It has been called other things yeah, but there’s also nothing in particular that makes those names “correct”. There’s no kanji with that shape alone, which is a more persuasive argument when it comes to some of WK’s other unique radicals, like drawer for 母 instead of mother.
There also already is a small radical, so another similarly named one early on would be a little confusing, if you went with tiny. The names in this case aren’t in a vacuum, they have to work as a system.
I guess it was just the implication that it was chosen purely for “puerility” by a random employee that provoked my less gentle response.
You’re receiving some of these replies because you’ve yet to fully experience the whole system, over a long period of time. There is already a radical used for small, and no need to conflate a second radical with the same concept. The more distinct the better when learning. You will eventually forget a lot of these silly names over time, once you’re acclimated to the kanji, and simply remember the concept triggered by the kanji. This is a good thing.
Poop is used in 13 kanji mnemonics on this site. Many other non-traditional (which has already been shown to be a fallacy) names are used to be able to create memorable stories. It’s much more useful to create mnemonics with the Shogun and Stalin. Oh hey… しょう appears in about 200 items on this site, thank g̶o̶d̶ Koichi they went with Shogun - because hey, It’s way easier to remember in the long run, once you’re juggling thousands of squiggles.
I think poop and raptor cage make rest of the weird radicals look good. Work of pure genius. Poop is carrying sins of other radicals. Still i would like to see poop nailed on cross and laid to to grave. Problem is that history repeats itself. Some cult could rise and start to wait poops return. If they gain a lot of followers, civilization as we know it, could really start to stink.
A woman I work with from time to time told me that when people are disrespectful to her, or someone around her (let’s say, an impatient person at a grocery store making exasperated sounds and audibly telling the elderly person in front of them to hurry it up with their exact change of pennies and nickels) she tells them “Everyone poops the same! Even the Queen poops. So who are you to think you’re better than anyone?” She told me that usually shuts them up.
Aww…
I second @hellistic’s wish… Even if they were only added up to level 15 or 20, I think that would be a big help. Not everyone is on track with grammar… (Myself included.) I can see why you’re not planning on doing this for every level, however. I think I’m down with that. (Maybe even up to level 25???)
I don’t mind looking up some kanji I don’t know, as long as it isn’t over 50% of the sentence (and when I also don’t know the grammar, it’s even more discouraging and unhelpful). Some of the longer example sentences are really unwieldy.
Thanks for thinking about this, your answer, and of course adding the simple sentences to the first 10 levels.
Most of those squibbles as you call them are evolved shorthand of more complex Chinese characters that may or may not even be in use anymore. Now learning ancient Chinese characters would truly be a waste of effort. It is much more simple to just remember the word poop. And for the purpose of using Wanikani is simplicity