I merged a kanji frequency list that I found here on reddit with an index of the kanji from of Heisig's Remembering The Kanji
Here's the result as a google sheet
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fUn7yhcIgjjLkuOtT_2k4skywR-H-359lpj0is5V3EQ
As I've been working through RTK, I was questioning why I'm memorizing kanji like "gall bladder" (RTK index 31) and "derision" (RTK index 54). I understand that the book approaches learning the kanji from their shapes, as opposed to frequency of use. But for my learning goals, I'm only interested in knowing the most frequently used symbols. Therefore, my plan is to use this list to inform which kanji from RTK to create flash cards for.
Open to feedback and improvements. Shout out to the authors who compiled the original datasets (linked above). I didn't do anything except merge them together and add a "FREQ RANK" for easy reference and sorting.
by AnomanderRake_
2 comments
I’m reviewing (handwriting from memory) 2800 kanji in my queue in Ringotan, and there are still quite a few from RTK I’ve removed from my rotation, so I agree it could use adjustment. That said, 胆 illustrates just one important problem: 胆 might be a less common kanji, but I think I see it every single day. It’s most heavily used in one word, but that word 大胆 is *top 3K* (it’s not just in one word though: there’s also the common 落胆, moderately common 魂胆, and more). If the reason for looking at frequency is “to look at what’s used in the daily language,” then “kanji frequency” per se is kind of irrelevant.
The bigger problem this gets at is that RTK is probably an optimal strategy for internalizing certain kanji, and not othersーall these different resources tackle the whole language as if everything is a nail and it’s the hammer, but something that was more selective about teaching the kanji (or words) that are best learned WK-style WK-style, and the kanji that are best taught RTK-style RTK-style… would be orders of magnitude more efficient than any one of these resources IMHO. I’m starting to put some real thought into how that might be done….
This is insanely useful for me! Thank you! I was just about to do the same investigation so thanks for doing it for me 😂