Kanji

💡 Break 園 down and you get 囗 (enclosure / border) — a wall drawn right round the outside. Picture a walled orchard with a tree and a pond inside it, put 園 inside it, and let that scene stand for "garden" — garden. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 遠 down and you get ⻌ (road / movement) — a road running along the bottom of the character. Picture a crossroads with a person walking through it and a signboard at the corner, put 遠 inside it, and let that scene stand for "far" — far. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 屋 down and you get 尸 (body / house) — the low roof of a small dwelling, and beside it 至 (arrive / reach) — an arrow come to rest on the ground. Picture a shop with a sloping roof and a lit counter inside, put 屋 inside it, and let that scene stand for "roof" — roof / shop. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Picture an ear turned towards an incoming sound: that is what 音 means — sound. Now find the part that anchors it in the character itself, 立 (stand) — a person standing firmly on the ground, and beside it 日 (sun / day) — the sun framed by four strokes, marking one day. Drop that part into the picture and the shape stops being something separate to memorise.

💡 Break 歌 down and you get 欠 (lack / open mouth) — a person leaning forward with their mouth open. Picture an open mouth releasing musical waves as it sings, put 歌 inside it, and let that scene stand for "song" — song / sing. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 家 down and you get 宀 (roof) — a roof stretched over the whole house. Picture a house under its roof, put 家 inside it, and let that scene stand for "house" — house / family. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 画 down and you get 一 (one / a line) — a single line, the very first mark, and beside it 由 (reason / from) — a seed case with a single shoot poking out through the top. Picture a brush laying down a clean stroke on paper, put 画 inside it, and let that scene stand for "picture" — picture / stroke. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Break 回 down and you get 囗 (enclosure / border) — a wall drawn right round the outside, and beside it 口 (mouth / opening) — an open mouth, or any opening. Picture a wall drawn right around what it holds, put 回 inside it, and let that scene stand for "times" — times / turn. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.

💡 Picture a fish swimming: that is what 海 means — sea. Now find the part that anchors it in the character itself, 氵 (water) — three drops of water running down the left edge, and beside it 毎 (every / each time) — a lid pressed down evenly over the same figure, again and again. Drop that part into the picture and the shape stops being something separate to memorise.

💡 Break 界 down and you get 田 (rice field) — a field cut into four plots by its paths. Picture a rice field with a single figure standing at its edge, put 界 inside it, and let that scene stand for "world" — world / boundary. The odder the picture, the better it sticks.