Rembering how to write characters

[zukernik]

Although I can read easy content quite comfortably, I often have problems writing characters from memory. While doing flashcards helps me recognize the characters, I don't really know how I can get myself to remember how to write them. How do you guys go about it? I tried using the fill-in-the-blank mode but it is very difficult to do it when it is my first time studying a certain set of characters. Do you guys copy the characters before studying them with the flashcards?

 

[badchinesemajor]

One thing I find that helps is breaking down characters into their various parts. For instance 突 is actually 穴 over 犬 or 安 is a 'roof' over 女. Though these are two simplistic examples, the concept can generally be applied to the vast majority of characters out there. 鳍 = 鱼 + 耆 (in this case also the phonetic component of the character) 耆 = 老 + 日

Hope this helps.