How Well to Memorize Each Character?

[withcoffee]

Right now, I am at the end of Volume 2 of NPCR, so I know a decent number of characters. However, I can write 0 characters by hand, and there are very few that I can perfectly picture. For example, if someone asked me to picture 年级, there is no way I could even draw out 年, as simple as that is. I can identify it and thus can still read passages including this character without needing to look them up. Is it bad that my memorization of every character is this shallow -- that I cannot even picture it? If you gave me a character and 5 other characters that look very similar, I doubt I could pick the right ones out from each other. I rely on context a lot in reading passages. To memorize new characters, I just draw them in my head a few times, then put them into Memrise.

 

If this is a strategy that will set me up for failure down the road, please let me know. If it is, then how should I go about learning all of the 500+ characters to a deeper level? Just go back through both textbooks and rememorize? 

 

Thank you so much everyone! The last question I posted on this site received such awesome responses.

[Shelley]

This post here https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/54831-beginner-how-to-learn-and-remember-words/?tab=comments#comment-422945

My advice in this post would probably apply to your question.

 

I would also highly recommend Hanzi Grids, using this you print out practice sheets to write by hand the characters several times. I did a review here  http://www.livethelanguage.cn/hanzi-grids-review/ about it (saves me retyping it all here).

 

This is the best way, in my opinion, to learn to write from memory. It works to build "muscle memory" to do this effectively you need to write characters out several time using the correct stroke order. I put all the characters from each lesson from NPCR in Hanzi Grids as part of learning each lesson. You can save the blank grids as PDFs to your computer, so every so often I will go back to an older lesson and redo the characters to refresh my memory. This app is very reasonable to buy and is well worth it for the extra features you get.

 

You can also use an app called Skritter, this an excellent app, the only downside from my point of view is the fact that it is a monthly subscription fee that may not be in your budget. Again I did a review here http://www.livethelanguage.cn/skritter-review/

 

And finally but not least you can practice writing characters using Pleco, a must IMHO for any student of chinese. This is a dictionary engine and flashcard app and again I did a review here http://www.livethelanguage.cn/pleco-review-part-i/

and part 2 here http://www.livethelanguage.cn/pleco-review/

 

I apologise for all the links, it is purely to save retyping it all and to be honest it gives a good overview of each app.

 

Remember if you don't want to or can't use any of the apps get some squared paper and just spend time writing out the characters from each lesson several times. if you have the workbooks for NPCR there are for each lesson character practice charts ready for you to use

 

The main point of all of this advice and suggestions is to write, write some more and keep writing till you feel your hand will fall off. There is only one sure fired way to learn to write characters and that is to spend lots of time writing.

One last piece of advice use the correct stroke order, I repeat this because it helps to remember the characters, you will find your writing flows, looks better and it is the right way.

[Daniel Tsui44]

On 2017/9/10 at 5:17 AM, withcoffee said:

Right now, I am at the end of Volume 2 of NPCR, so I know a decent number of characters. However, I can write 0 characters by hand, and there are very few that I can perfectly picture. For example, if someone asked me to picture 年级, there is no way I could even draw out 年, as simple as that is. I can identify it and thus can still read passages including this character without needing to look them up. Is it bad that my memorization of every character is this shallow -- that I cannot even picture it? If you gave me a character and 5 other characters that look very similar, I doubt I could pick the right ones out from each other. I rely on context a lot in reading passages. To memorize new characters, I just draw them in my head a few times, then put them into Memrise.

 

If this is a strategy that will set me up for failure down the road, please let me know. If it is, then how should I go about learning all of the 500+ characters to a deeper level? Just go back through both textbooks and rememorize? 

 

Thank you so much everyone! The last question I posted on this site received such awesome responses.

I guess it's OK. For me learning English, I can speak, listen and understand many animal names, vegetable names or other words, but I hardly remember the spelling. Every time I need to type it, I look it up online. 

Solution suggested:

Print some Chinese poem(唐诗三百首） with font（楷体） you like in light grey color. Write on it. In this way, you can practice your hand-script, recite poem and memorize the characters. 

 

If you want to write Chinese, you want to write it fast and beautiful, if you want to write it well, you need practice.

[Flickserve]

On 10/09/2017 at 5:17 AM, withcoffee said:

Is it bad that my memorization of every character is this shallow -- that I cannot even picture it? If you gave me a character and 5 other characters that look very similar, I doubt I could pick the right ones out from each other. I rely on context a lot in reading passages. To memorize new characters, I just draw them in my head a few times, then put them into Memrise.

 

Sounds pretty normal to me.