Australia and the World Past and Present

The Kanji Kentei are a suite of tests that test one’s knowledge of Japanese Kanji.

Most people can adequately prepare for most of these tests by using repetition as a study method.

When preparing for most of my own tests, I have used some kind of repetition as the basis of memorisation.

But, when it comes to the highest level – level 1 – it really makes you wonder if you can memorise all of the required kanji simply by repetition.

This level introduces more than 2600 extra kanji.

Here I will look at using mnemonic devices to breakdown characters into components and commit them to memory.

I have tried using some mnemonic devices for verb forms. I find this the most useful area to apply them. For me, verbs at level one are difficult to distinguish from one another. One stroke may be the difference between one reading and another reading. And there are just so many of them that they can seem to merge into one another.

They key to forming mnemonic stories is to break the kanji down into it’s constituent parts.

Yes, creating mnemonics means that there will be even more things to remember. But the main point is that the mnemonic should make recall easier for you. If it does not, then there isn’t much point.

Once you know how the basic process works, you can create your own stories. In this way you can make the mnemonic unique to you. If you are finding that one mnemonic is not giving you the recall that you want, you can change it into something different.

Here are some examples to illustrate the process.

1. 佇む (tatazumu -to stand) = 亻 (ninben – ‘person’ radical) + 宀 (ukanmuri – roof) + 丁 (chou – counter for long narrow things such as guns).

Therefore a mnemonic might be ‘a person stands under a roof and looks at guns’

2. 佞る (omoneru – to flatter) = 亻 (ninben – ‘person’ radical) + 二 (ni – 2) + 女 (onna – woman)

‘a person is flattered by 2 women’

3. 俟つ – matsu – wait = 亻 (ninben – ‘person’ radical) + ⼛ – private / mu + 矢 – ya – arrow

‘a person waits in private with and arrow’

4. 俛せる – (fuseru – to lie down) = 亻 (ninben – “person” radical) +免 (men – excuse / dismissal). However, for me a similar component 兔 (usagi – rabbit) is easier to remember.

‘a person lays down at night like a no-dot rabbit’

5. 偸む (nusumu – to steal) = 亻 (ninben – “person” radical) + 入 (irigashira – enter roof) + 月 (tsuki – moon) + 巛 – (magarikawa – river radical)

‘a person enters under a roof and steals the moon and a river’

6. 傚う (narau – to learn) = 亻 (ninben – “person” radical) + 亠 (nabebuta – pot lid) + 父 (chichi – father) + 攵 (nobun – strike radical)

‘a person should learn to strike the pot lid of your father’

7. 傴む (kagamu – bend over) = 亻 (ninben – “person” radical) + 匚 (hakogamae – open sided box) + 品 (shina – goods)

‘a person should bend over to see goods in an open-sided box’

8. 冀う (koinegau – to yearn for) = 北 (kita – north) + 異 (i – different)

‘I yearn for a different life in the north’

Some components can be broken down in different ways. For example, this character could also be: 北 (kita – north) + 田 (ta – rice field) + 共 (tomo – same / together)

‘I yearn for to go and farm a rice field in the north – a place where we can be together’

9. 凭れる – motareru – lean on / recline on = 任せる – makaseru – entrust + ⼏ – kinyou – table

‘lean on the table, entrusting it’

10. 剪る (kiru – cut) = 前 (mae – before) + 刀 (katana – sword)

‘(watch out!) before the sword cuts’

11. 匍う (hau – crawl / creep) = 勹 (tsutsumi gamae – wrapping radical). The rest I break down in the following way: 十 (jyuu – 10) + 用 (mochiiru – to use) + 丶 (chu – dot radical)

‘a snake crawls on it’s belly and wraps around using it’s 10-dotted skin’

12. 簒う – ubau – rob = ⺮ – take kanmuri – bamboo radical + 目 – me – eye + 大きい – ookii – big + ⼛ – private / mu

‘when you see the bamboo you get big eyes and you want to rob it’

13. 听う – warau – laugh = 口 – kuchi – mouth + 斤 – onozukuri – axe radical

‘you won’t be laughing when the mouth is chopped by an axe’

14. 吼える – hoeru – howl = 口 – kuchi – mouth + 孔 – ana – hole or perhaps more commonly in 孔子 – koushi – Confucius. Ana in turn can be interpreted as ‘a child who is respectful’.

‘the mouth of Confucius is howling at a child who is respectful’

15. 吶る – domoru – stutter = 口 – kuchi – mouth + ⼌ – keigamae – ⼊ – iru

‘a mouth that enters into a box with no bottom stutters’

16. 吝しむ – oshimu – be stingy =⽂ – bun – literature + 口 – kuchi – mouth

‘share literature with your mouth and you won’t be stingy’

17. 呟く – tsubuyaku – mutter = 口 – kuchi – mouth + ⼇ – nabebuta – lid + ⺓ – itogashira – thread radical

‘a mouth closed with a lid and threads mutters’

18. 咬む – kamu – chew = 口 – kuchi – mouth + 交える – majieru – mix

‘a mouth mixes food well by chewing’

19. 哢る – saezuru – chirp = 口 – kuchi – mouth + 王 ou – king + ⺾ – kusa? – grass

‘the mouth of a king (bird?) chirps in the grass’

20. 啀む – igamu – quarrel = 口 – kuchi – mouth + ⼚ – gandare – cliff + ⼟ – tsuchi – earth (x 2)

‘a mouth quarrels with a cliff that has 2 lots of earth inside’

21. 啣える – kuwaeru – to hold in one’s mouth = 口 – kuchi – mouth + part of 御 – go /o – a honorific

‘a mouth that holds something politely should be given a honorific’

22. 售る – uru – sell = ⾫ – furutori – bird (old form) + 口 – kuchi – mouth

‘an old bird uses it’s mouth to sell things’

23. 啖う – kuu – eat / consume = 口 – kuchi – mouth + 炎 – honoo – flame / a blaze

‘when he eats he consumes things like a (2) fires’

24. 喀く – haku – vomit = 口 – kuchi – mouth + 客 – kyaku – customer / guest

‘never vomit on a customer!’

25. 喘ぐ – aegu – to gasp / pant = 口 – kuchi – mouth + ⼭ – yama – mountain + ⽽ – shikoushite – ‘and also’. But is it better to think of it as part of 耐える? taeru – to endure

‘when you climb up a mountain, breathing through your mouth is hard to endure’

26. 啼く – naku – cry = 口 – kuchi – mouth + 帝 – mikado – emperor

‘the mouth of an emperor should not cry’

27. 喃る – shaberu – to chat = 口 – kuchi – mouth + 南 – minami – south

‘a mouth chats in the south’

28. 嗄れる – shiwagareru – become hoarse = 口 – kuchi – mouth + 夏 – natsu – summer

‘a mouth becomes hoarse in summer’

29. 嗜む – tashinamu – to be fond of = 口 – kuchi – mouth + ⽼ – oikanmuri – old-age + 日 – hi – day / sun

‘an old man is fond (of ice-cream) on a sunny day’

30. 嘔く – mukatsuku – feel nauseous = 口 – kuchi – mouth + ⼕ – hakogamae – box + 品 – shina – goods

‘if you are feeling nauseous, don’t look in the box with the goods inside’