@davikani My first question would be, do you know any other kanji or compounds that use 続 or which look like it?For instance, do you know
- 接続（せつぞく）
- 読（どく）, the kanji in 読む
- 続く（つづく）?
If you know any of them, you can use them as mnemonic building blocks. For #1, you’ll remember the reading because you know a common compound that contains the kanji. For #2, you’ll remember because 読 has the 売 component as well, and also ends in ‘-oku’. For #3, you’ll be able to tell yourself that the most common verb containing 続 also ends in く, so the kanji does as well.
On the other hand, if you have no prior knowledge about 続 or kanji that resemble it… first of all, for the meaning (I’m simplifying what I’ve read a bit): it comes from 糹(silk string/thread radical – strings are the ultimate symbol of links, no?) and 売 (to sell). The idea behind that is inheriting riches, like a family business. That’s why it’s about continuity. As for remembering the reading, you have two options, IMO:
- Associate it with the meaning
- Associate it with the character
Really though, I’d say using a mix of both is best. However, my ideas may not work for you, because I have a tendency to ‘force’ sounds to make sense without any conventional mnemonics, and I just repeat them (e.g. by reading Japanese with furigana/a dictionary) until they stick. Here’s roughly what my brain automatically came up with:
ぞく=zoku. Notice how your mouth feels as you pronounce that sound. ‘Zo’ is a relatively long, flowing sound, and your mouth is open without obstruction. ‘Ku’ is a small, sharp sound that requires you to block the airflow and exhale sharply. When I make it, I feel the air flowing against the roof of my mouth and around the tip of my tongue in a curved fashion. Thus, it’s kinda like launching a rope with a grappling hook attached: the ‘zo’ is the phase where the rope extends freely, and ‘ku’ is the moment of contact, where the hook catches onto something. (Notice all those sharp K/C sounds, and how the airflow for pronouncing く is hook-shaped. Even く is bent, like a hook.) Therefore, just like a rope and a grappling hook, ぞく is about connection.
As for associating the pronunciation with the shape… both Z and ぞ are rather ‘squiggly’, just like 糹. That reminds you of the part of the kanji that’s written first.
The only problem with this set of ideas is that you can’t apply them to all the kanji that are pronounced ぞく, and you don’t want to mix them up. What do you do then? Well, I personally pronounce the kanji while staring at it or visualising it, so that these ideas are permanently associated with the kanji 続, and nothing else.
I hope this helps. I know that this is very sensory and abstract, and nothing like what most people do, which is associating a new word with a similar-sounding one. It’s probably impossible to summarise into a simple WK mnemonic. However, when the sensations in your throat and the visual symbols that represent the word themselves are your mnemonic, you’re much less likely to forget. I know this because I learnt other languages like this: the French word “creux” means ‘hollow’, because my throat feels hollow when I pronounce it, and the French word “éclater” means ‘to burst’ because I can see it exploding around the letter T (imagine four square tiles suddenly bursting apart). The more you can associate new words with anything you already know, including the sensations you feel when you use those new words, the less trouble you’ll have remembering.
EDIT: OK, I felt like it wouldn’t be fair if I left you to summarise all this by yourself, so if you really feel the need for a simple mnemonic à la WaniKani, here’s my version: ぞく=zoku. ZO-ku… kinda sounds like ‘hook’, a grappling hook, which connects things and ensures continuitity
