Is There Any List Out There Comparing Wanikani Radical Names to RTK Primitive Names?

[Tbilzie]

I am trying to find the Heisig primitive names for all the Wanikani radicals because I am starting RTK and also using an Anki deck based on it. I felt an easy way to remember the Heisig names would be if I could make a story that combines the Heisig name of the radical with the Wanikani name.

For example “On my head (Wanikani name) I’m wearing a hood (RTK name)”

Thanks.

[Belthazar]

Is this an accurate list of the Heisig names? Because I reckon I could easily use that to make the list you desire.

[Tbilzie]

Seems it! Thanks. Now I just have to cross reference it against a list of Wanikani radical names

[jerseytom]

Any concern of confusing yourself learning two sets of names for the same radical? Or in being less time efficient in adding all these extra RTK cards in an Anki deck, which are duplicating stuff you’re already going to be covering in WK…?

[Tbilzie]

I’m not adding or creating anything. It’s a pre-made Heisig deck. It’s a deck that uses stories that involve component radicals except it uses the Heisig names rather than the Wanikani names for them.

[Tbilzie]

I just realized you said you could do it. Thank you, I would be so appreciative!

[Belthazar]

Here we go. Took longer than I expected. Since I’d already made a list of WaniKani radicals compared to official radicals, I thought it’d be fairly easy, but the database I chose made it a little non-trivial, especially with its ridiculous dependence on using spot-the-difference rather than Unicode to explicitly idenfity radicals. I’ve removed as many of those as I can, but there’s still some remaining; mostly the ones that simply don’t exist in Unicode - basically, if the “Radical” column displays two or more kanji in square brackets, the radical being referred to is whatever components those kanji have in common.

Many of the more complicated radicals are entire kanji on WaniKani in their own right, but I’ve decided to identify them by which radicals make them up. If you want me to use the kanji name instead, I probably could. For two radicals, the ones named “turtle” and “belt”, the radical was left blank, so I’ve simply inserted the WaniKani radicals with the same meaning. For the one identified as “tail feathers” towards the bottom, I’ve not the foggiest idea what part is being referred to, so I’ve left that as “???”.

(Also, the list I found was behind the ol’ “give us your credit card number for a free trial” type paywall, bleh. I used PayPal, so I figure if they don’t comply with my unsubscribe, I can sic PayPal’s lawyers on them.)

Lesson	Radical	Heisig Keyword	WaniKani Name
1	一	one, floor, ceiling	Ground
1	匕	diced, seven	Spoon
1	九	baseball, nine	Nine
1	十	needle, ten	Cross
1	口	mouth	Mouth
1	日	sun, day, tongue wagging in the mouth	Sun
1	月	moon, flesh, part of the body	Moon
1	田	rice field, brains	Rice Paddy
1	目	eyeball	Eye
2	古	old	Old
2	早	early, sunflower	Early
3	丨	walking stick	Stick
3	丶	drop of	Drop
3	自	oneself, nose, nostrils	Self
3	白	white, dove	White
3	丸	round	Circle
3	寸	glue	Measurement
3	専	specialty, acupuncturist	Specialty
3	ト	divining rod	Toe
3	[朝乾韓left side]	mist	Morning
4	ハ	animal legs	Fins
4	儿	human legs	Legs
4	几	wind	Table
4	勹	bound up	Prison
4	⺈	bound up (variant)	Prison (variant)
4	丷	horns	Horns
4	貝	shells, oyster, clam	Shellfish
4	頁	head	Geoduck
5	乙	fish hook	Nose
5	⺄	fish hook (variant)	Right half of “table”
5	[具真last three strokes]	tool	Ground + Fins
5	ナ	by one’s side	Narwhal
5	工	craft	Construction
5	刀	sword, dagger (saber)	Sword
5	刂	sword, dagger (saber) (variant)	Knife
5	召	seduce	Call
5	畐	wealth	Scarecrow
5	丁	street, nail, spike	Street
6	子	child	Child
6	女	woman	Woman
6	毋	breasts, Nintendo DS	Window
6	母	breasts, Nintendo DS (variant)	Sun+Drop
6	兄	elder brother, teenager	Older Brother
7	小	little	Small
7	⺌	little (variant)	Triceratops
7	大	St. Bernard, large dog	Big
7	厂	cliff	Cliff
7	夕	evening	Evening
7	石	stone	Stone
7	肖	resemblance, spark, candle	Triceratops+Moon
8	川	stream (stream, flood)	River
8	巛	stream (stream, flood) (variant)	Flood
8	水	water	Water
8	氵	water (variant)	Tsunami
8	氺	water (variant)	Water (variant)
8	泉	spring	White+Water
8	中	in the middle	Middle
8	土	ground, soil, dirt, land	Dirt
8	圭	squared jewel, ivy	Dirt x2
8	火	fire, fireplace, conflaguration (flames, couldron)	Fire
8	灬	fire, fireplace, conflaguration (flames, couldron) (variant)	Boil
9	里	ri, logic, computer	Village
9	冂	hood, glass canopy	Head
9	同	same, monk	Same
9	宀	house	Roof
10	木	tree, wood	Tree
10	ホ	wooden pole	Angel
10	艸	flower	(Chinese form of the radical - obsolete)
10	艹	flower	Flowers
10	莫	graveyard	Greenhouse
11	亀	turtle	Turtle
11	兆	hairy, portent	Omen
11	犬	small dog	Dog
11	犭	pack of wild dogs	Animal
11	牛	cow	Cow
11	牜	cow (variant)	Cow (variant)
11	⺧	cow (variant)	Cow (variant)
12	[介全企 top part]	umbrella	Hat
12	[今令合]	meeting	Possibly Hat+Ground
12	王	king, scepter	King
12	玉	jewel, ball	King+Drop
12	玊	jewel, ball (variant)	King+Drop
12	金	gold, metal	Gold
12	主	candlestick	Master
13	⻌	road, way	Scooter
13	車	car, cart, wagon, vehicle	Car
13	[輸前]	butcher	Ground+Moon+Knife
13	夂	walking legs	Winter
14	冖	crown	Forehead
14	軍	chariot	Forehead+Car
14	亠	top hat	Lid
14	[坑抗 right side]	whirlwind	Lid+Table
14	[高享]	tall	Possibly Lid+Mouth
14	[舎周]	lidded crock	Possibly “Cottage”
14	周	lap, helmet	Circumference
14	士	samurai	Samurai
14	吉	aerosol can	Good Luck
15	[学覚栄 top part]	schoolhouse, class	Viking
15	聿	brush	Brush
15	攵	taskmaster	Winter (variant)
15	言	say, saying, speech, words	Say
16	弋	arrow	Ceremony
16	[弐武]	quiver	Ceremony+Ground
16	戈	fiesta	Drunkard
16	[栽載]	Thanksgiving	Drunkard+Cross
16	成	parade	Become
16	[威滅]	march	Possibly Drunkard+Slide
16	[桟銭浅 right side]	float	Bar
17	止	stop, footprint	Stop
17	正	mending	Correct
17	廴	stretch	Yoga
17	疋	zoo	Coat Rack
18	衣	garment	Clothes
18	衤	cloak	Spirit (variant)
18	[遠環 bottom half of right side]	scarf	Part of Zombie
18	衣	top hat & scarf	Clothes
18	巾	towel	Towel
18	[帯帝 lower half]	apron	Possibly Forehead+Towel
18	帯	belt	Belt
18	云	rising cloud	Cloud
18	雨	rain, weather	Rain
18	冫	ice	Ice
18	天	heavens	Heaven
18	[橋嬌 right side]	angel	Heaven+Mouth+Mustache
18	立	stand up, vase	Stand
18	啇	antique	Mohawk
18	匕	spoon, someone sitting on the ground	Spoon
18	[渇謁褐 right side]	siesta	Sun+Prison+Spoon
18	[毎乞 top part]	reclining, lying down	Gun
18	复	double back, fold in half	Black Hole
18	欠	yawn, lack	Lack
18	次	next, second	Next
19	咅	muzzle	Clown
19	音	sound	Sound
19	[識職 right side]	kazoo	Sound+Drunkard
19	[鏡境 right side]	mirror	Stand+See
19	亡	deceased, to perish	Death
19	方	direction, compass	Direction
19	兑	devil	Guard
19	曽	formerly, increase	Mask
19	東	east, the East, sun through the trees	East
19	[妊廷]	porter	King (variant)
21	也	scorpion	Alligator
21	虫	insect	Insect
21	己	self, snake	Oneself
21	包	wrap	Wrap
21	[亀電竜]	eel	Rice Paddy+Umbrella
21	豕	sow	Pig
21	[腸場湯remove日]	piglets	Wing+Ground
21	昜	piggy bank	Easy+Ground
21	羊	sheep	Sheep
21	⺶	wool	Horns+King+Slide
21	隹	turkey	Turkey
21	午	noon, horse	Noon
21	[歓権観]	Pegasus	Arrow+Turkey
21	羽	feathers	Feathers
22	曰	sayeth	Sun (variant)
22	囗	pent in	Mouth (variant)
22	广	cave	Canopy
22	心	heart (state of mind, valentine)	Heart
22	忄	heart (state of mind, valentine) (variant)	Soul
22	⺗	heart (state of mind, valentine) (variant)	Small+Drop
23	手	hand	Hand
23	扌	fingers	Fingers
23	廾	two hands	Twenty
23	才	genius, genie	Genius
23	[存在 outside]	genie in a bottle	Narwhal+Stick
23	乃	from, fist	Stairs
23	及	reach out, outstretched hands	Escalator
23	[丈史]	arm, tucked under the arm	Not a radical
23	又	crotch	Stool
23	殳	missile	Weapon
23	圣	spool	Tombstone
23	爪	claw, vulture	Claw
23	爫	claw, vulture (variant)	Cleat
23	[乳浮]	fledgling	Cleat+Child
23	[受愛瞬]	birdhouse	Cleat+Forehead
23	ム	elbow	Private
23	[会至]	wall	Private+Ground
23	[育充 top part]	infant	Trash
24	山	mountain	Mountain
24	入	enter, to go in, to put in	Enter
24	[鉛沿 right side]	gully	Fins+Mouth
25	[賞党堂 top part]	outhouse	Viking+Mouth
25	歹	bone	Yakuza
25	舛	sunglasses	Dance
25	耳	ear	Ear
25	[慢漫 right side]	mandala	Sun+Net+Stool
25	失	drop, to lose	Fault
25	臣	slave, retainer	Servant
25	力	power, muscle	Power
25	行	going	Go
25	彳	a column going, line of something	Loiter
25	行	boulevard	Go
26	禾	wheat, cereal	Grain
26	米	rice, United States, Americans	Rice
26	[漆様]	rice, grains of rice	Water (variant)
26	竹	bamboo	Bamboo
27	人	person, Mr. T	Person
27	ｲ	person, Mr. T (variant)	Leader
27	[座卒傘]	assembly line	Person+Cross
28	以	plow	Lion+Drop+Person
28	并	puzzle	Lantern+Horns
28	敝	shredder	Penguin
29	[施旋遊]	banner	Direction+Gun
29	[旅派]	rag	Tofu
29	勿	not, knot	Wing
29	尸	flag	Flag
29	尺	shaku, shakuhachi	Shrimp
29	戸	door	Door
30	示	show (altar)	Jackhammer
30	ネ	show (altar) (variant)	Spirit
30	由	shoot, sprout, wherefore	Reason
30	甲	roots, pushing down, armor	Turtle Shell
30	申	speaketh, monkey	Humble
31	斤	axe	Axe
31	斥	reject	Axe+Drop
31	乍	saw	Key
31	ヨ	broom	Wolverine
31	[争事]	rake	Brush (variant)
31	隶	sieve	Brush+Water
31	[伊君]	mop	Wolverine+Slide
31	而	comb	Rake
31	凵	shovel	Box
31	斗	measuring cup	Ladle
31	用	utilize, screwdriver	Task
32	昔	salad	Long Ago
32	廿	twenty	Part of Yurt
32	[庶席]	caverns	Yurt
32	[奔噴]	haystack	Cross+Flowers
32	尭	straw man	Gambler
32	半	half	Half
32	[券巻 top part]	quarter	Gladiator
32	片	one-sided	One Sided
32	之	building blocks, Zorro	Hills+Drop
32	不	negative	Not
33	矢	dart	Arrow
33	矛	halberd	Spear
33	[班帰]	spear	Knife (variant)
33	弓	bow	Bow
33	弗	dollar sign	Dollar
33	[巧号]	snare	Beggar
33	[与考]	slingshot	Beggar (variant)
34	身	somebody	Body
34	老	old man	Coffin+Spoon
34	耂	old man (variant)	Coffin
34	者	someone, puppet	Someone
34	[峡狭 right side]	scissors	Horns+Husband
34	[追師]	maestro	Drop+Bear
34	父	father	Father
34	足	leg, wooden leg	Foot
34	骨	skeleton	Bone
34	[禍渦]	jawbone	Mustache x2
35	阝	pinnacle	Building
35	穴	hole	Hole
35	兀	paper punch	Pi
35	丘	hill	Axe+Ground
36	糸	thread, Spiderman	Thread
36	幺	cocoon	Poop
36	玄	mysterious	Mysterious
36	系	yarn, lineage	Lineage
37	卩	stamp	Stamp
37	令	chopseal	Orders
37	[犯厄]	fingerprint	Snake (variant)
37	[宛苑]	mailbox	Evening+Snake
37	[留貿remove刀]	receipt	Private (variant)
37	[印興]	staples	Comb (variant)
38	酉	sign of the bird, whiskey bottle	Alcohol
38	豆	beans, table	Beans
38	壴	drum	Drum
38	皿	dish	Plate
38	艮	silver	Root
38	良	halo, good	Good
38	食	eat, food	Eat
38	无	waitress	Obsolete in modern Japanese
38	旡	waitress (variant)	Obsolete in modern Japanese
39	平	even, water lily	Peace
39	メ	sheaf	Treasure
39	屯	earthworm	Barracks
39	辛	spicy	Spicy
39	[新親 left half]	red pepper plant	Stand+Tree
39	辟	ketchup	Hot Pepper
39	丩	cornucopia	Vines
39	[菱陸]	rice seedling	Dirt+Legs
39	亥	sign of the hog, acorn	Slice
39	[述術]	resin	Angel+Drop
39	井	celery	Well
39	㐮	grass skirt	Nurse
40	[毒素]	grow up	Life (variant)
40	生	life, cell	Life
40	[峰縫拝]	bushes	Dry x2
40	耒	Christmas tree	Plow
40	[春泰 top part]	bonsai	Spring
40	[奉 bottom parti]	cornstalk	Dry (variant)
40	堇	cabbage	Boot
40	[漢嘆 right side]	scarecrow	Chinese
40	[華垂]	silage	Car (variant)
41	今	now, clock	Now
41	予	beforehand	Beforehand
41	兼	concurrently	Mona Lisa
41	西	West, Old West	West
41	覀	West, Old West (variant)	Helicopter
42	門	gates	Gate
42	非	un-, jail cell	Criminal
42	ユ	key	Hook
42	[決快 right side]	guillotine	Person+Hook
42	韋	locket	Korea
43	干	dry, clothesline	Dry
43	[芋宇 bottom part]	potato	Dry (variant)
43	余	too much, scale	Surplus
43	[険検倹 right side]	awl	Squid
44	疒	sickness, caveman	Sick
44	匚	box	Cage
44	癶	teepee	Tent
44	尞	pup tent	Charcoal
45	彡	shape	Hair
45	文	sentence, plaid	Writing
45	丿	fence posts	Slide
45	丨	fence posts	Stick
45	[塁楽]	sparkler	Explosion
45	赤	red	Red
45	[変跡]	apple	Red (variant)
45	角	mosaic	Angle
46	甘	wicker basket, sweet	Sweet
46	其	bushel basket, rook	Crab
46	[貴遣]	purse	Insect (variant)
47	且	shelf	Top Hat
47	並	row	Line Up
47	[湿繊霊]	row (below a radical)	Spikes (variant)
47	[業撲僕]	upside down in a row (atop radical)	Spikes
47	共	together	Together
47	[港恭]	strung together	Together
48	角	angle	Angle
48	冓	funnel	Lifeguard
48	冊	scrapbook	Bookshelf
49	氏	family name	Clan
49	[低抵]	calling card, business card	Clan+Ground
49	甫	dog tag	Wedding
49	阝	city walls	Building
50	⺁	drag	Cliff (variant)
50	[段remove殳]	staple gun	Comb
50	[幻司]	clothes hanger	Cape
50	舟	boat	Boat
51	[呉remove口,tool]	hand crank	Possibly Lion
51	丞	completely water	Coral
52	釆	animal tracks	Sickle
52	番	turn, pair of dice	Number
52	牙	tusk	Fang
52	毛	fur	Fur
52	[宅託]	lock of hair	Slide+Seven
52	[鳥馬]	tail feathers	???
52	長	long	Long
52	[bottom half of 長]	hairpin	Kick
52	镸	hair (atop radical)	Long (variant)
52	[top half of 長]	mane	Comb (variant)
53	⺍	owl	Grass
53	爰	migrating ducks	Football
53	禹	gnats	Mantis
53	禺	talking cricket	Splinter
53	[逆塑]	mountain goat	Barracks (variant)
53	[揺謡 right side]	condor	Satellite
53	豸	skunk	Badger
53	免	excuse, rabbit	Excuse
54	馬	team of horses	Horse
54	虍	tiger	Tiger
54	[薦慶]	deer	Canopy+Helicopter
54	鹿	painting of a deer	Canopy+Helicopter+Compare
55	辰	sign of the dragon, Bruce Lee	Landslide
55	[送咲関]	golden calf	Horns+Heaven
55	鬼	ghost, oni	Demon
55	龍	[old form of dragon]	Imperial
56	臼	broken window	Possibly Comb (variant), but unused in WaniKani otherwise
56	巳	snake biting itself	Snake

[jerseytom]

Right, but if you’re doing WaniKani wouldn’t this be duplication of time spent on a single item?

E.g. you will have 口 as a review item in WaniKani, and you will also have it in this Anki deck.

[Tbilzie]

Thanks so much!

[Brunni]

Super thanks for this!! Actually I was looking for a simple list of radicals for Heisig and your post came in perfect. Since I was also hesitating to start with WaniKani, I guess that this means it’s probably not a good idea (?) because it’ll mess up what I’ve learned with RTK so far.

Has anyone done that and can give feedback?

[Ronan0]

It doesn’t really affect it as you can just rename the Wanikani radicals into whatever you want if you don’t like them/prefer Heisig’s

[Brunni]

Ah I didn’t know! Thanks for the tip

But I thought that you’d build the next kanjis on top of the radicals, so how would WaniKani’s explanations still fit if I rename the radicals?

[Belthazar]

Yeah, you’d probably need to come up with your own mnemonics for the kanji if you’re going to use different radical names.