This is a simple kanji for which I’ve found a mnemonic that had me laughing for 15 minutes straight. I’ve known the kanji itself for a long time, before I even started practicing with WaniKani. I know the vocabulary reading by heart, but I hadn’t reached that point yet, and now I am “stuck” at the kanji readings.
And I hate the kaji readings with a passion. I have no way of connecting a sheep or a suit to a child. Like how the hell?? It’s boring and bland.
Here it is for your perusal:
There is a child standing in front of you. You look closely at the child but something seems wrong. You rub your eyes and when you open them again there is a sheep (し) in a suit (す) in front of you. You yelp, blink, and it’s back to being a child. Are… all children really just sheep in suits?!
I think we can do better than that. Here’s my thoroughly improved version (in my opinion):
Somehow this child’s legs are stuck in the ground. You don’t know how it got there, but you look at the kanji and see him. What is he doing? They seem to be leaning forward and… taking a SHIt!(し) Not any kind of shit, it is the biggest, baddest SUper(す) poop you’ve ever seen! You didn’t want to see it, and now you cannot unsee it.
What’s great about this mnemonic, is that it ties to the vocabulary reading nicely! うんこ meaning poop. It’s basically a strained moan followed by こ.
So there you go. You probably didn’t need this, but I had to share it. I just couldn’t let a good laugh go to waste on a single person!
I hope you enjoy seeing this kanji for the rest of your life!