Jun
26
I created a shared Anki deck with the primitives [I now recommend downloading fabiusli (anki user: fabio.pintus)'s "Primitives (media version)" deck. He kindly turned each primitive in the deck into an image file so that it is no longer necessary to install the "pangolin" font. This means that you can use the deck on your iphone, on multiple computers, etc. fairly hassle free. Mad props to him for taking the time to do this. To be honest, I considered it when I first made the deck and I was too lazy, so there you have it...]:
Primitives
This is a deck for memorizing the primitives which Heisig uses to build all the kanji in his book Remembering the Kanji. These are the primitives which are not kanji in their own right, but simply components from which kanji are built. The primitives are similar to, but not identical with those components traditionally called radicals. Although many (most?) of the primitives are radicals, some are combinations of two or more radicals or bits and pieces of two or more radicals put together.***To use this deck you MUST install the pangolin font. Go to http://www.transient.eclipse.co.uk/Pangolin_font.zip
OR http://www.mediafire.com/?izgnzwdtdnt. To install in Windows: After downloading the file, unzip it and go to Control Panel>Appearance and Personalization>Fonts and Paste the pangolin file in that folder.
Close and re-start Anki to use deck.
Why would you want to bother with specifically memorizing the primitives?
Those using the Lazy Kanji method:
–Become more aware of the various components making up the kanji. Because the Lazy Kanji method only focuses on writing in a secondary manner to recognition, taking the time to memorize the primitive components making those kanji up will improve your ability to remember and write the kanji by building it from its components as opposed to simply recognizing it holistically.
–After memorizing the primitives, using the Lazy Kanji deck means one no longer needs to study with the Remembering the Kanji book.
–I found when I was working through the Lazy Kanji deck that a few specific primitives were giving me problems, working specifically with the primitives allowed me to hone in on which primitives I had trouble with and eradicate the problem.
Everyone:
–Becoming more familiar with the components making up the kanji will increase your ability to learn kanji met “in the wild.”
–Will aid your ability to associate a specific primitive with the keywords used in your stories.
–“Primitives” is a rather small deck, with a little over 200 of them to learn. This can be done at the start of your kanji study or concurrent with it. I imagine that learning just 5-10 a day would enable one to stay ahead of the primitives used as one works through the book.
–Learning to recognize and write the primitives BEFORE attempting to learn and write the kanji which use them means less to memorize at a time. In other words, it turns each kanji into an “i+1″ block of information.
–Additional work with the primitives should increase your ability to see and think kanji in terms of the components making it up.
–The primitives largely overlap with the Japanese radicals, meaning that learning them will make it easier to learn the radicals for Japanese dictionary look-ups and everything else it is helpful to know radicals for.
And there you go. Comments and suggestions are always appreciated.
This is awesome. I personally believe that learning the radicals is the absolute number one most important factor in effectively learning the kanji. Above all else, I think RTK’s creative, structured approach to learning primitives is what makes it so effective. I can definitely see something like this deck combined with lazy kanji being really effective.
Keep us posted on progress!
TL;DR; but you have pretty pictures.
How do you suggest we memorise these so that we can move on to start learning the Lazy method kanji?
Just write them out until perfect by ROTE memorisation? or do you have a specific method?
I just used anki and drilled them in that like any other deck…
What do you mean drilled them? I’ve never really used Anki, and wanted to learn them fast.. Sorry ><
Thank you for this awesome deck! There’s only an issue with Ankimobile for iPhone, because the pangolin font is not supported.
Is there any way to fix this?
I don’t know because I don’t have an iPhone so I’ve never tried to use it like that. Probably hard to work-around without at least jailbreaking, but again, I really wouldn’t know if even that would help/allow you to install the font. One idea: turn each symbol into an image file using screenshots or something, and then pasting the images back into the deck. Then just using it like any deck with media. But that’s a pretty labor-intensive workaround. I dunno how much trouble your willing to go to. If you DID so happen to make said work-around, please share the deck so others have an iphone-friendly deck, and if you will leave me a reply with the link or shoot me an email, I’ll add the link in to the post. Anyways, let me know if you find a way to make it work. Thanks.
Sorry, I know this was a while back. I never saw your second question. Usually I get an email for all comments but missed this one somehow. By drilled them, I just mean worked through them in the Anki program, like any other flashcard. It’s not extremely fast, but it is effective. What I did was stop adding kanji a bit, get about 20 or 30 primitives into the primitive deck then went back to adding new kanji and just added two primitives a day after that. Lemme know if you come up with a faster/easier method for memorizing them. Thanks and sorry again that I didn’t get back to you in a timely fashion.
“One idea: turn each symbol into an image file [...] Then just using it like any deck with media.”
I’m already working on that; I was just checking for a labor-”less”-intensive :-p solution.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Yes, please do Fabiusli. You would gain internet/prestige points.
I’ve been trying to do something like this since my phone can’t read japanese text, and I like to do online anki reps.
Almost done!
I think I’ll be able to share the media version of Primitives deck tonight; it’s just 9 past midnight of december 22nd in Italy, so please be patient another 23 hours. :-p
That is very awesome!
Behold! The “Primitives (media version)” deck is up! ^__^ Many thanks to Kendo senpai for the original idea.
Please share comments, ideas and suggestions to make this deck better.
Primitives (media version) deck is now at 2.0 release. I fixed some problems in media synchronization. Enjoy!
UPDATE – Version 3: primitives list is now complete (added n. 574 and n. 404) and checked with “Index II: primitive elements” on Heisig’s RTK1. An italian translation of primitives keywords is available, but you have to modify card templates in order to see it.
UPDATE – Version 4: now compatible with Anki Desktop 1.2.2 and Ankimobile App 1.6
You’re uberawesome!
Danke, Kendo-san. But let me remember you were the first to work on this. So… お疲れ様でした!
Kendo,
I just downloaded shared deck Primitives(media version). The primitive images do not display. Can you contact Fabiusli to find what the problem is?
Thanks,
Wayne
I emailed him, and linked to your comment. Check back here, and I will also let you know if I hear something.
Hi Eric (and Kendo)
,
I’m aware there’re problems, cause you’re not the first telling about this.
I must say the deck is working on my Ankimobile and Anki desktop; I did my reps this morning as everyday.
Images are stored in this dropbox directory (I picked a random file as example):
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15716289/Anki/Primitives%20%28media%20version%29.media/0b0887f3e863ac15213a3c5d0545474d.jpg
I’m experimenting similar issues with another deck of mine: images don’t show on Ankimobile, but if I see it through Ankiweb, images are there as well.
I’m looking into it and I hope tomorrow or sunday at least can find a solution.
Please keep me posted if you notice anything different.
You can force anki to download from fabiusli’s dropbox using the url he gave. Follow these steps:
1. Open your deck in anki
2. click settings -> deck properties
3. in the box labeled media url put http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15716289/Anki/Primitives%20%28media%20version%29.media/
4. close the deck properties
5. click tools -> advanced -> download missing media
6. PROFIT!
There is one file missing, it is the primitive for WING, maybe it’s not in yours either Fabiusli
Oh I forgot to mention. To be nice to fabiusli’s dropbox, when you are done delete the media url from your deck. You can safely change it to your own dropbox or just keep it all local.
Looks like Fabiusli deleted it from his Dropbox.
Does anyone else have it in their own Dropbox? I just want to download missing media once (as Kris described above).
Thanks.