[Zgarbas]

(more like upper-beginner but the title would've been too long)

Sorry for starting a new topic for this, but I was looking for a bit of advice. I finally gave in and bought RTK1 and am starting it next week, but I have a bit of an issue about how to approach it.

I already know a few hundred kanji. Some of them learned text-book style, some I picked up during core 6k, some I randomly found, etc. So various sources, and most I just memorized after seeing them long enough, only needing stories for about 3-4 pairs of similar looking and/or funny ones(I found it hilarious picturing 親　as "parents are those who sit on a tree and look at you...intimately").

Are there any tips for handling it once you're already at a certain level? Should I just pretend I don't know anything and go about it by the book?

Just go at it as if you don't know anything. I did have some interference with mnemonics I already had that were still strong as mnemonics. Of course, mnemonics tend to fade with time and you only remember the thing you were trying to memorize anyway.

When quizzing yourself, though, if you can look at the keyword and remember and write the character, then don't worry if you have the story and Heisig elements to do it... you still got the right answer. That's the important part and you don't need to force memorizing an unnecessary mnemonic.

You'll also probably find that learning to write the characters out is quite a different experience from learning to recognize them in front of you and many mnemonics don't clash at all simply because one is for writing and one is for reading.

If you can use JP keywords instead of English ones, you probably should.

But if you are unsure on your vocab skills, then just do it as if you didn't know anything.

If your vocabulary is up to it, then I want to second Betelgeuzah's suggestion to use Japanese keywords.

Wrighttalk, an enthusiast for this method, goes into the details (and the advantages) of using Japanese keywords here.

There is also a thread on this forum is discussing the merits (or otherwise) of Japanese keywords that I thought I would link to but I haven't been able to locate it.

EDIT: The thread is as follows.

http://forum.koohii.com/showthread.php?tid=929

It's not an all or nothing approach; people who advocate this method suggest first replacing the English keyword with Japanese keywords you already know and then slowly replacing the remainder as you learn the required Japanese vocabulary through your studies.

Good luck

[Zgarbas]

That's a great idea . Definitely doing it!

Thanks .

http://japaneselevelup.com/2011/01/29/ho...t-1-kanji/

Here is another method of appending Japanese keywords to RTK, much more straightforward then most methods to be honest.

If changing the keywords for Japanese words takes too long, you can always use Rikaichan or other dictionaries, like Wakan.

1.- See the keyword.

2.- Guess the kanji.

3.- See the kanji and try to remember some word(s) with it.

4.- Check using Rikaichan and/or Wakan (or other dictionary).

5.- Rate yourself.

6.- Rinse and repeat.

[Zgarbas]

I decided to stick to Wrighttalk's since it doesn't bring such a great change to the original RTK whilst helping me out more. (and the JapaneseLevelUp method kind of confuses me=/).

Started today =). Aiming to do about 20 new per day to keep it simple(though I think I might make that 20 NEW ones to quicken things up a bit. I don't need help with 回、for example, so when that's in the batch I'll just add one more). See you in the "Finished RTK" thread!

So I guess we know what one of your goals for 2012 is
頑張って ネ。