Hints for Crafting Your Own Mnemonics

[Paco25]

Wanikani Wonders: Personally, I can’t get enough of Wanikani mnemonics for learning kanji. The creativity and humor make the process not just effective but downright enjoyable! Please share your favorite Wanikani mnemonic below! Some of my hints and examples are:

• Visualize It: Create mental images associated with the information you want to remember. The more vivid, the better!
• Rhyme and Rhythm: Turn information into a catchy rhyme or rhythm. Our brains love patterns and repetition.
• Acronyms and Acrostics: Form a word or phrase using the initial letters of the items you want to remember.
• Connect the Dots: Establish connections between new information and something you already know.

Examples;

1. Kanji: 魔 (Magic)

• Mnemonic: Imagine a magical spellbook with a devilish charm on its cover. The intricate strokes of 魔 can be visualized as mystical symbols, emphasizing that 魔 means “magic” or “demon.”

2. Kanji: 薬 (Medicine)

• Mnemonic: Envision a herbalist preparing a potion with medicinal herbs. The components of 薬 can represent the various ingredients used in the medicine, reinforcing that 薬 stands for “medicine” or “pharmaceuticals.”

3. Kanji: 環 (Ring)

• Mnemonic: Picture a precious gemstone ring encircled by a halo. The complex structure of 環 resembles the intricate design of the ring, helping you remember that 環 means “ring” or “loop.”

4. Kanji: 憶 (Memory)

• Mnemonic: Visualize a thoughtful person surrounded by floating memories. The components of 憶 can represent the mental impressions and recollections, reinforcing that 憶 means “memory” or “recall.”

5. Kanji: 騎 (Ride)

• Mnemonic: Imagine a skilled rider on a majestic horse. The elements of 騎 can be seen as the horse and the rider, emphasizing that 騎 means “ride” or “mounted.”

These more complex kanji characters may require a bit more creativity in your mnemonics, but creating vivid mental images based on their components can make the learning process more engaging and effective. Happy studying!

[escargotagile]

This is a cool subject to discuss, but I don’t really understand what you mean by some of these examples.
For instance:

@Paco25

Mnemonic: Visualize a thoughtful person surrounded by floating memories. The components of 憶 can represent the mental impressions and recollections, reinforcing that 憶 means “memory” or “recall.”

Do you mean you’re able to store the entire kanji in your visual memory without thinking about the meanings of its parts (such as 立 - stand, 日 - sun, and so on)? If so, you must have very good visual memory! I wouldn’t be able to recall an image of a kanji just by “Visualizing a thoughtful person surrounded by floating memories”. This is why WK works so well for me - because every part of the kanji has a meaning and you don’t need to rely on the general visual memory of how the kanji looks like. This kind of visual memory must be something that you’re very good at, and I envy you for that

Another thing is that sometimes several kanji can be very similar to each other. So unless you break down 持、待、時 etc into meaningful components, it’s easy to confuse them, just like I did. I was absolutely sure that “hold” and “wait” are the same kanji until I suddenly saw a small difference. This is why a mnemonic such as this one might not be precise enough unless the part on the right actually means “rider” (I haven’t studied it yet):

@Paco25

Mnemonic: Imagine a skilled rider on a majestic horse. The elements of 騎 can be seen as the horse and the rider, emphasizing that 騎 means “ride” or “mounted.”