Feeling the heat as I start into the 20s! Too many reviews, too much forgetting, but spending the time to make up a mnemonic always helps me get past the difficult words. I’ll keep adding to this post as I get stuck and make up more… Hope this will inspire you to make a list of your own!
See also: J’s alternate mnemonics, Levels 1-10
See also: J’s alternate mnemonics, Levels 11-20
Level 21
Kanji (Click to see alternate mnemonic…)
評（ひょう）Evaluate
In order to SAY something is PEACEFUL, you have to EVALUATE it carefully to see if it’s flat, like the top of the radical.
First look from the side to EVALUATE the shape. Then, run your hand over the surface to EVALUATE any bumps. Finally, lick the surface to EVALUATE the taste (perhaps it tastes bumpy!).
Of course, it it’s a glass of water, you can instantly EVALUATE it as flat.
Finally, if you EVALUATE it as flat, say “HEY-YO (ひょう) this is so flat and peaceful!”
素（そ）Element
The THREAD of LIFE sews everything together. Without this key ELEMENT of existence, everything would fall apart.
What is this THREAD of LIFE? Well, the ELEMENT of surprise, of course. Without the ELEMENT of suspense, we’d all be bored stiff, and the Universe would literally fall apart.
Or, perhaps the THREAD of LIFE the ELEMENT carbon, which it literally the basis for life? Who knows…
Whatever ELEMENT it is, the THREAD of LIFE must SEW (そ) life together! Remember そ (like sewing) not そう (like soooo boring).
Vocabulary
断る（ことわる）to Refuse
When the doorman REFUSES to let you in the club, you whip off your coat and try to beat him with it. But, he jumps aside and deflects you with his coat. Soon, you’re in a full on COAT WAR (ことわる), simply because he wants TO REFUSE entry to you.
検査（けんさ）Checkup
Your annual CHECKUP includes a CANCER (けんさ) screening. Good news! No CANCER (けんさ) for you this year!
省く（はぶく）to Omit
After the collapse of democracy, the government is collecting all personal belongings. You’re allowed to OMIT just 1 thing.
You’re especially attached to the book your grandma read to you as a child, so you say you want TO OMIT HER BOOK (はぶく) from the collection, to CONSERVE your precious memories.
But, the bastards take HER BOOK (はぶく) anyway, even thought you try TO OMIT it. As they leave, you’re on the floor crying “NOOOOOooo, not HER BOOK (はぶく), sob sob sob, I want TO OMIT it.”
責める（せめる）to Blame
If your landlord doesn’t receive your rent check, it’s easy TO BLAME the MAIL. Just SAY MAIL (せめる) "the check is in the mail”.
女権（じょけん）Women’s Rights
When WOMEN’S RIGHTS were introduced to the US congress, the MEN thought they were JOKING (じょけん).
Ha ha ha! WOMEN’s RIGHTS! You must be JOKING (じょけん)
It wasn’t until 2024 that men realized the joke was on them, as the first woman president was elected.
事件（じけん）situation, case
You and your friend get caught shoplifting. You know your next ACTION really MATTERS in this SITUATION.
Yet, all you can think to say is “GEE KEN (じけん), I can’t believe we’re in this SITUATION!” (how lame is that!)
設ける（もうける）to Establish
Healthcare is very important to you, so you decide TO ESTABLISH “More Care” (もうける), Inc, and start opening “More Care” (もうける) health clinics in impoverished areas all around the world.
Good for you! This will help TO ESTABLISH your reputation as a good person.
条件（じょうけん）Condition
After reading the prenup, the young bride realizing she would never get half of her old husband’s fortune. She screamed “This CONDITION is ridiculous! You must be jokin’ (じょうけん) if you think I’ll marry you now!”
選挙（せんきょ）Election
The public gets to CHOOSE who RISES to power in an ELECTION.
After all votes (including mail in ballots) are counted, the winner gets on TV and says “Thank you, thank you, thank you (せんきょ、せんきょ、せんきょ)” while shaking everyone’s hands (unless there’s a pandemic of course).
得体（えたい）Character, Nature
In Japan, your CHARACTER or NATURE are determined by your blood type. If you have A type (えたい) blood, you’re an A type (えたい) person.
反省（はんせい）Reconsideration
If you’re not sure, you just HALF SAY (はんせい) your answer, then begin RECONSIDERATION.
Level 22
Radicals
充 Allocate
It’s a good thing you have strong LEGS when you take out the TRASH. Your building has 15 different types of recycle and refuse, and you have to run from bin to bin to ALLOCATE ALL of it properly.
Kanji
罰（ばつ）Penalty, Punishment
The baseball catcher got into a fight in front of the NET, first YELLING, then pulling a KNIFE. Obviously, he got a PENALTY.
His PUNISHMENT was to clean all the bats (ばつ) for both teams.
宮 （みや）Shinto Shrine
This isn’t a normal BATHTUB under a ROOF, it’s a SHINTO SHRINE. You can tell because all the cats wandering around by the BATHTUB and on the ROOF, saying みや, みや, みや. Normally they would say Meow, but there is no pain (no “ow”) at the SHINTO SHRINE.
袖（しゅう）Sleeve
A shirt with one SLEEVE?
This kanji is clearly a shirt pattern. The right side shows the shirt front. The left side shows the shirt side with a cutout for one SLEEVE.
The REASON the SPIRIT radical is used is that you were drinking (SPIRITS) when you thought up this single SLEEVE design.
This special single SLEEVE shirt is typically worn with a single SHOE (しゅう) as well.
Picture yourself with one SLEEVE and one SHOE. Imagine how silly your SPIRIT looks in this outfit. There’s really no REASON to dress like this.
過去（かこ）Past
You own the DeLorean from Back to the Future. It’s so fast that you can literally drive backward in time, SURPASS the PAST, and end up in the PAST.
It sounds whacko, so you named your DeLorean “car whacko”, which you yell out the window when time traveling.
Due to time dilation, however, only the first and last syllables are heard. So, “car whacko” sounds like “ca-ko” (かこ).
過ぎる（すぎる）to Surpass, to Exceed
This word managed TO SURPASS the language barrier, because the first syllable is the same in English & Japanese. “SU” as in “SUrpass” and すぎる. SU = す. Wow! Amazing!
大勢（おおぜい）Crowd
Your friend Jose (おおぜい) runs in to warn you about the “BIG FORCE” surrounding the building. Worried that it might be a militia attack, you rush to the cameras, but all you see is a CROWD of people peacefully gathering for lunch.
Jose (おおぜい) is a bit paranoid. Turns out his “BIG FORCE” is just a lunch CROWD.
示す（しめす）to Indicate
A study of single moms seems TO INDICATE that SHE MAY SUE (しめす) for child support in the future.
姿勢（しせい）Posture
Your mother is always correcting your POSTURE, making you FORCE your FIGURE into an uncomfortable “correct” form.
Anytime she walks in the room you think “What will SHE SAY (しせい) about my POSTURE?"
“Stand up straight! Get your elbows off the table! Cross your legs!”
What will SHE SAY (しせい) next?
坊主（ぼうず）Buddhist Priest
You can easily find the BUDDHIST PRIEST at the temple, because he’s the one always wearing the BOSE (ぼうず) headphones. So much for giving up material things!
営む（いとなむ）to run a business
You RUN A BUSINESS, namely a Vietnamese restaurant. The name is clever play on words EAT-o-NAM (いとなむ).
姿（すがた）Figure
You see a vague FIGURE in the distance. As it approaches, you realize it’s your friend Sue. You whistle and say to yourself “SUE GOT A” (すがた) great figure. You feel a little ashamed and excited by this outburst.
援助（えんじょ）Assistance
The best ASSISTANCE is from your guardian ANGEL (えんじょ). They’re always there to AID you.
指示（しじ）Instructions
You use your FINGER on the mouse to INDICATE your INSTRUCTIONS to the computer.
The results of your INSTRUCTIONS are displayed in beautiful computer graphics, aka CG (しじ)
震える（ふるえる）to Shake
Your belly is FULL (ふる) of ALE (える), so the QUAKE is SHAKING the beer in your belly. Feels like you’re going to throw up.
お土産（おみやげ）Souvinier
At the pyramids in Egypt, you find a tiny stone figure half buried in the DIRT - it’s an ancient woman giving BIRTH. What a perfect SOUVENIR! You slip the priceless artifact into your pocket and take it home.
You give the SOUVENIR to your pregnant lesbian friend Miya (おみやげ). She’s overjoyed because she plans to give birth in the dirt too.
諦観（ていかん）Resignation
It’s time to GIVE UP the VIEW from your corner office at the firm. Your RESIGNATION is in your hand. Good bye awesome view!
You’ve TAKEN (ていかん) this corner office for far too long. “Time to go” you think, with RESIGNATION.
諦める（あきらめる）to Give Up
You GIVE UP on your dream to sprint A KILOMETER, because あきらめる to too far for anyone to sprint.
乳首（ちくび）Nipple
Milk Neck → Cheese (ち) Neck (くび) → ちくび
Level 23
Kanji
割（わり、わ）Divide
Imagine your MOUTH with a little ROOF of LIFE above it. Obviously that’s your nose!
What DIVIDEs your mouth from your nose? Your mustache of course.
But, you hate mustaches, so every morning you use a KNIFE to DIVIDE the hairs from your skin, and make a nice clean shaven place between your MOUTH and your nose (the ROOF of LIFE).
You WORRY (わり) about cutting your precious mouth and nose, so you are very careful with the KNIFE. You don’t want to look bloody and WAR (わ) like.
優 (ゆう）Superior
What LEADER takes care of one HUNDRED FOREHEADS in the HEART of WINTER? Mother SUPERIOR, of course!
She’s in charge of the YOUTH (ゆう) and she’s so GENTLE with their little FOREHEADS. She truly is SUPERIOR at being a mother figure.
秀（しゅう）Excel
If you want to EXCEL at sports, you must eat your WHEATIES and run up STAIRS. Then you’ll really EXCEL!
Oh, make sure you’re wearing running SHOEs (しゅう) too. That really helps you EXCEL.
Vocab
態と（わざと）On Purpose
Your friend has 1 pink TOE nail. It’s a strange APPEARANCE, so you ask “Was that toe (わざと) ON PURPOSE”?
Level 24
Kanji
担（たん）Carry
Every DAWN, you must CARRY water to the house by HAND for your master’s bath.
It’s takes so long, you’ve gotten very TAN (たん).
製（せい）Manufacture
You’re a CONTROL freak. All your CLOTHES must be exactly the same. You must CONTROL every detail. This can’t be done by hand, so you want to MANUFACTURE your clothes.
You show the clothes factory your designs, and ask “What do you SAY? (せい)”. They SAY (せい) “No, we can’t MANUFACTURE one person’s CLOTHES, just because you’re a CONTROL freak”.
違（ちが）Different
The SCOOTERS in KOREA are DIFFERENT from anywhere else, because they are all painted to look like animals.
Your favorite KOREAN SCOOTER have a tiger that looks like TIGGER (ちが) in DIFFERENT bright colors.
燃（ねん）Burn
If not stopped, all the TREES in NATURE will BURN for an entire (ねん-tire) year (ねん).
届 (とど）Deliver
The REASON you put a FLAG up in the window it to tell UPS you have something to DELIVER.
Having them pickup and DELIVER your package is on your TODO (とど) list. It’s the REASON you hung out the FLAG.
Vocab
述べる（のべる）to Mention
Do I need TO MENTION that I won the NOBEL (のべる) peace prize?
一層（いっそう）Much More
ONE LAYER is just the icing on the top. But, cake isn’t just icing. IT’S SO (いっそう) MUCH MORE.
対象（たいしょう）Target
Anything OPPOSITE of an ELEPHANT viewpoint makes you a TARGET of vicious attacks from your Republican friends.
Level 25
Radicals
限（げん）Limit
You have to be GENtle when digging under a building. You have to LIMIT your digging to avoid the buildings foundation ROOTS.
Kanji
輩（はい）Comrade
Your COMRADE waves “Hi” (はい) as he drives by in your stolen CAR. What a CRIMINAL!
替（か）Replace
When the SUN sets, you can REPLACE one HUBAND with a new HUSBAND.
In Boston it’s easy. Just leave the old HUSBAND outside in the CAr (か). A new HUSBAND will come to REPLACE him by SUN rise.
Vocab
収める（おさめる）to Store
reading: the Kanji looks like a desk with 2 OLD SAWs (おさ) STORED behind it.
増す（ます）to Increase
A quick way TO INCREASE your MASS (ます) is to wear a DIRT MASK.
訴訟（そしょう）Lawsuit
When a LAWSUIT is presented in court, the judge says “SO SHOW” (そしょう) me the evidence.
規模（きぼ）Scale
You can play a SCALE on your full SCALE keyboard (きぼ).
結構（けっこう）Pretty
This CAKE (けっこう) is PRETTY good. It’s ALRIGHT.
Imagine intonation is like ちょっと… けっこう…
渡る（わたる）to Cross
When you TRANSIT a bridge, you CROSS over WATER (わたる).
肥満（ひまん）Obesity
The politically correct term for OBESITY is “HE MAN” (ひまん).
絞る（しぼる）to Wring Out
Your sister is very clean and dainty. She never breaks a sweat. Except when SHE BOWLS (しぼる), after which she is a sweaty mess and has TO WRING OUT her towel from all the sweat.
模様（もよう）Pattern
Your favorite yogurt store is MR PLASTIC, where all the yogurt looks like little plastic people arranged in fun PATTERNs. (They all live in an IMITATION MANNER too.)
You don’t know why someone would put yogurt in PATTERNS, but you do know you want MOre YOgurt (もよう)!
景況（けいきょう）Business Climate
When the BUSINESS CLIMATE is good, your boss starts the day by shouting “CAKE YO !!” (けいきょう), so you can all celebrate the BUSINESS CLIMATE.
差す（さす）to Shine On
Your favorite Mexican restaurant has a spotlight to SHINE ON the SAlsa, which makes the SAUSE (さす) look even more tasty!
隠居（いんきょ）Retirement
What’s the most important thing in RETIREMENT? INK YO! (いんきょ) Because you sit around reading books all day. That requires INK YO (いんきょ).
Level 26
Vocab
氷河（ひょうが）
In Boston, your neighbor rings your doorbell and says (with his Boston accent) “Hey, your car” (ひょうが) is in a GLACIER. He’s referring to the snowplow that just covered your car with a RIVER of ICE.
自販機（じはんき）Vending Machine
In Japan, your UNCLE (じ) can buy hankerchiefs (はんき) in a vending machine. Very convenient!
貯える（たくわえる）to Save
You can TALK A WHILE (たくわえる) as I get my money. It TOOK A WHILE (たくわえる), but I was able TO SAVE enough money to buy a house (to store more shellfish in).
お祝い（おいわい）Celebration, Congradulation
You get so drunk at your own wedding, you have to ask “Oi! Why (おいわい) is this CELEBRATION happening?” Your friend say “CONGRATULATION, you’re married!”
Level 27
Vocab
捕える（とらえる）to Catch
If you want to learn TO CATCH something, you have to TRY TRY TRY (とらえる).
