Should WaniKani save people's mnemonics?

[Pluckabee]

I don’t want to have to worry at all about potentially seeing horrible stuff while I’m trying to learn another language. If that was the case I just wouldn’t be able to use this site anymore.

I don’t have to brace myself when I open a textbook that I might see a racial slur or something so same should apply here.

[Pinstripe]

Better consistency needs to be had with a mneumonic that can follow from the radical to the kanji. For instance, I spent ages learning the radical for ‘power’ is (power rangers fight Ricky the Rock - RiKi) to then be told that in the kanji version of power, it is chikara (Most powerful guy has strong cheeks). Isn’t the whole point of RK learning with radicals meant to lead into learning the kanji?

I literally have to data dump the radical learning trick so I don’t get confused with the kanji one that is the one that I will be tested on from now on!

[doutatsu]

1. SRS system wasn’t great when I used it, I know the developer wanted to address that. Basically, if you failed a review, it would go to the very start. Say your kanji was in Guru2. If you failed it, it would go all the way to Apprentence 1 every time… Hence review would accumulate very quickly and its very hard to keep up

2. No reading memorisation by default. This is the main reason for me, as while I knew kanji, I couldn’t read or say anything. WaniKani made me feel like I am actually progressing generally with my Japanese.

3. No vocab learning. Similar point to previous one, WaniKani makes me learn more while I’ve got the context of a specific kanji

4. No radicals (again might be there now). I had to use the book to supplement my studies here as it had the radicals needed to learn the kanji.

I wouldn’t say I liked it so much, it mainly the user created mnemonics that I liked.

[rodrigowaick]

@Pinstripe This will happen a lot as you go along and there is no escaping it. Most kanji have at least 2 completely different readings you must learn. There will be words using both readings, so you will be tested on both.

A new mnemonic is always provided for the vocab when the reading is different from the one given for the kanji. Usually the clue is that a vocab that is just a single kanji probably takes a different reading than the one given on the lesson (水, 人, 力), but there are plenty of exceptions.

仕方がない…
Read up on on and kun readings, it will probably help you deal with this.

Something tells me you will be very frustrated with the kanji 生 very soon.

[anon44727460]

@rodrigowaick

生

oh gawd jesus yes totally

[Richard-Degenne]

Maybe this helps?

[Userscript] Community Mnemonics (v0.9.7.8)

Have you ever encountered a mnemonic that either doesn’t seem to stick or just doesn’t work for you? You probably have and that’s why I made a userscript that adds new sections for every Kanji and Vocabulary item by which WaniKani users can easily share their own alternative mnemonics with the community. All users with the script are able to see and vote on these mnemonics where a mnemonic’s score determines whether it comes before or after others. All the data is contained in a single Google sp…

I don’t use it personally, because I like Koichi’s story-telling skills too much.

Also because they work really well for me and I don’t want to clutter my mind my other mnemonics.

[anon44727460]

giving this a spin thanks

[papadabear22]

I think the notes section for the review cards provided is already sufficient enough for every individual to any any information they feel is necessary for them to recall the kanji, the meaning or the reading. Mnemonics in general only work when individuals can relate, connect or identify with them in some way, so if the mnemonic already provided doesn’t resonate with you its not necessarily that it isn’t good or it doesn’t make sense, its just not something you relate with. Other people randomly adding their own mnemonics for the public will just cause for more reading, longer time spent going through other peoples thoughts, stories, descriptions and all that jazz. I don’t think it would be productive at all.

I say make an effort with whats provided and if it doesn’t click then add your notes and keep it moving. I have also found that a few mnemonics provided didn’t make sense for me, but I simply just added my own notes and story and it worked like a charm.

[Invertex]

Didn’t wanna make a new thread just for this, but there was clearly a much better mnemonic staring them right in the face for “初めて” which is “for the first time” and needs to teach you the kun’yomi for 初. Their mnemonic reads:

What are you beginning? You are beginning Haj (はじ). (Haj is the fifth pillar of Islam, and is a pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Dhu al-Hijja).

But… we already learned a kanji that uses the same はじ reading, which is 始, and it happens to mean beginning or start as well, which is easily equatable to “for the first time”. Seems like a quite logical choice and would help reinforce learning of those two kanji even more.