How do you memorize?

[test84]

^is obvious.

!

 

[Linkiboy]

You relate things to things.

Memorizing long strings of numbers is made easy ii you attach a catchy tune to it.

 

[test84]

thnx for ur answer.
but my concern is not numbers, let say formulas, pair of two strings (like for remembering japanese words and their meanings).

 

[leetdude_007]

It's a lot easier to memorize a formula when you know why the formula works. I call this secret... studying.

 

[tipsy]

mnemonic device.
duh.

 

[kellyan95]

Instantly. But I'm one of the "lucky" with photographic memories

To "explain my ways," I relate everything with a verse from a song or book

 

[Icarus]

mnemonic device.
duh.

 

[JPH]

I write down a thousand times; repeat it over and over in my head.

 

[[M]artin]

As kiddie as it sounds... FLASHCARDS!

Flashcards are your best friend when learning Japanese (or anything for that matter).

Study them over and over and over until it becomes drilled into your head...

 

[FAST6191]

Personally I see patterns/connections in just about everything (be they mathematical, scientific or otherwise).

As for linguistics,
Think pictorially in your head rather than getting a phrase and translating it
Learn the basics and then the tweaks thereupon (i.e. learn usual verb construction and then the irregular ones (Japanese has very few though, learn regional variations: favourite/favorite, colour/color.....)
Do not force a sentence if you do not have the verb/noun you want but use a thesaurus/ alternative phrasing (it is half the reason a lot of what I write ends up using archaic language: pecuniary in place of monetary for example).
As typical as it may sound use the language: half the reason a lot of people from other countries end up with a fair command of English is because US and UK entertainment appears there, I personally watch stuff with French subs (or dub with English subs paying attention to what is being said), when learning Old Norse I would listen to viking metal (that is probably a bad example).
Learn something worthwhile, I will leave it to Mr Izzard to do this one:

With just about everything I find the deep end and swim approach worthwhile: translate a hard sentence/paragraph and make sure it is flawless, the easy stuff (which would otherwise be the hardest stuff you are learning)
It applies as much to real languages as it does to computers but take a paragraph by someone else and rewrite it.

Japanese specific, kana are a must, a lot of the time you can also use these in place of Kanji (I believe medical situations do this as standard).
As for kanji you can often derive meaning, my favourite demo which I believe I picked up around here
??
?=Fire
?=Flower
It actually means spark but may be forgiven firework if the sentence/context allowed.

 

[Flozem]

It's a lot easier to memorize a formula when you know why the formula works. I call this secret... studying.

What he said - works for me too... Just try to understand why something is done the way it is done.

 

[sixb0nes]

Mnemonics + studying. You could also go for the memory by association thing. I tried it, didn't work out too well, but some people swear by it.

 

[Talaria]

Brah, apparently a good way to do this is link the word to a something and to write it out numerous times so you subconsiously know it. This is what something guy told us in a 2 hour seminar it was pretty boring and not that useful. For learning japanese formula's i just used songs susprisingly easy (for me) plus once you know the formula and how works you don't really need to.

e.g. for, Group 1, ~て　form verb conguation (just an example of what i mean)

い,　ち,　り　～って

び,　に,　み,　～んで

き,　～いて

ぎ,　～いで

(To the Tune of My Darling Clemetine)

For some reason i feel like explaining it even though the people who know what i mean already know what the hell its about. If the Verb when in pre-masu form ends with い or　ち or　り replace the end い or　ち or　り with ~って and so on for び,　に,　み　and replace with ～んで　etc. Although this formula doesn't work for several Japanese verbs, e.g. きます
is きて.

Edit- Damn misread what you were saying sorry. I don't think there is a shortcut. It just requires alot of effort of writing and getting someone to test you over and over.

 

[[M]artin]

If you're trying to remember the two basic systems (Hiragana, Katakana), it's good to find a chart that maps out the characters according to sound, LIKE THIS.

Although it seems a bit intimidating, take your time and memorize the chart in little chunks at a time. It helps to go in order (start at the top and take, say, the first five rows and begin to memorize). Once you memorize a chunk, write it out a couple times without looking them up to confirm that you indeed have memorized the chunk. If you don't make any mistakes within that chunk self-test, move on to the next chunk of 5. Everytime you move up to a new chunk and are confirming that you memorized it, also include the previous chunks when you write it out so you don't lose your memory of the older characters you just memorized. If you're finding all the overload of characters is becoming difficult, try writing them out in the same location that the chart depicts them. Placing the characters in your mind with the location in which your saw them on the chart also helps a great deal.

It never phails.

 

[ZzzZilla]

Use "The Naaaaaaammmmme Gameeeee"!!!

Sing-song makes learning fun!~

 

[Caoimhin]

I'm just repeating the stuff all over until I remember it. I'm actually doing it with Pi... 55 numbers in an hour. Pretty okay methinks

 

[kellyan95]

I have a pretty good idea that would probably help you. Play the same song/album for similiar stuff...like, if you are trying to memorize grammar regarding the placement of items, only play one thing and just loop it until you study something else. Then when you play the song again (in your head, or on your PC) it should all come back

 

[modshroom128]

fuck memorizing,
just cheat on all you're tests like me

 

[Zombie_Mario]

If it's numbers then I break them up into sections. Like I did for my SS#.

 

[cruddybuddy]

Instantly. But I'm one of the "lucky" with photographic memories

To "explain my ways," I relate everything with a verse from a song or book

Hmm, that's good, but it also means you're retarded.