Keisei Semantic-Phonetic Kanjis and Remembering the Kanji 2

Japanese Language Kanji
1

Hello everyone.
One of my favorite scripts here on WK its the Semantic-Phonetic Composition.

In the beginning I didn’t put much attention to it, basically because it’s only when you have several hundred kanjis under your belt that you really start seeing how the semantic-phonetic composition kanjis work (a component of the kanji providing the meaning of the kanji and another component used as a hint for the reading), and actually makes things much easier, since it’s very easy to see the difference of the kanji you are just learning compared to other ones sharing the same components; that really helps to care more for the differences.

Anyway, with that in mind I was in a bookshop this weekend and I picked up Remembering the Kanji 2 by J.Heisig… and to my surprise that’s exactly how he goes on teaching the readings!!! He uses the Kaisei Semantic-Phonetic composition :exploding_head: …

I did several chapter of RTK 1 before getting into WK, then I never looked back. RTK 1 it’s now very strongly adviced as the main tool por people doing AJATT, so gets all the atention, but volume 2, not many people talks about it.

Anyone here has used RTK 2 as a reference, review, or additional material to follow along with WK?

1 Like
2

We don’t talk about that book here.

I joke, I joke.

3

I do!!

Don’t you love it!?!?!?!

I use Heisig 1,2 along with Henshall, Halpern and Nelson dictionaries, (last two only when there’s no enough info in the first two). Henshall provides a historical insight and I just can’t understand why so few fellas talk about it. Anyway, that userscript is golden, way easier than to search in a book.

So glad someone else shares my love to these kind of books :')

2 Likes
4

It’s a such a nice addition!!!

I think the more ways you get to make sense of kanjis, either by knowing the origins (for example kana derived from kanji) or a systematic way of classify them will help with correct identification and writing too.

I plan on reviewing RTK 1 after WK, but putting a lot more emphasis on writing. So in the end I think of WK as a first layer of brush of a much more detailed work :yum:
I don’t know how RTK 2 could be used so far (basically the script has covered that in the lessons, where it’s more useful), nut I see great potential.:smirk:

Thank for the recommendations , will check those as well :+1:

ps: by the way, how are you using RTK 2 currently?

1 Like
5

This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.