# Names of radicals that make no sense **URL:** \ **Category:** WaniKani\ **Created:** [September 16, 2018, 8:08pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830 "2018-09-16T20:08:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![nakashiro](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/nakashiro/32/220606_2.png) [@nakashiro](https://community.wanikani.com/u/nakashiro)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 12:53pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/41 "2018-09-17T12:53:19Z")
I use Wanikani override exactly because of this. Once I learn the corresponding kanji it gets confusing to remember the radical’s name. ---
**Author:** ![anon88459823](https://cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/f/d/fd4c154120954695f788402f3bcf4e616499bc2d.png) [@anon88459823](https://community.wanikani.com/u/anon88459823)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 12:55pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/42 "2018-09-17T12:55:28Z")
> [@Ninkastmin](#): > > There is an userscript for that… i dont use it so i forgot the name but you should be able to find it on the list of userscripts @woolgatherer the script is called [lesson user synonyms](https://community.wanikani.com/t/userscript-wanikani-lesson-user-synonyms-v2/21960). ---
**Author:** ![ZengoTim](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/zengotim/32/33602_2.png) [@ZengoTim](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ZengoTim)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/43 "2018-09-17T14:28:16Z")
He WAS a radical communist revolutionary, no? ---
**Author:** ![Leebo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/leebo/32/439476_2.png) [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/44 "2018-09-17T14:28:54Z")
Okay, sorry for making you explain the joke. I don’t read the mnemonics anymore, so i just assumed he shows up here. ---
**Author:** ![ZengoTim](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/zengotim/32/33602_2.png) [@ZengoTim](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ZengoTim)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:30pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/45 "2018-09-17T14:30:37Z")
No, and I should have saved it for a campfire thread, sorry everyone, it was late and I wasn’t thinking. ---
**Author:** ![sagecedar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/sagecedar/32/206197_2.png) [@sagecedar](https://community.wanikani.com/u/sagecedar)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/46 "2018-09-17T14:35:56Z")
Where’s this userscripts? ---
**Author:** ![AlistairJames](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/alistairjames/32/6725_2.png) [@AlistairJames](https://community.wanikani.com/u/AlistairJames)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/47 "2018-09-17T14:37:43Z")
How are you getting on without mnemonics? I realised today that I don’t bother with them either… I guess this means I’m doing an expensive version of Anki 😂 but I feel like things are sticking better this time around than the last time I tried (of course this could be because I already learned this stuff once and my general Japanese vocal is significantly better than when I joined WK). ---
**Author:** ![Leebo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/leebo/32/439476_2.png) [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:38pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/48 "2018-09-17T14:38:37Z")
> [@AlistairJames](#): > > How are you getting on without mnemonics? I realised today that I don’t bother with them either… I guess this means I’m doing an expensive version of Anki 😂 but I feel like things are sticking better this time around than the last time I tried (of course this could be because I already learned this stuff once and my general Japanese vocal is significantly better than when I joined WK). I did use mnemonics, the first time I went through WK to level 60. After I reset, I don’t use them, because most of the time I just already remember the items. ---
**Author:** ![AlistairJames](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/alistairjames/32/6725_2.png) [@AlistairJames](https://community.wanikani.com/u/AlistairJames)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/49 "2018-09-17T15:27:09Z")
Ah okay, so it’s a victory lap! Do you see any major harm in my approach? I suppose people learn by rote and this is a more methodical version of that… but maybe I’m not getting the most out of the service… but everyone learns in their own way… You know what? Maybe this is for me to figure out 😌 ---
**Author:** ![Ninkastmin](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/ninkastmin/32/245597_2.png) [@Ninkastmin](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Ninkastmin)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/50 "2018-09-17T15:29:52Z")
For the specific Userscript we’re talking about click [here](https://community.wanikani.com/t/userscript-wanikani-lesson-user-synonyms-v2/21960) There’s also a compilation of all the userscripts available [here](https://community.wanikani.com/t/the-new-and-improved-list-of-api-and-third-party-apps/7694) There are instructions on how to install and use userscripts [here](https://community.wanikani.com/t/visual-guide-on-how-to-install-a-userscript/12136) ---
**Author:** ![TamanegiNoKame](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/tamaneginokame/32/127868_2.png) [@TamanegiNoKame](https://community.wanikani.com/u/TamanegiNoKame)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/51 "2018-09-20T18:58:05Z")
@wk, you’re radicals are, like, not hanzu, so um…stop disrespecting the poor man… (p.s. wk please give me 5 lifetime subscriptions so I can do wk 5 more times) ---
**Author:** ![CyrusS](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/cyruss/32/194106_2.png) [@CyrusS](https://community.wanikani.com/u/CyrusS)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/52 "2018-09-20T19:03:47Z")
> [@TamanegiNoKame](#): > > @wk, you’re radicals are, like, not hanzu, so um…stop disrespecting the poor man… > > (p.s. wk please give me 5 lifetime subscriptions so I can do wk 5 more times) Sorry, you’re only the 998,473rd person to complain about radicals. Getting close, though! ---
**Author:** ![Asteroth](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/asteroth/32/185741_2.png) [@Asteroth](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Asteroth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/53 "2018-09-20T19:24:18Z")
By my calculations I should complain in roughly 7 and a half minutes. See you then! ---
**Author:** ![omukai](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/omukai/32/200101_2.png) [@omukai](https://community.wanikani.com/u/omukai)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2018, 10:58pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/54 "2018-09-20T22:58:24Z")
I don’t use “radicals” to learn. I see if I can break down the kanji into smaller kanji that make up it’s parts, like 親 for example, and for some reason, the old names I used when I went through Heisig still stick around, so that’s 2 tools… and for the readings, knowing that “ah, that’s 直 from 直接” does the trick for me. ---
**Author:** ![Leebo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/leebo/32/439476_2.png) [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2018, 11:21pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/55 "2018-09-20T23:21:29Z")
> [@omukai](#): > > I don’t use “radicals” to learn. I see if I can break down the kanji into smaller kanji that make up it’s parts, like 親 for example Oh, like… These? 🙂 ![Screenshot_2018-09-21-08-18-49](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/4/4/444531d5323ba3a1c1f4a17fe8d8516a90d4092d.png) ---
**Author:** ![Chikuhitsu](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/chikuhitsu/32/164506_2.png) [@Chikuhitsu](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Chikuhitsu)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 6:30am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/56 "2018-09-21T06:30:38Z")
> [@omukai](#): > > I see if I can break down the kanji into smaller kanji that make up it’s parts Which is precisely what WK uses as “radicals” after the first few levels 😛 Simpler kanji can only be broken down into non-kanji components (which would be the “real” radicals). ---
**Author:** ![ephemient](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/ephemient/32/109543_2.png) [@ephemient](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ephemient)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 9:11am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/57 "2018-09-21T09:11:08Z")
There a number of cases where WK could do a lot better by breaking down into kanji instead of forcing everything through to “radical” parts, though. WK says 姉 = 巾 + 女 + 亠, but doesn’t 女 + 市 work better? You can still come up with a mnemonic for the meaning, and the on’yomi then becomes easy to remember. WK says 終 = 糸 + 夂 + 二, but you’ve already learned 冬 as a kanji by this point. (Also 二 in that breakdown doesn’t really make sense.) With 働 = 重 + 亻 + 力, it comes just one level before 動 is taught, why not swap them? etc. ---
**Author:** ![Chikuhitsu](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/chikuhitsu/32/164506_2.png) [@Chikuhitsu](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Chikuhitsu)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 9:22am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/58 "2018-09-21T09:22:11Z")
I think we all agree that the radical system on WK is far from perfect ^^ I hope the incoming overhaul takes care of most cases like those you mention. ---
**Author:** ![omukai](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/omukai/32/200101_2.png) [@omukai](https://community.wanikani.com/u/omukai)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 11:16am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/59 "2018-09-21T11:16:27Z")
> WK says 姉 = 巾 + 女 + 亠, but doesn’t 女 + 市 work better? You can still come up with a mnemonic for the meaning, and the on’yomi then becomes easy to remember. This. I remembered this as “the woman 女 who goes to the market 市 is my big sister 姉” when I learned the kanji. I don’t know if things get better in the future, but it doesn’t matter much. The way I memorize the kanji also works for the reading. ---
**Author:** ![yukkuri\_kame](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/yukkuri_kame/32/201367_2.png) [@yukkuri\_kame](https://community.wanikani.com/u/yukkuri_kame)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 10:57pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830/60 "2019-02-22T22:57:24Z")
My new strategy is to compare the lists of radicals and kanji when I begin a new level and immediately add the meaning of the kanji as a synonym for the radical. That way I don’t waste time studying a meaning for a radical that will only confuse me later. [Previous page](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830.md?page=2) [Next page](https://community.wanikani.com/t/names-of-radicals-that-make-no-sense/32830.md?page=4)