Remembering the Kanji (RTK) is a great method but it has 2 fatal flaws. The way to solve the first flaw of similar keywords was discussed in one of my earliest posts, Using Anki to Master Japanese 1: Becoming the Kanji King. This next flaw is equally significant: RTK has too many useless kanji.
I’m aware that the concept behind RTK is to order the kanji so radicals build upon each other. But there are a good number of kanji that just have no use. As if learning 2052 kanji wasn’t bad enough, how would it feel to know that there will be a good 150-200 that you will rarely ever use. You don’t want to waste your time learning things you don’t need to.
Extraction method
Just so you don’t think I’m pulling out random kanji that I “think” are not helpful, I have used a number of factors in my consideration of them.
1) They rarely appear in any form of writing
2) In my very large anki deck, they show up in around 0 to 3 cards.
3) There is often only one word that the kanji is ever used in, and that word is seldom used.
4) Because I never saw them anywhere outside of RTK in my Anki reviews, they have been repeatedly marked as wrong for 3-4 years.
5) I’ve analyzed and pulled them out one by one as they became due in my Anki. Every time I noticed a Kanji repeatedly being due that I had learned years ago, it stood out.
A Few Things To Keep In Mind:
– You have to remember that what makes RTK + Anki work so well is that the kanji is also constantly reinforced through the sentences and all your interaction with real Japanese. If the only place you ever see the Kanji is in RTK, regardless of the power of Anki, it will not stick with you long.
– If there is a word that uses the kanji that you want to learn, that is fine, put a sentence in. There is nothing wrong with learning words with these kanji in them.
– Because I only pulled out kanji one at a time when they became due and I felt they needed to be removed, there is a chance that some useless kanji didn’t make the list since it just hasn’t appeared due yet in my deck. If you think any belong on the list, make a mention of them in the comments section.
– You may say “Wait! I know a word with that kanji.” Yes this is true. Obviously there are words with these kanji. But please trust me on this. I’ve read 100s of Japanese books over the years. These aren’t worth going out of your way to learning, especially in the beginning of your studies. You will eventually learn some of the words that have these kanji through natural reading. No reason to force the process on early in RTK.
– And of course, while I may have put a lot of time and thought into removing these, this is all still just my opinion. Go to a Japanese person, and I’m sure he will say “How dare you doubt this kanji, it has the following uses . . .”
________________________
Enough introduction. I plan on introducing the losing kanji in 3 posts. Here is the first set:
００２５ 昌 prosperous
００２７ 旭 rising sun
００３２ 亘 span
００３４ 凸 convex
００６０ 頁 page
００９６ 孔 cavity
０１１４ 肖 resemblance
０１１５ 硝 nitrate
０１５５ 圭 squared jewel
０１７５ 墨 black ink
０１７６ 鯉 carp
０１７８ 厘 rin
０１８２ 胴 trunk
０１８９ 宵 wee hours
０１９８ 桂 Japanese Judas-tree
０１９９ 柏 oak
０２１３ 暦 calendar
０２１８ 沫 splash
０２４２ 荻 reed
０２７０ 銑 pig iron
０２８８ 軌 rut
０３０４ 冠 crown
０３０８ 享 receive
０３１１ 亭 pavilion
０３４２ 詔 imperial edict
０３４５ 詠 recitation
０３５２ 諭 rebuke
０３６７ 桟 scaffold
０３７８ 賦 levy
０４０６ 帆 sail
０４１０ 幌 canopy
０４１１ 錦 brocade
０４２４ 曇 cloudy weather
０４２６ 霜 frost
０４３０ 嬌 attractive
０４４０ 嫡 legitimate wife
０４５１ 渇 thirst
０４５２ 謁 audience
０４５３ 褐 brown
０４５４ 喝 hoarse
０４７８ 剖 divide
０４８１ 韻 rhyme
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Nice to know.. I wondered about those missing for a while :P
but there are more.. what about these (just took a quick look through the first 60):
0017 I
0019 Companion
0033 Concave
0042 Measuring Box
0060 Page
Are they missing, or have you removed them and not included them in the list?
I think the owner just forgot to write them here. Because the list does contain 1901 kanji, as mentioned on the first post.
Probably… though it makes it a bit difficult when f. eks. “measuring box” is a primitive in “rise up” or “page” is a primitive in “stubborn”..
well I guess I’ll just have to deal with it and learn those by heart :P
Thx for this. I will use it but I found it strange these got deleted:
０４７８ 剖 divide , ０４５１ 渇 thirst , ００６０ 頁 page , ０４３０ 嬌 attractive , ０４０６ 帆 sail
Thank you so much for these decks! It saved me a ton of time.
You definitely forgot to write down some kanji, though. I just noticed 203 and 204, and 221. I feel bad pointing it out since you’re nice enough to share this deck with us, but I wanted to mention it since it’s jarring to have kanji I haven’t gotten to yet suddenly pop up in my daily anki, and then I have to figure out how to readjust the number of new cards a day so I don’t keep confusing myself.
You are correct, 203, 204 and 221 are also unnecessary. Not sure if you’ve read it yet, but a month after this series of posts, I uploaded my fully edited Heisig deck, which includes a number of deletions not mentioned on this 3-part series and is slightly more updated.
Check it out at: http://japaneselevelup.com/2011/09/04/japanese-level-up-rtk-mod-anki-deck/
I checked your deck and 吾 and 朋 were not in them. I noticed through jisho.org that they were not common kanji anyways and decided to drop them. Which is something you did as well.
Hi, thanks for this list. There are lots of words I see come up that I’ve rarely ever used. The word Fathom (149) really stumped me as I’ve never used that to measure in english. Also how would you go about with the Kanji that are used as primitives in other Kanji such as Page, or Span, as they are used a lot. As for adding the Japanese keywords, I’m on about 200 Kanji (just started really) adding my own stories as I go along, whats the best way I can implement this in my current deck? Thanks if you or anyone reply.
If you encounter an unusual keyword it’s often to make that keyword stand out from others with a similar meaning or to add a particular nuance that will make you story easier to create. Don’t worry about the English; it’s there to help you make stories and get an overall feel for a kanji. When you finish Heisig and start reading things will start to fall in place.
I probably can’t even count on one finger the number of times I’ve ever used the word “ridgepole”, let alone said “garment” without putting on a silly voice.
As for primitives that are also uncommon kanji, you still need to know them so you can use them in stories, of course, and they’re common enough and appear early enough that you won’t likely be forgetting them. Keep them in if you like, but maybe you could delete them later when you feel like you know them well or feel as though they’re getting in the way.
Finally, for Japanese keywords, I only add them if I keep forgetting a particular kanji, or there’s a word I keep forgetting that uses a particular kanji. I only really add Japanese keywords as and when I need to because it can, but doesn’t always, take considerable time to find a suitable keyword, and I can’t be bothered. I’ve found it really helpful to have Japanese keywords and recommend you add them as much as you need to.
Thanks for the reply! Very helpful. I don’t want to be typing out all the J-keywords so is there some way of just importing them from JALUP’s deck?
Found a way – I put both my deck and the Jalup deck in excel following this guide https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/ankisrs/UsTbn7Y5aGM/9UT3Yy2aQ4UJ
and copied all his keywords into mine. Then put it back in anki.
I don’t know use Anki really and I’ve never done Heisig but I’d keep these words.
００３４ 凸 convex : I never remember the reading but just by the shape alone, I know it’s convex. Doesn’t take more than 10 seconds to remember this one for the rest of your life.
０４０６ 帆 sail : This one pops up a lot in literature, short stories, comics. I wouldn’t dump it.
The final two; just turn on the weather channel and you’ll see these and here them every day. Then, pick up a Murakami book or Otsuichi or Yoshimoto or any other book and they’ll have these books. Fairly standard. Basically any 常用漢字 with the 雨 radical, I feel can be learned all at once in a day. Then review them briefly with sources and you’ll know them forever.
０４２４ 曇 cloudy weather
０４２６ 霜 frost
The rest on this particular post I agree with. I’ve never seen these words in my life. And if they do come up, I’ll just look them up in a dictionary then and make a note. But no need to actively study them.
Just a question, the Kanji #457, I, together with the kanji for II, the roman numerals… What are their real uses, if we already have the kanjis for numbers?
I don’t see the two kanji in my RTK mod deck. I believe I removed these 2 kanji after this post series. It is reflected in the deck that everyone can download on this site.
Ok. I’m using the JALUP deck together with Reviewing the Kanji, and I’m removing from there the cards I can.
Hello, I just got the book not even a week ago and I looked on how to use it best together with Anki, so I found this very helpfull blog ^^ I’m also using your deck, just that I convert it to German (although I’m quiet good at english ist still is easier in mother tongue ^^) any way, can it be that you used an a bit older version? Because I find numbers being off, I’m at 60 kanji atthe moment and for now its off by 4 (so “see” which for you was 57 is in my book 61)
So now I don’t know which Kanji Heisig added after you went through the book, and might be Kanji that are actually good to know, and which you deleted and did not put on this list. Or is you count just off???
Should I just ignore Kanji that are not in your package???
This is based on the older version. The newer version is based on what the Japanese government considers to be the new “common use” kanji list.
I think the difference between the two isn’t that significant. If you are going to add everything in yourself, might as well start with the new book. But if you want to use the pre-made deck, I think that it is just as good as it ever was.
Ok, thank you ^^ your Blog is really helpfull for learning japanes,e wish I had known al that when I was 16 and tried to study on my own (and got so frustrated I kinda lost interest ^^***)
Hopefully your interest has fully returned! Don’t worry about what you were unable to do in the past. Focus on what you are going to do now.
Thank you for posting this list, I found it very useful! You forgot to post many other kanjis, so I’d like to post the complete list of filtered out kanjis:
0017 吾 I
0019 朋 Companion
００２５ 昌 prosperous
００２７ 旭 rising sun
００３２ 亘 span
0033 凹 Concave
００３４ 凸 convex
0042 升 Measuring Box
００６０ 頁 page
0071 乙 fish guts
００９６ 孔 cavity
0110 汐 eventide
０１１４ 肖 resemblance
０１１５ 硝 nitrate
０１５５ 圭 squared jewel
０１７５ 墨 black ink
０１７６ 鯉 carp
０１７８ 厘 rin
０１８２ 胴 trunk
０１８９ 宵 wee hours
０１９８ 桂 Japanese Judas-tree
０１９９ 柏 oak
0203 杏 apricot
0204 桐 paulownia
０２１３ 暦 calendar
０２１８ 沫 splash
０２４２ 荻 reed
０２７０ 銑 pig iron
０２８８ 軌 rut
０３０４ 冠 crown
0306 坑 pit
０３０８ 享 receive
０３１１ 亭 pavilion
０３４２ 詔 imperial edict
０３４５ 詠 recitation
０３５２ 諭 rebuke
0355 弐 II
０３６７ 桟 scaffold
０３７８ 賦 levy
０４０６ 帆 sail
０４１０ 幌 canopy
０４１１ 錦 brocade
０４２４ 曇 cloudy weather
０４２６ 霜 frost
０４３０ 嬌 attractive
０４４０ 嫡 legitimate wife
０４５１ 渇 thirst
０４５２ 謁 audience
０４５３ 褐 brown
０４５４ 喝 hoarse
457 壱 I (one)
475諮 Consult With
０４７８ 剖 divide
０４８１ 韻 rhyme
０５０１ 曽 formerly
０５１１ 賓 V.I.P.
０５１４ 栃 horse chestnut
518 蛍 lightning-bug
０５２１ 蝶 butterfly
523 蚕 silkworm
０５２７ 妃 queen
０５３６ 竜 dragon
０５５８ 礁 reef
０５６０ 准 quasi-
０５６３ 雌 feminine
611 憩 recess
０６１７ 寡 widow
０６２９ 惰 lazy
０６３１ 憾 remorse
０６４７ 抄 extract
686 乃 from
693 吏 officer
698 桑 mulberry
０６９９ 隻 vessels
０７１５ 茎 stalk
718 叔 uncle
０７２１ 淑 graceful
０７４１ 鉱 mineral
０７６３ 硫 sulfur
０７６５ 允 license
０７６９ 拙 bungling
773 峠 mountain peak/mountain pass
776 蜜 honey
０７８３ 頒 partition
０７８６ 翁 venerable old man
０８００ 裳 skirt
０８０９ 殉 martyrdom
０８３４ 寧 rather
０８３９ 扶 aid
０８８１ 征 subjugate
０９１７ 穀 cereals
926 糧 provisions
927 菊 chrysanthemum
０９３０ 楼 watchtower
０９３２ 漆 lacquer
０９３９ 笠 bamboo hat
０９４０ 笹 bamboo grass
０９６７ 伯 chief
０９７０ 佳 excellent
０９７９ 倣 emulate
０９８８ 仁 humanity
1014 俊 sagacious
１０１７ 畝 furrow
1020 丙 third class
1027 匁 monme
１０４１ 弊 abuse
１０４２ 喚 yell
１０６２ 堀 ditch
１０７０ 尺 shaku
１０７９ 扇 fan
１０８５ 啓 disclose
１０９７ 款 goodwill
１１０１ 崇 adore
1115 岬 headland
１１２５ 斤 axe
1126 析 chop
１１３２ 逝 departed
1135 漸 steadily
１１３８ 斥 reject
１１５７ 唐 T’ang
１１６６ 儒 Confucian
1173 曹 cadet
１１７７ 斗 Big Dipper
１１８２ 庸 commonplace/ordinary
１１９６ 奔 bustle
1198 墳 tomb
１２０１ 暁 daybreak
１２０４ 畔 paddy ridge
１２１１ 謄 facsimilie
1221 矯 rectify
１２２５ 矛 halberd
１２３４ 弘 vast
1253 孝 filial piety
1262 猪 boar
1263 渚 strand
1265 峡 gorge
1270 帥 commander
1272 棺 coffin
1286 践 tread
1290 髄 marrow
1295 阿 Africa
1299 陪 auxiliary
1301 陳 exhibit/line up
1303 附 affixed
1310 陛 highness
1314 堕 degenerate
1324 搾 squeeze
1325 窯 kiln
1330 岳 Point
1342 羅 gauze
1357 紡 spinning
1368 絹 silk
1389 慈 mercy
1419 苑 garden
1427 酉 sign of the bird
1429 酌 bartending
1430 酵 fermentation
1433 酪 dairy products
1434 酢 vinegar
1454 濫 overflow
1455 鑑 specimen
1463 爵 baron
1469 朗 melodious
1476 餓 starve
1486 坪 two-mat area
1498 梓 catalpa
1499 宰 superintend
1514 睦 intimate
1517 菱 diamond
1518 陵 mausoleum
1519 亥 sign of the hog
1523 劾 censure
1529 壌 lot
1547 俵 bag
1562 峰 summit
1566 鋳 casting
1569 椿 camellia
1570 泰 peaceful
1573 奉 dedicate
1574 俸 stipend
1584 錘 spindle
1589 吟 versify
1591 琴 harp
1601 廉 bargain
1610 遷 transition
1614 楠 camphor tree
1639 侯 marquis
1647 韓 Korea
1655 芋 potato
1666 瀬 rapids
1667 勅 imperial order
1674 倹 frugal
1681 薫 fragrant
1684 痘 pox
1689 疫 epidemic
1716 彦 lad
1718 須 ought
1732 斎 purification
1747 蛮 barbarian
1755 艶 glossy
1759 某 so-and-so
1761 媒 mediator
1763 棋 chess piece
1766 碁 Go
1787 譜 musical score
1793 撲 slap
1798 翼 wing
1799 洪 deluge
1809 亜 Asia
1838 蒲 bullrush
1839 舗 shop
1842 郭 enclosure
1843 郡 county
1854 循 sequential
1858 逓 parcel post
1867 嗣 heir
1869 舶 liner
1875 艦 warship
1876 艇 rowboat
1877 瓜 melon
1878 弧 arc
1880 繭 cocoon
1891 衷 inmost
1897 呉 give
1902 函 bin
1912 藩 clan
1914 耗 decrease
1923 脹 dilate
1930 禅 Zen
1943 鶴 crane
1944 烏 crow
1945 蔦 vine
1950 媛 beautiful woman
1954 嘱 entrust
1960 塑 model
1961 岡 Mount
1964 剛 sturdy
1966 陶 pottery
1968 謡 Noh chanting
1971 墾 groundbreaking
1988 篤 fervent
1991 虜 captive
1995 虞 uneasiness
2001 慶 jubilation
2006 寅 sign of the tiger
2008 辰 sign of the dragon
2027 朕 majestic plural
2030 錬 tempering
2031 遵 abide by
2032 罷 quit
2033 屯 barracks
2034 且 moreover
2035 藻 seaweed
2038 丹 cinnabar
2040 丑 sign of the cow
2041 卯 sign of the hare
2042 巳 sign of the snake
thanks Saito !!! :D
and thanks Adams!