Suisei
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2011-12-28
Posts: 12
Well, I'm finally starting Kanji and I'm still getting used to remember the stories but when I make longer stories for Kanji, I forget what sides the Radicals go on. I do know that they are in the Kanji character though. Any tips on this ? Maybe I should say if the 'moon' goes to the left of the 'tree' or something like that? This seems like a really basic question. I'm guess I'm just slow..v.v; I do like Heisig's method but maybe I should just make pictures out of them instead of stories? I tend to be better with visuals then stories.
SomeCallMeChris
Member
From: Massachusetts USA
Registered: 2011-08-01
Posts: 787
Try to use time in your story to make the elements show up in the right order; when that's not possible, try to find a short phrase to sum up your story that puts the elements in the right order (that is, the stroke order, generally speaking.)
If you are already familiar with the etymology of sinister, it makes a good reminder of left-side elements, and of course puns on 'right' (in its meanings of 'correct','just') help with right-side elements.
However, you only need to go through any such effort with a small number of elements - mostly, just pay attention to the 'natural' location of an element. moon/thread/pinnacle show up on the left, hole and rain show up on the top, etc. Heisig points out some of the more troublesome out-of-position elements.
Some people have given elements that normally show up on the left a different name when they show up on the top or bottom (but check the index for overlap before changing names around or adding any, of course, to avoid trouble.)
astendra
Member
From: Sweden
Registered: 2009-07-27
Posts: 350
Well, that's kind of part of the process. It's recommended that you try to picture the story in your head, rather than use it only as a literary mnemonic. I recall some users having said they do fine without it, though.
Either way, definitely try to make it as vivid as possible, as long as it helps. You could also try mixing in different senses like sound and smell. Just make sure you don't overdo it and spend 5-10 min per kanji trying to set up the perfect mnemonic. 
About the radical positioning: you shouldn't have to worry too much about this, since most radicals will tend to appear in fixed places. There are some exceptions, however, which are well suited to memorizing individually. Of course, you can still add this information to your mnemonics somehow if you feel lost at first.
One interesting thing to note is that later in the book, there will be some radicals that take on a different form when they are placed in different positions. They are then usually assigned a different 'keyword'. This is one way to disambiguate.
Also, as you go along, you may find that you are having problems remembering some stories or details, at which point you might want to go back and adjust or redo the mnemonic.
codex
Member
From: America
Registered: 2011-09-13
Posts: 35
I almost always have the elements appear in a story in the order in which they appear in the kanji. That, in combination with the position in which a particular primitive usually appears, works pretty well for me. Sometimes I have trouble remembering if the positions of two elements are left-right or up-down, in which case I try to work a reminder word (i.e., left, on top of, etc) into the story. I'm a visually-oriented person myself, and all my stories have a visual component, but as the kanji become more complex and abstract I think you'll find that the verbal mnemonics are very useful.
I advise you to feel free to modify or completely change any of Heisig's stories that really don't work for you. The book was written 30+ years ago by a person whose experiences and frames of reference are probably vastly different from yours. I've found it very helpful to consult the archive of other people's stories, too.
Last edited by codex (2011 December 29, 10:16 pm)
