I think you just need to be patient. A 70-80% recall rate isn't that bad. Maybe you could try increasing the number of new kanji you study every day (if you have enough time), you may find out that it won't impact your recall rate much and you'll be making progress faster.

But most importantly forgetting is part of the process. It's normal to forget things many times before they finally stick. Also try to find stories that will be easy to remember from the keyword. When I don't remember a story I ask myself questions. Like if that's a verb Who <keyword> what? Where? Why? So I can use that when making my stories and it helps with the keyword -> story part of the remembering process.

Also I don't believe that you're somehow unable to visualize the stories. You don't need to have a "vision" of crystal clear quality. Just think about it, imagine the situation, that's all. It's like when you read a novel, you don't get a TV feed of what's going on in your brain, but somehow we can still all follow what's happening.

I also think it might help if you add more kanji per day. I started doing RTK about 1 week ago, and have been adding about 20-40 kanji per day. Try to go through a whole lesson at  a time, unless the lesson is really long, in which case you should split it up over a few days. The kanji in each lesson are related to each other and use common pieces, so its easy to learn them all together at once.

Also, I have been using Anki in addition to the review here on this site. This basically doubles the amount that I am actually reviewing the cards, so it helps push them into my memory better, especially in the first couple days of learning them.

If you have trouble remembering a story when seeing the keyword, then change your story to something you might remember better. I've also found that on a number of kanji, I had read lots of the stories that other people wrote, and when reviewing the kanji, I would remember it by one of those stories rather than the one I chose! So the story you *think* you might remember most easily might not always be the one thats really the best.

i have days where ill have 90% , and then days where my mind just goes blank and I get 60% or so, im learning around 20 a day at the moment and the retention seems about right to myself.

Im up to 369 myself, so im around the same area

I have found that some I can learn very easy, and others I just struggle with and have failed 4/5 times in a row - but I just keep plugging on and change the story slightly each time until I get the one that will "sink in"

So....keep up the good work



Additionally, I have Anki installed but havent worked out how to do the Kanji yet on the software, I do however intend to use it as a secondary learning technique (Im not sure at the moment how to enter the Kanji into Anki - it appears you have to know the actual word in Japanese, which is something im not ready for at the moment)

My comment is going to be "Your Mileage May Vary".  YMMV.  We're all different, and our brains are just more comfortable with somethings than other people.  So, don't fight it!  Make up the stories the way that you DO remember things.  I notice that some people's stories are based on the kanji, not so much the keyword.  To me, that doesn't really work.  I then remember the story when I see the kanji, but not when I see the keyword.  So, an approach (which has seemed to work better for me) may be to focus on what the keyword triggers, and build the story starting there, to then work in the primatives of the kanji.  It doesn't always have to be a "visual" story, if they don't work for you.  That just works for lots of people, but YMMV.  The "right" way is the way that works for you.

Last edited by CharleyGarrett (2008 April 01, 4:40 pm)

When I go to create my own story, I lie down, and let the elements swirl around in my mind. Sometimes, I let myself fall into a near-sleep state, until I put the pieces together. This will make craziness happen. I've had creatures with the sun for a head, and an eye for a body meditating pop up; the shoop-da-whoop even managed to fit into a few stories.
All that matters is that the story works, and that you remember it. Don't feel like you have to rush things; lie down, relax, and let your mind flux.

I usually get less than 70% success. I think the method works well with some people and not so well with others. It seems that sometimes mnemonics simply don't take, and even when I think I have a good one, ultimately it's time that decides what works, not me.

I've been away for a couple of months due to illness, and I'm finding I only remember about half (excluding the ones that I already knew before I started RTK). That raises another point. It's also important to use the review page every day or two, even if only a few turn up. The system works by gradually increasing the period between tests for each individual character, which is supposed to increase the rate of transfer to long-term memory.

Again, I'll encourage you to notice what exactly works for you, and then to go with your strengths.  Think about all the different ways of learning:  auditory, visual, by touch, by movement, by writing, by explaining, oral, music, etc.  Find the channel(s) that work for you and then figure out how to bring kanji thru there.  The only purpose is to get it into the long term memory.  Each of us is unique, so use that special gift that is yours.