If I have to refer to anything but the keyword, it's a fail.

The benefit of having the story on the front isn't to get a pass even though it's not quite there yet.  The idea is that you're still building the kanji, but you still need to get there from the keyword itself.

If you see it 3 days after learning and need to read the story to get the kanji, then what is the likelihood that you'll remember it straight from the kanji next time AND at a longer interval.

I recommend only increasing the time when you can go keyword -> kanji, no help.   It will only bog you down more the further you get through the book otherwise.

Ok, thanks, I'll grade harder from now on but there are still some kanji that are hard to recall without the story. What have you done so you can remember it easily without the story and just by the keyword?

Andres wrote:

What have you done so you can remember it easily without the story and just by the keyword?

By writing stories that work for me. I always try putting the kanji and their elements into scenes that are easy for me to remember. Something i had experienced, something i have seen on TV, or in a game, or something that i have read in a book.

For instance for the kanji for skeleton 骨 i have been placing the elements into a scene from Monkey Island II. I haven't been playing that for years but i can still remember most of everything in that game! In one scene Guybrush meets two skeletons singing a funny tune that goes like this: The skullbone is connected to the neckbone, the neckbone is connected to the breast bone ... So i had a strong connection between keyword -> story -> mental image to write a story that made it easy to remember this character. I don't think that i will ever forget any kanji that contains that character. Here is a video of the scene. *click me*

For most of the person kanji i have been using メイベル ウエスト from the Anime アガサ・クリスティーの名探偵ポワロとマープル. So those were easy for me to remember and easy to go keyword to kanji. The stories stick because i liked to read Agatha Christie novels, i love to watch those old movies with Margaret Rutherford, and also watching the Anime.

For other kanji its sometimes really hard to find any connection at all. For kanji with weak or no obvious connection i write a generic story. Than i take some time off, doing other stuff instead, and than come back to think of a possible connection. I also have a separate word file with just the stories and the keywords. So whenever i feel like doing it, or having to do it because the stories were to weak to form a clear image, i go over the stories again. Sometimes i also rewrite stories that work, in favor of better stories.

And if all else fails and i can't come up with anything this website is here for me. The great stories of other members here help me in that case. For instance i could never have come up with even a weak story for the character 匁. It was Nukemarines story that was helping me there. *ありがとうごあいます*

Try to think of something related to your personal background, your friends, family, kids if you have any, your experiences and anything that is funny, that would most likely stick. Than write a story and learn them if you have to. It will help you to go keyword -> kanji without having to scratch your head and think "... keyword ... oh how was this story again ... what were the elements ..." With some experience you will be able to decide is a story - weak, good for some days, or a really strong one that will last for months to come. Just toy around with the stories, look at them as part of the game, something to work out on. In the end the stories will fall away anyhow, and all that's left is keyword -> kanji. Or in the near future かな -> 漢字.

You can do it.

Last edited by Nagareboshi (2010 December 31, 9:55 pm)

I never look at a story until I have either passed or failed a card, ever.  Story on the back always.

Grading yourself even a slight pass after looking at the story is not doing you any favors at all!  If I don't get it without help, it's failed, period.

If it takes me a while, hard, if it's pretty quick ok.

I never mark a card easy unless I previously knew the kanji or know I'll likely never forget it anyways.


I ALWAYS write a kanji even if I fail it, from the answer card, but not until I restudy it.

I will look, fail, then once I am going through my failed cards, read my stories, do any reinforcement and tweaking, write them out once, then again to get them out of the failed pile during quizzing, they get double the writing practice.

That's probably about the best I can offer