Hi, I've got up to lesson 5 so far, and it seems to be going great but I just have a few clarifications..

So we make up stories for each kanji to help us remember, and that's all we'll have to reference later when it comes back in a review. But if everytime it comes back we need the story to reference, does it really start going in your long term memory? Some experience here would be helpful. If we review it a couple times using the story, since you've been doing it so long, do you just start knowing them without reference? I'm just wondering since for some I REALLY need the story, which is pretty helpful, to remember what primitive elements were in it, so I can get the image of it back in my head.

For ex. for #Specialty#

If you can accurately MEASURE out the yield of TEN FIELDS OF RICE, then you indeed have a specialty in growing rice.

Obviously comprising of measure, ten, and rice field.

Is this fine? Will this get the job done like it's supposed to?

It's perfectly fine. As long as you can recall the stories in your head (no peeking at your cards) and write out the kanji correctly great! Eventually like the method says, you won't even need the story and every time you see

Specialtyー>専

And no longer

Specialtyー>(story)ー>専

It's like psychology's classical conditioning with the dog and the bell



Food = story, bell= keyword, salvation = kanji

That's very helpful, thanks! People here have such amazing responses, it's wonderful!

Probably the only other question I have is for reviewing the cards. So I go like this:

1. Read a frame in the book, understand it, then draw it a few times.
2. Go to the site, and find a story that really sticks for such frame.
3. Then add those 30 to my list when I'm adding stories.

Now the question I have is, after I'm done do I go right ahead and review them to put them in the next bar? And if I fail any do I go right back to the re-study category and do them right?
Or perhaps it's better to wait until later in the day to actually 'review' them, or perhaps the next day? What's the usual way?

And something else. I did 35 the day before yesterday, and 35 yesterday and reviewed them the same day as I added. Now I have 70 in the 1st 'review' bar. I guess this bar is the '3 day' bar right? So in a day or two once it hits that point am I going to have to review all 70? Or will it be split up according to the days I did them, aka 35 one day review, then the next 35 the next day. I'm not sure how it all plays out. I feel like I might already be forgetting the first ones I did so I'm just curious what to expect when I start getting higher numbers of kanji.

Joshade Wrote:That's very helpful, thanks! People here have such amazing responses, it's wonderful!

Probably the only other question I have is for reviewing the cards. So I go like this:

1. Read a frame in the book, understand it, then draw it a few times.
2. Go to the site, and find a story that really sticks for such frame.
3. Then add those 30 to my list when I'm adding stories.

I would be writing the character a few times after I've got a story down, so I could imagine the story while putting its parts together. Not very important, but if you're making sure you're able to picture each character's story clearly then it could help. I'm pretty sure it's by lesson 11 that Heisig introduces a more detailed explanation of the steps to making up a story, where he describes imagining it while closing your eyes and then writing it out, or something.

Joshade Wrote:Now the question I have is, after I'm done do I go right ahead and review them to put them in the next bar? And if I fail any do I go right back to the re-study category and do them right?
Or perhaps it's better to wait until later in the day to actually 'review' them, or perhaps the next day? What's the usual way?

I'm using Anki and I always waited with newly added cards until the next day for reviewing. I was mostly in the habit of finishing all the scheduled reviews and adding new ones afterwards. I don't think it's important, doing whatever you like is fine.

Joshade Wrote:And something else. I did 35 the day before yesterday, and 35 yesterday and reviewed them the same day as I added. Now I have 70 in the 1st 'review' bar. I guess this bar is the '3 day' bar right? So in a day or two once it hits that point am I going to have to review all 70? Or will it be split up according to the days I did them, aka 35 one day review, then the next 35 the next day. I'm not sure how it all plays out. I feel like I might already be forgetting the first ones I did so I'm just curious what to expect when I start getting higher numbers of kanji.

Completely lost here, I'm not using this site ^^
Good luck

Sweet, thanks Good advice for sure.

Still a little confused on how this review is gonna work if anyone could clarify? It seems weird that you can review the new 30 you did one day, and not see them again for 3 days and then have to review all 100 you did over 3 days. I understand long periods for cards that have been in there, just wondering.

You will review the 30 cards from day 1 on day 4, and the 30 from day 2 on day 5 etc.

Do not be demotivated if you fail 50% after three days, just relearn the cards you fail and let the srs do its magic. I usually fail 50% of the day 3 reviews, but less than 20% on the 7 day review..