I started learning Kanji with RRTK a week ago (so I’ve learned around 130 Kanji and I’m learning Vocabulary at the same time) and haven’t really used any mnemonics yet. The most Kanji I encountered yet were quite easy to memorize without those, But I assume It will be harder to remember them in the long term.
Would you say I should just start now creating my mnemonics and also for the Kanji I already learned?
Has anyone done RRTK without mnemonics?
4 comments
I’m learning KKLC without mnemonics. I remember the kanji as a picture after writing it out a few times.
The mnemonics are harder to remember than the kanji. Some of them are rather long.
I found mnemonics very useful at first. Hardly ever use them any more though. They are only supposed to be short term prompts to your memory – eventually you outgrow them. Recalling a story is easier that recalling a squiggle (kanji) – so if you can associate the two then you stand a better chance of recalling the meaning of the squiggle (kanji).
You’ll just have to try it to see if it works for you though. I think it’s better if you make up a mnemonic for yourself – any silly story will do (actually the sillier the better). You get quite good at it after a while 🙂
Some people can learn without mnemonics, but mnemonics are like the biggest feature of RTK, so not sure if you’re getting enough out of it without them.
If you can recall the kanji so far easily, no need for mnemonics. Once you start running into very similar looking pairs or there is a specific kanji giving you trouble, use the mnemonic. Easy as that