Learning to Write Chinese Characters Learn the most common Chinese Radicals first

Learning to write Chinese is the most difficult part of learning Chinese. To speed up learning to write Chinese definitely it will help if you know the 100 most common Chinese radicals which make up many of the most used Chinese Characters.
Olle Ling provided a very useful list of the most common 100 Chinese radicals here:

You could take the list and learn the characters from top which is the most used to the bottom which is the least used.

I have tried to come up with the fastest way to learn the 100 common Chinese primitives or radicals.
Either I use stories or I use categories to structure the list and then use mnemonics. I have written a how to do guide on remembering the 100 most frequently used characters.

Story 1: The icy house on the cliff leads to sickness
广 guǎng house on cliff
冫bīng ice
疒 nì sickness
厂 chǎng cliff
There was a cliff 厂 chǎng. A house was build on it 广 guǎng. One day everything was covered with ice 冫bīng. Sicknes 疒 nì broke out in the house on the cliff.

Story 2: The good earth leads to the first village

土 tǔ earth
田 tián field
里 lǐ village
People found very good earth 土 tǔ for farming and decided to grow crops. The field 田 tián nourished many people and they build a village 里 lǐ  next to it.

Categories:
Related to human
人 or 亻rén human
女 nǚ woman
子 zǐ child
口 kǒu mouth
心 xīn heart
手 shǒu hand
又 yòu right hand
目mù eye
足 zú foot
尸 shī corpse
寸 cùn thumb or inch
儿 ér human legs
舌 shé tongue
皮 pí skin
耳 ěr ear

Related to human activity:
讠yán speech
辶 chuò walk
攵 pū knock
彳chì small steps
工 gōng work
饣shí eat
欠 qiàn yawn
立 lì stand
艮 gěn stopping
止 zhǐ stop
走 zǒu run
辛 xīn bitter
夂 zhī go
见 jiàn see
勹 bāo embrace

Related to appearance:
力 lì power
大 dà big
衤yī clothes
巾 jīn turban
士 shì scholar
小 xiǎo small

Related to house or household
纟sī silk
钅jīn gold
刂 dāo knife
宀 gài roof
厶 sī private
阝 yì mound
车 chē cart
门 mén gate
斤 jīn axe
亠 tóu lid
王 wáng jewel
冖 mì cover
皿 mǐn dish
礻shì sign
戈 gē spear
几 jǐ table
殳  shū weapon
酉 yǒu wine
弓 gōng bow
户 hù  door
舟 zhōu boat
匕 bǐ spoon
卩 jié seal
罒 wǎng net

Related to space/area/nature etc:
日 rì sun
月 yuè moon
氵shuǐ water
火 huǒ fire
石 shí stone
山 shān mountain
方 fāng square
穴 xué cave
雨 yǔ rain
干 gān dry
夕 xī evening
阝yì city
囗 wéi enclosure

Plants:
木 mù tree
艹 cǎo grass
禾 hé grain
⺮ zhú bamboo
页yè leaf
米 mǐ rice

Related to animals
贝bèi shell
犭quǎn dog
虫 chóng insect
马 mǎ horse
隹 zhuī bird
羊 yáng sheep
牜niú cow
鸟 niǎo bird
羽 yǔ feather

Numbers:
一 yī one
八 bā eight
十 shí ten

Colours:
白 bái white
青 qīng green or blue

Further Reading:
The Fastest and Easiest Way to Learn Chinese Characters – How to Really Use Mnemonics For Learning Chinese

Tags: Chinese characters, Chinese radicals