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I've been using SRS to learn 日本語 for some time now. Prior to this, my ability to remember kanji was basically nil. I could spend tons of time writing it over an

I've been using SRS to learn 日本語 for some time now. Prior to this, my ability to remember kanji was basically nil. I could spend tons of time writing it over and over again, and nearly immediately forget how to write it, and shortly after, forget how to read it. I switched to using Anki, and the reading at least became quite cemented - I still struggle with writing at times, but it's a significant improvement over what it was previously. Daily study is hugely important - if I go out and have a crazy weekend, I hate myself Monday, and my study session becomes 3 or 4 times longer than it would otherwise.

MichaelGG 11y ago
Have you looked at "Remembering the Kanji"? I was skeptical when reading "Remebering the Kana", but halfway through it I found that despite the silliness, it worked. I tried the Kanji book for a bit and was fairly surprised how well it was working.
- cthalupa 11y ago
  I'm not a huge fan of the Heisig method. I started off with it, but I realized that a lot of the time, the key word I was learning for the kanji had absolutely nothing to do with any meaning or reading for it. What I currently do is learn new kanji via Kanji in Context, and then create cards for them in my anki deck as I have learned them.
  - brokencup 11y ago
    You might want to look into "Kanji ABC" by Foerster & Tamura. It was developed some years after Heisig and avoids using nonsensical keywords. I think their approach is better than Heisig if you already have familiarity with a decent number of kanji. The book is out of print so it may be a little tough to get a hold of (I found mine online at Powell's used bookstore). You can see an online version at work[1], but it isn't that useful on its own without the book. [1] http://www.kanjiabc.net/ http://www.kanjiabc.net/
- hudibras 11y ago
  Recommendation: "The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Course" by Andrew Scott Conning is a modern version of RTK. Same concept, but better organization, more kanji, and a more natural layout and learning order.

MichaelGG 11y ago

Have you looked at "Remembering the Kanji"? I was skeptical when reading "Remebering the Kana", but halfway through it I found that despite the silliness, it worked. I tried the Kanji book for a bit and was fairly surprised how well it was working.

cthalupa 11y ago
I'm not a huge fan of the Heisig method. I started off with it, but I realized that a lot of the time, the key word I was learning for the kanji had absolutely nothing to do with any meaning or reading for it. What I currently do is learn new kanji via Kanji in Context, and then create cards for them in my anki deck as I have learned them.
- brokencup 11y ago
  You might want to look into "Kanji ABC" by Foerster & Tamura. It was developed some years after Heisig and avoids using nonsensical keywords. I think their approach is better than Heisig if you already have familiarity with a decent number of kanji. The book is out of print so it may be a little tough to get a hold of (I found mine online at Powell's used bookstore). You can see an online version at work[1], but it isn't that useful on its own without the book. [1] http://www.kanjiabc.net/ http://www.kanjiabc.net/
hudibras 11y ago
Recommendation: "The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Course" by Andrew Scott Conning is a modern version of RTK. Same concept, but better organization, more kanji, and a more natural layout and learning order.