Why is dog（犬）a separate radical? Isn’t it just big（大）plus drop（丶）?
1 Like
Probably because making it its own radical would be easier/more useful for the meaning mnemonic stories in the future kanji that the radical appears in
(These: )
7 Likes
I don’t know… the Leader Dog is not as good as the Leader of the Big Drop, or his Sunflower Tail, for that matter.
2 Likes
13 Likes
Because doggos are wonderful and lovable creatures that deserve their a radical all their own!
Admittedly I am a bit biased…
2 Likes
I feel the same way @ZengoTim: I have a big fluffy 犬 of my own. 
3 Likes
In the most recent levels I reached, lots of radicals are just previous kanji from lower levels. This makes easier to remember the new radicals and their respective kanji. Also, I think it is easier to create good mnemonic stories when the radicals are kanji that we already know.
1 Like
The radicals get more complex as you go, so you can still describe a kanji with a few radicals.
If you had 10 radicals for a kanji, it would defeat the purpose. For example, subscription 購 has only 2 radicals, clam 貝 and circus 冓, though it has 17 strokes.
2 Likes
Even 大 is a combination of 一 and 人
I just remembered a mnemonic from somewhere - 大 means big because it’s a person 人 with their arms stretched out 
2 Likes
I daresay before the next few levels are through you’ll be wishing WK grouped radicals together MORE, not less.
Case in point, Gist is 趣. WK has you think of that as ‘run, ear, stool’ when ‘run, take’ to my mind seems more conducive to a mnemonic (the gist is the bit you take from a conversation before you run along with your day).
I think this is quite a popular opinion round these parts.
2 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.