# Leech Squashing **URL:** \ **Category:** Japanese Language\ **Created:** [May 5, 2017, 12:38pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/leech-squashing/17543 "2017-05-05T12:38:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1
**Author:** ![chrispthompson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/chrispthompson/32/5707_2.png) [@chrispthompson](https://community.wanikani.com/u/chrispthompson)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 12:38pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/leech-squashing/17543/1 "2017-05-05T12:38:37Z")
Recreating this topic because the [Original Thread](https://community.wanikani.com/t/Team-Leech/14389) got archived. **LEECH:** An item in language learning that just won’t stick, and ends up wasting massive amounts of your time. **蛭 - ひる - Leech** **LEECH VARIETALS:** **Leech-tachi:** That group of very similar items that you constantly confuse **Leech-kun:** That weird long random kunyomi that is only used for the vocab or verb version of a kanji. **Leech-人:** That rendaku’d-ass last kanji that you answer wrong 1 out of 7 times (is it leech-nin? leech-jin? leech-BITO??) **Leech-chan:** The kanji you always miss because WK’s mnemonic uses 5 different radicals instead of combining 4 into a kanji you already know or (worse) don’t realize that you are just about to learn. WKer Klaoth pointed out in another thread that it’s actually helpful to bitch about your leeches – complaining about them out loud helps you process what’s going on and maybe even gives you a chance to organize a way to fix it. Also, complaining is fun! Because these complaints never seem appropriate for the “complaining is a must” thread, this thread can serve as a place to: - bitch about that item you can’t ever, ever remember - bitch about those sets of items you constantly confuse - bitch about leeches caused by the way WK’s radicals are organized (I know, I know, we love WK in every other way) - screenshot your craziest leech. Right now I have over 100 attempts at 仲間. WHY? - share squashing strategies - make a PSA to the WK community about an item with the potential to turn into a leech because of the way it is presented in WK. ## Leechy Resources Let us all thank the great @StellaTerra for creating a Leech Identifier script: > [@Leech Detector](https://community.wanikani.com/t/leech-detector/18227): > > Over on the Leech Squashing thread I let folks try out this little script I’ve been noodling around with, and the discussion has sort of gotten too large, so I’m posting a new topic here so we can have discussion about the script more specifically. I’ll fill in more stuff here if/when I have more time. [Here’s the thing!](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wktoys/leechDetector.htm) I just added some helpful loading indicators so people aren’t just sitting around so much anymore. Also, I added a retry/backoff so if the API does fail to respond, you’ll ge… and @smrq for creating a forked version with some additional features and improvements: [https://codepen.io/smrq/full/eEJdEG/](https://codepen.io/smrq/full/eEJdEG/) @hitechbunny has created a duo of fantastic leech tools: see a count of leeches for each of the 8 SRS levels on your WK dashboard: > [@\[Unsupported\] Dashboard Userscript: Leech, Apprentice, and Guru detail (aka SRS level progress)](https://community.wanikani.com/t/userscript-srs-level-progress/19353): > > This script gives you fine grained counts of your SRS levels along with leech counts, so that you can see how you’re progressing: [image] You can install it here: [WaniKani SRS Level Progress](https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/32344-wanikani-srs-level-progress). The leech count is shown in the black boxes on the bottom right of each stage. For an SRS level breakdown of your leeches you can hover over the stage, like so: [32 PM] “What is a leech” you say? To see the leeches list you can click on the leech number: That list can be sorted by clicking… And never ever miss a leech again because you force them into your brain via a leech screensaver: > [@Leeches screensaver](https://community.wanikani.com/t/leeches-screensaver/19585): > > I’ve implemented a screensaver of all of your leeches. You can see it by visiting [https://wanikanitools-golang.curiousattemptbunny.com](https://wanikanitools-golang.curiousattemptbunny.com). Animated gif (be patient): To set this as your screensaver try - let me know if you have found a tool that lets you use this page as a screen saver! Mac - [Use a Website as a Screen Saver on Mac](http://osxdaily.com/2016/06/05/web-site-as-screen-saver-mac/) (verified as working on OSX 10.12.6). Windows - [http://www.ilovefreesoftware.com/25/windows-10/set-webpage-screensaver-windows-10.htm](http://www.ilovefreesoftware.com/25/windows-10/set-webpage-screensaver-windows-10.htm) (WORKING on Win 1… \*\* ## Never forget: the first step to squashing your leeches is REALIZING THEY EXIST. \*\* 頑張って、friends! --- _[View the full topic](https://community.wanikani.com/t/leech-squashing/17543)._