It's interesting that you mentioned 400. That suggests that you may be doing something wrong, and if you can fix it, you should be able to improve.

I suspect that there are physiological limitations on how many different symbols your brain can cope with. Brute force learning about 400 kanji is possible with a bit of determination, but at that point the brain refuses to memorize any more. That was my limit before I did RTK and it has been others' too.

The point I'm making is to check whether you're really using Heisig's method correctly.

1. Are you choosing suitable mnemonics (i.e., memorable stories)? Spend a good part of your time coming up with stories that inspire your imagination.

2. Are you going too fast? Forget Heisig's claim that you can learn 2000 characters in a few weeks. Be patient and learn a small group at a time.

3. Practise reading and writing the kanji. Then drill yourself on them, going from and keyword to kanji and also from kanji to keyword. Once you're confident, add them to your account on the Reviewing the Kanji site.

4. Are you using the site correctly? Only practice the orange pile. Don't practice the green ones because the system keeps track of how well you know each kanji, and if you test yourself too soon, it will only confuse the system as to what stage of memorization your brain is up to. Come to think of it, maybe that feature should be disabled...

I hope this helps and I'm sure others will have words of advice too.

If you don't have one get an SRS such as Anki. This will make your reviewing very efficient and will give you a sense of progression. Secondly, follow his instructions at the start of lesson 11 on how to learn a new kanji. He is not joking about imaginative memory. It is not enough to just make a quick story. For me I have to strain to detail my story and for the primitive elements to come out.

DONT GIVE UP! Even if you slow down. I gave up at 400 once and started again about 1.5 years later. It only took me about 2 months to finish once I restarted. Even if you slow down, keep at it. Also when you review the kanji, try and imprint the story with even more detail. Also, if you are not too tired, try and come up with your story first before using someone elses. If you can think if a good one it will be more memorable I think than one that is not your own.

Lastly, be positive! Be determined! Rev yourself up! You WILL learn the 2000 kanji! This method is doable and good. Also relax, if you get nervous about failing when reviewing it is harder to think and get the right answers. Take breaks and the answers will also probably come to you.

Oh and also. You must review almost everyday with your SRS. You must clear your reviews otherwise you are defeating the purpose of an SRS.

Last edited by thermal (2008 July 20, 10:37 pm)

Welcome!

It's possible you breezed through some of it without the "imaginative memory" technique. But whether you applied the method correctly or not, keep in mind that the first 400 kanji are really easy. Now it's uphill until halfway through the book, and the best time to get the method really down, so take your time.

Fyi, I did 100 on my first day, then 50, then 50, then less! Very few people could manage 50 a day to completion, and that would take many hours per day. My average on the second half of the book was 10 a day. Until halfway, if you still have some momentum and extra motivation, go for it and try to do up to 20 a day but don't burn yourself out.

If you are always connected at home you have everything you need to review on this website. For offline and "mobile" reviews consider programs like Mnemosyne, Stackz, Anki, etc. Also you might like "KanjiGym Light". It's not a Spaced Repetition System, but you can review entire lessons at once which you may find useful for "warming up" before using the SRS.

I experienced much the same myself. For me the problem turned out to be, as Fabrice mentioned, not having the whole imaginative memory thing down.

I think in wanting to blow through a certain number of characters in a given day, I sometimes didn't come up with the best stories. After a bit of a break in my studying (and by "a bit" I mean "four months" or more) I've noticed that those characters for which I had solid stories that really engaged my imaginative memory are still in there to some extent. Those that relied on word associations or whatever, not so much.

Since then, I've shifted my goal from completing a certain number of characters per day to coming up with stories that relate clearly to the keyword for me, and that then have a memorable story associated with them.

To be sure this has involved going back to characters I "knew" and re-doing some stories, however for me personally I'd rather know a lesser amount of characters well than a greater amount only in theory

Yes.. that's right. I finished RTK not so long ago and started learning the 'readings' via sentences. In my experience, RTK really helps to keep the kanji distinct and recognisable. Further, I noticed that when learning kanji compounds, the Heisig keyword pops up (after some thinking..:), after which I can try and connect the reading(s). The kanji that are starting to get familiar show this behavior less and less: usually the reading(s) come to mind. It was a great feeling when I could even 'read' a word (kanji compound) without knowing what it meant. It these cases, the Heisig keywords are usually a help for guessing the meaning. So, in short: I'm really positive about this method!!

As for the road until you finish RTK: keep reviewing! If the number of reviews becomes too large, perhaps add less or no new kanji that day and just review. The reviews will make it all stick in your mind.

@mentat_kqs: Nearly finished! I remember that moment very well. It was a great feeling when adding those last kanji. Enjoy it..:)

Fifty a day is doable with good stories. I've been doing it and will continue to do it (at 1400 now). It becomes the sort of thing where you make the mnemonic today, and make it better tomorrow when reviewing. It's kind of a Fast/sloppy vs. Slow/steady.

Dr. Anki or: how I learned to stop worrying and love my failures.

I was going to post something about how failing kanji is a good thing, but I guess I won't, as erlog summarized it quite nicely.