Perhaps we could pool together on what mnemonics work well? Or what images you use for different parts of the character

I know some of you use Heisig or Matthews or somesuch, but I was wondering more from personal experience. I'm not using one of those books, and some representations hit, and others miss.

I'll start:

Leftmost: I find the leftmost radicals work well with place imagery.
eg.

这 (a long and winding path)
建 (a waterfall)
越 (traffic light at a junction)
词 (shopping centre information desk)
打 (an action movie)

Top: Elements on the top that work well:
莫 (a motorway)
守 (headphones/listening to music)
鱼 (tie fighter)
笑 （two dancing pygmies - don't ask...)

A lot of the rightmost tend to be people of certain descriptions, or doing certain roles, or things.

These (and plenty others) I've found make it quite easy to remember images. Some really haven't worked well, for example the top bit of 冠 as a bullet train.

What do you find works?

The problem with trying to use other peoples mnemonics is that we all come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives. I have been using the Heisig method exclusively for about a month now. I will be honest, I don't like most of his mnemonics. However, the grouping of lessons in the books makes applying and learning a lesson much fast (as opposed to just pulling from a list of the most commonly used hanzi). I will occasionally read his actual text, but borrowed the book from the library and use it when I don't have a computer handy to get the hanzi list for the next lesson.

When I create mnemonics for them I try not derive extremely unbelievable stories behind them (some of Heisig's stories are ridiculous).

冠: I just remember the top as being a covering (sometimes in the most abstract sense). So if you put it together it could be small covering for your head that you bought for a few yuan.

Most importantly I try and keep the mnemonics to one short sentence and relate them to my personal thoughts as much as possible. I will occasionally look up other meanings or uses of the radicals if I'm having troubles coming up with an initially apparent mnemonic.

I wasn't having much luck with the short sentence thing. I'd say about 70% of the time I recall a mnemonic it's as an image, and 30% as a sentence. So I just try to flesh out the image.

You're right about them being individual. Still, I was wondering if some things worked better than others. Certain types of images in certain places in the character. That sort of thing. Themes too.

I'm also using the Heisig list at the moment on Skritter, but I've paused it the last week or so and been adding words. Shoring up characters I already know, but difficult to learn radically new ones. The structure he offers is decent.

Really? I have been having a decent retention rate when using the short sentence structure. I guess it goes to prove that everyone operates a little differently and no one method applies to all.

I was thinking about pausing the Heisig list because I felt I should start introducing myself to actual word combinations. However, I agree with what Heisig says in the beginning of the book about being happier waiting until the end of the book to move forward.

I'm not 100% set on my ways though, because I'm not really far enough along in study to comment with enough experience. I do think it would be interesting to hear the view of other members who have breached the 1,500 character limit or so.

I like to use radicals, like 脉 is a blood vessel, so I think of it as the part of your body that lasts forever, 月being a body part and 永being forever. Or with 肚 I remember it with body part and 土 because it sounds like du. Just like I find 笑 easy because its just 2 bamboos and a day. The problem for me is when skritter gives me characters I wasn't familiar with in the first place

I actually thought of my favorite one, 妙 means clever, so I always think a clever girl is loud and annoying 女 meaning girl and 吵 meaning loud

I've never found mnemonics to work very well, but I've found that forcing myself to use a word (reading something with it or writing sentences using it) helps me immensely.

Ahm, yeah, if clever girls annoy you thats ... your deal.

I've gotten to the point where I can do the radical+pronunciation characters fairly well, though I occasionally get confused on 请，情，清，精. Only occasionally do I find one that I can get a fun image, say for 闯 -- nice image of cavalry charging though the gate.

I don't have any problems with clever annoying girls, it's just a good way to remember it for me:)

Probably my favorite mnemonic is for 教. Education consists of filial piety (old man over child) plus "to hit with a stick".

James

Hahaha! I always thought it was a 反文, but it's a 攵....