabetized English lists.

Native English speaker here and I still use Mozart's ditty on regular occasion when flipping through the dictionary.

On topic, I picked up Kana Signs, Take Note How Much You Read and Write them from Power Japanese.

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@Thora : Same here, haha. It made me think of the Mahayana form of Buddhism. But forget this or you will get confused now

In case some folks aren't old enough to recall Ziggr's helpful little alphabet tune, here's
Big Bird's song. I'm old enough - his comment made me chuckle.

Kana, vintage Sesame Street! and Mayahana buddhism (that was mean, Fabrice )...odd thread indeed.

The one I made up was "A Cat Said To Nine Hens, 'My Yellow Ribbon Was New'".

[Katsuo]

It's certainly true that all kana sorting tables need helpful mnemonics you remember well.

I love the originals:

"A Kind Samurai Told Naomi How My Yak Ran Wild (n)"
"A Cat Said To Nine Hens, 'My Yellow Ribbon Was New'".
"All Kings Should Teach Nymphs How Many Yards Remain Within (the) Nile"

A Rorschach test of sorts? hmm

Katsuo Wrote:It's certainly true that all kana sorting tables need helpful mnemonics you remember well.

Ooh, nice one. Probably the easiest for me to remember.

I completely missed that ....duh. (Thought Katsuo seemed rather earnest...). Nice.