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HOLDING ONE’S TONGUE TO STAY ALIVE
活・括
The kanji below is comprised of two radicals. The left-hand radical signifies water; the right-hand radical is tongue 舌. Here is an immediate mnemonic: “Put water on the tongue to stay alive.”
活
カツ、い（きる）、い（ける）、い（き）
life; activity; fresh
活動（かつどう） activity
活躍（かつやく） be active
復活（ふっかつ） revival
活気（かっき）liveliness
The left-hand component of the kanji below 括 is hand, 手. (The name of the radical form is tehen.) My research tells me that the right-hand side was not originally tongue 活, but the modern form—from a practical perspective—looks like 舌; and this point will serve our purposes for developing a mnemonic.
括
カツ、く（くる）
tie together; bundle
括弧（かっこ） parenthesis
概括（がいかつ） generalization
包括（ほうかつ） include; comprehend
Mnemonic: By tying up 括 my tongue, I manage to stay alive 活.