Lemur
New member
Registered: 2011-05-26
Posts: 4
I am still slightly new to RTK; only up to 500 or so.
I apologize if this has been answered/resolved elsewhere...
I use this website as my main method to study. I only recently started using Anki for this, but I flipped the card layout so it shows kanji to keyword. Is this a good idea? I figured it would be a good idea to study the kanji both ways; keyword to kanji AND kanji to keyword. Sometimes when I look at a kanji, I can't recall what it is... even though I KNOW I've studied it before; it's on the tip of my tongue, which makes it even more aggravating. It gave me the idea to switch the card layout on anki and try to recall the keyword/story when I'm staring at the kanji.
Before I go too far into this method, I was hoping to get some feedback. I know it's important to study via staring at the keyword to recall the story, then write the kanji, so I haven't stopped that... but is it particularly worth it to study my Anki deck in the opposite manner? Would it make much of a difference in the long run, or am I better off just sticking to keyword to kanji? I was wondering if my memory was only spotty on a few kanji because I've just started, and maybe it will get better the more times I see it...
I don't know.. I started asking myself these questions and obviously wasn't getting anywhere... so I figured I'd try here.
Any feedback at all would be helpful. Thanks!
jishera
Member
From: California
Registered: 2011-01-19
Posts: 179
Edit: Page didn't refresh until I posted just now. I see that someone has answered the question. Thanks! I'll continue doing keyword to kanji 
.
I am running into the same exact problem! I study keyword to kanji, but when I see kanji, I cannot always remember the meaning. Like you said, it is on the tip of my tongue. If any of the more experienced forum members could put in their $0.02, that would be great. Maybe we'll remember the keyword better as we practice or see them in context. I know some of the members here think that kanji to keyword is not beneficial.
Last edited by jishera (2011 July 15, 1:26 am)
Tzadeck
Member
From: Kinki
Registered: 2009-02-21
Posts: 2484
jishera wrote:
Maybe we'll remember the keyword better as we practice or see them in context. I know some of the members here think that kanji to keyword is not beneficial.
Well, the goal isn't to be able to see a kanji and think of the keyword. So hopefully you'll never be able to do it. Basically, the process should go something like this.
You learn the keyword 'perfect'. You do flashcards going from 'perfect' to 完.
Later, you learn the word 完結, which is pronounced 'kanketsu' and means 'conclusion'. And when you see 完結, you think kanketsu, and you know the meaning is conclusion (once you know the word very well you won't think that the meaning is conclusion, because you won't be translating it to English in your head anymore). At no point are you going from 完 to keyword--because the keyword doesn't have anything to do with the meaning, nor the pronunciation, of the word.
Even though the keyword didn't help you in the case of 完結, it was still useful to do RTK in this case. Why? Because you KNOW 完, even if you can no longer associate with an English keyword. It has a place in your mind, and you can write it.
In some simple cases, like 'cat', the keyword will be more useful because it will give the English meaning. So, when you see 猫 you will think 'neko', which means 'cat.' But ultimately you don't want to think of the word 'cat.' You want to ditch the English, and just think of the concept of cat.
So, in the long run it's really never useful for you to go from the kanji to the keyword. You should be able to go from the kanji to the reading and the concept.
Last edited by Tzadeck (2011 July 15, 1:41 am)
