Kanji

💡 Think of a person standing and working for someone. The left side is a person (亻), helping someone complete work — so 仕 means to serve, do, or perform a task.

💡 Imagine a hand holding a brush, recording every matter and affair. 事 means a thing, matter, or job — the events you write down.

💡 Break 悪 down and you get 心 (heart / feeling) — a heart, the seat of how you feel. Picture a heart with a heartbeat pulse line running through it, put 悪 inside it, and let that scene stand for "bad" — bad. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 以 down and you get 人 (person) — a person standing on two legs. Picture a person carrying a box held in both arms, put 以 inside it, and let that scene stand for "by means of" — by means of / since. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 意 down and you get 音 (sound) — a single note held under a line, sound made visible, and beside it 心 (heart / feeling) — a heart, the seat of how you feel. Picture a sound rising out of an open chest, put 意 inside it, and let that scene stand for "mind" — mind / meaning. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 A medical case with small vials and a fine needle, the doctor's tools laid out ready. 医 means medicine or doctor.

💡 Break 員 down and you get 口 (mouth / opening) — an open mouth, or any opening, and beside it 貝 (shell / money) — a shell, the money people once traded with. Picture a money shell with a coin and small figures gathered around it, put 員 inside it, and let that scene stand for "member" — member. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 院 down and you get ⻖ (hill / mound) — a terraced hill climbing at the left. Picture a terraced hillside, put 院 inside it, and let that scene stand for "institution" — institution. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Picture a cart on its wheels: that is what 運 means — carry / luck. Now find the part that anchors it in the character itself, ⻌ (road / movement) — a road running along the bottom of the character. Drop that part into the picture and the shape stops being something separate to memorise.

💡 Break 映 down and you get 日 (sun / day) — the sun framed by four strokes, marking one day, and beside it 央 (centre / middle) — a figure with a bar balanced straight across its shoulders, centred evenly on both sides. Picture a sun mirrored on the surface of still water, put 映 inside it, and let that scene stand for "reflect" — reflect / project. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.