Kanji

💡 Break 朽 down and you get 木 (tree / wood) — a tree with branches reaching up and roots spreading down, and beside it 丂 (breath held back) — a hooked line broken off short, like a breath caught halfway out. Picture a small grove of three trees clustered together, put 朽 inside it, and let that scene stand for "decay" — decay. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 杜 down and you get 木 (tree / wood) — a tree with branches reaching up and roots spreading down, and beside it 土 (earth / soil) — a mound of earth pushed up from flat ground. Picture a tree with a broad green crown, put 杜 inside it, and let that scene stand for "woods" — woods / shrine grove. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 枢 down and you get 木 (tree / wood) — a tree with branches reaching up and roots spreading down, and beside it 区 (district / divide) — a box with a cross cut through the middle, splitting it into sections. Picture a felled tree trunk lying beside its stump, put 枢 inside it, and let that scene stand for "pivot" — pivot / center. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 核 down and you get 木 (tree / wood) — a tree with branches reaching up and roots spreading down, and beside it 亥 (boar (zodiac)) — a boar's bent back and tusks, seen from the side. Picture a tree with a broad green crown, put 核 inside it, and let that scene stand for "nucleus" — nucleus / core. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 栽 down and you get 土 (earth / soil) — a mound of earth pushed up from flat ground, and beside it 木 (tree / wood) — a tree with branches reaching up and roots spreading down. Picture a mound of earth raised from flat ground, put 栽 inside it, and let that scene stand for "planting" — planting. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 桁 down and you get 木 (tree / wood) — a tree with branches reaching up and roots spreading down, and beside it 行 (go / conduct) — a crossroads seen from above, paths leading off in both directions. Picture a small grove of three trees clustered together, put 桁 inside it, and let that scene stand for "digit" — digit / beam. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 梗 down and you get 木 (tree / wood) — a tree with branches reaching up and roots spreading down, and beside it 更 (change / renew) — a hand reaching up to reset the sun in its frame, starting the count again. Picture a tree heavy with ripe fruit among its leaves, put 梗 inside it, and let that scene stand for "blockage" — blockage / outline. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 棄 down and you get 㐬 (flowing / drifting) — a strand caught mid-stream, swept along and turned by the current, and beside it 木 (tree / wood) — a tree with branches reaching up and roots spreading down. Picture a drop of water above rippling waves, put 棄 inside it, and let that scene stand for "abandon" — abandon / discard. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Picture a deep overhanging eave carried on two posts with its rafter ends showing: that is what 棟 means — building / ridge. Now find the part that anchors it in the character itself, 木 (tree / wood) — a tree with branches reaching up and roots spreading down, and beside it 東 (east) — the sun caught behind the branches of a tree. Drop that part into the picture and the shape stops being something separate to memorise.

💡 Picture a boundary wall with a small roofed gateway standing open in the middle of it: that is what 楼 means — tower. Now find the part that anchors it in the character itself, 木 (tree / wood) — a tree with branches reaching up and roots spreading down, and beside it 娄 (stacked / numerous) — a figure balancing a tall stack piled up overhead. Drop that part into the picture and the shape stops being something separate to memorise.