Articles on Hacking Chinese

I have written articles about how to learn Mandarin since 2010, and there are roughly 500 articles in total. This page is meant to help you find what you’re looking for!

The most popular articles

Beginners should start here

The beginner page contains an introduction for beginners, as well as all articles relevant for beginners. Here are a few examples:

I also have a course aimed specifically for you: Unlocking Chinese: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners. You might also want to check out my pronunciation course.

How to improve a specific skill

I have separate pages for listening, s peaking, r eading, w riting and v ocabulary learning (which includes characters). If you’re looking for help with a more specific topic, you can use the search function in the sidebar (bottom on mobile) or just search this page. Here’s the most important article from each category:

There are also additional category pages you can check out here: study hacks, self-studying, classroom learning, immersion, mentality research, resources, and planning.

I also have a course focusing on levelling up the way you learn Chinese, aimed at all levels: Hacking Chinese: A Practical Guide to Learning Mandarin. You might also want to check out my pronunciation course.

All articles on Hacking Chinese

Here are all articles in reverse chronological order. The best way to find a certain article is to use the search function here on the website or in your browser.

Chinese vocabulary challenge, June 2023 Jun, 2023
Skritter review: Boosting your Chinese character learning (2023 edition) May, 2023
Get to know your Chinese voice to level up your speaking ability May, 2023
Hacking Chinese Pronunciation: Speaking with Confidence is now open! May, 2023
How learning some basic theory can improve your Mandarin pronunciation May, 2023
Learning Chinese is more like walking a thousand miles than running 100-metre dash May, 2023
Chinese listening challenge, May 2023 May, 2023
Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 5: Becoming a better listener as a student of Chinese Apr, 2023
Vocabulary lists that help you learn Chinese and how to use them Apr, 2023
Should you learn Chinese vocabulary from lists? Apr, 2023
Chinese speaking challenge, April 2023 Apr, 2023
6 benefits of learning Chinese through sports Mar, 2023
Should you use an efficient method for learning Chinese even if you hate it? Mar, 2023
Don’t try to improve everything at once when learning Chinese Mar, 2023
Chinese reading challenge, July 2023 Mar, 2023
Learn Chinese by playing Mahjong (麻将, májiàng) Feb, 2023
Can ChatGPT pass the HSK? Feb, 2023
Chinese writing challenge, February 2023 Feb, 2023
Beginner Chinese listening practice: What to listen to and how Jan, 2023
Using the HSK as a roadmap to learning Chinese Jan, 2023
Chinese New Year and New Semester Course Discount Jan, 2023
Best of Hacking Chinese 2022 Jan, 2023
Hacking Chinese reader and listener survey Dec, 2022
Learn Chinese efficiently, not quickly Dec, 2022
Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 4: Learning to process spoken Mandarin quickly and effortlessly Dec, 2022
Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 3: Using what you already know to aid listening comprehension in Chinese Nov, 2022
Black Friday discounts for Hacking Chinese courses Nov, 2022
Standard pronunciation in Chinese and why you want it Nov, 2022
How to study Chinese when you don’t feel like it Nov, 2022
Are there any shortcuts for learning Chinese? Oct, 2022
The 10 best free Chinese listening resources for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners Oct, 2022
Learning the neutral tone in Mandarin Oct, 2022
Chinese pronunciation challenge, October 2022 Oct, 2022
Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 2: From sound to meaning in Mandarin Sep, 2022
Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 1: A guide to Chinese listening comprehension Sep, 2022
Kickstart your learning with the Skritter Character Course Sep, 2022
Take responsibility for your Chinese learning now Aug, 2022
Back-to-school Hacking Chinese course discount 2022 Aug, 2022
Chinese translation challenge, August 2023 Aug, 2022
Hacking Chinese Podcast two-year anniversary Q&A Aug, 2022
How to learn Chinese characters as a beginner Jul, 2022
7 ways to write Mandarin tones Jul, 2022
Chinese language question triage: When to ask whom about what Jul, 2022
How to become fluent in Chinese Jun, 2022
How to learn from your mistakes and errors when learning Chinese Jun, 2022
Do you have to learn to write Chinese characters by hand? Jun, 2022
Why you should use more than one Chinese textbook May, 2022
Analyse and balance your Chinese learning with Paul Nation’s four strands May, 2022
On accuracy, communication and comprehensibility when learning Chinese May, 2022
Are authentic texts good for learning Chinese or is graded content better? Apr, 2022
What to read to improve your Chinese and why Apr, 2022
How to learn Chinese pronunciation as a beginner Apr, 2022
Time quality: Studying the right thing at the right time Mar, 2022
500 resources for learning and teaching Chinese, tagged by level, topic and type Mar, 2022
How to start learning Chinese again after a break Mar, 2022
How to survive and thrive in a difficult Chinese course Feb, 2022
Learning Classical Chinese is for everyone (no, seriously!) Feb, 2022
Is taking a Chinese course that’s too hard good for your learning? Feb, 2022
Best of Hacking Chinese 2021 Jan, 2022
A guide to Pinyin traps and pitfalls: Learning Mandarin pronunciation Jan, 2022
How to improve fluency in Chinese by playing word games Dec, 2021
The building blocks of Chinese, part 6: Learning and remembering compound words Dec, 2021
The building blocks of Chinese, part 5: Making sense of Chinese words Dec, 2021
Why spaced repetition software is uniquely well suited to learning Chinese characters Dec, 2021
Boost your learning with Hacking Chinese courses: Discounts available! Nov, 2021
The best Chinese reading practice for beginners Nov, 2021
6 challenges students face when learning to read Chinese and how to overcome them Nov, 2021
Should you enrol in a Chinese course or are you better off learning on your own? Nov, 2021
Why your Chinese isn’t as good as you think it ought to be Oct, 2021
The building blocks of Chinese, part 4: Learning and remembering compound characters Oct, 2021
The building blocks of Chinese, part 3: Compound characters Oct, 2021
Using voice messaging as a stepping stone to Chinese conversations Sep, 2021
A smart method to discover problems with Mandarin sounds and tones Sep, 2021
The building blocks of Chinese, part 2: Basic characters, components and radicals Aug, 2021
The building blocks of Chinese, part 1: Chinese characters and words in a nutshell Aug, 2021
Hacking Chinese Podcast one-year anniversary Q&A Aug, 2021
Chinese language logging, part 3: Tools and resources for keeping track of your learning Jul, 2021
Chinese language learning in the twenty-first century: Towards a digital ecosystem? Interview with Julien Leyre Jul, 2021
The benefits of using Wikipedia to look up words when learning Chinese Jul, 2021
The new HSK 3.0: What you need to know Jun, 2021
Learning to understand regionally accented Mandarin Jun, 2021
The importance of tones is inversely proportional to the predictability of what you say Jun, 2021
Lost in transcription: Saylaw, Ice Island and Aristotle Jun, 2021
Chinese language logging, part 2: A healthy, balanced diet of Mandarin May, 2021
Chinese language logging, part 1: Why and how to track your progress May, 2021
What’s the difference between Chinese pronunciation and Pinyin? Does it matter? Apr, 2021
Learning the second tone in Mandarin Chinese Apr, 2021
Chinese input methods: A guide for second language learners Apr, 2021
Opening the gates to the Hippo Campus* Apr, 2021
The 10 best free Chinese reading resources for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners Mar, 2021
6 things in Chinese that are harder to learn than they seem Mar, 2021
Learning science in Chinese with 李永乐老师 Mar, 2021
My best advice on how to learn Chinese characters Feb, 2021
20 tips and tricks to improve your Chinese writing ability Feb, 2021
Learning the third tone in Mandarin Chinese Feb, 2021
The most serious mistake students make when learning Mandarin pronunciation Jan, 2021
Best of Hacking Chinese 2020 Jan, 2021
How to not fail with your New Year resolution to learn Chinese Dec, 2020
7 things Chinese students should do during the winter vacation Dec, 2020
9 answers to questions about Pinyin and pronunciation Dec, 2020
Are simplified characters really simpler to learn? Dec, 2020
An introduction to extensive reading for Chinese learners Nov, 2020
Celebrating 10 years of Hacking Chinese Nov, 2020
Tune in to the Hacking Chinese Podcast! Nov, 2020
Review: Learning Chinese by video immersion with FluentU Oct, 2020
Why learning Chinese pronunciation by using English words is a really bad idea Oct, 2020
7 mistakes I made when writing Chinese characters and what I learnt from them Oct, 2020
7 ideas for smooth and effortless Chinese listening practice Sep, 2020
Should you learn the names of the strokes in Chinese characters? Sep, 2020
How to not teach Chinese characters to beginners: A 12-step approach Sep, 2020
Why not going to China now could actually be good for your Chinese Sep, 2020
The key to unlocking your first semester of Chinese Aug, 2020
Review: The Outlier Linguistics Dictionary of Chinese Characters Aug, 2020
All the resources you need to learn and teach Chinese stroke order Aug, 2020
Diversify how you study Chinese to learn more Jul, 2020
What important words are missing from TOCFL? Jul, 2020
What important words are missing from HSK? Jul, 2020
Improving your Chinese while watching TV shows Jul, 2020
Training your Chinese teacher, part 4: Writing ability Jun, 2020
Should you learn to speak Chinese before you learn Chinese characters? Jun, 2020
How to get honest feedback to boost your Chinese speaking and writing Jun, 2020
Are mnemonics too slow for Chinese learners? May, 2020
Learning Chinese words: When quantity beats quality May, 2020
When spaced repetition fails, and what to do about it May, 2020
Chinese is fascinating and exciting, not weird and stupid Apr, 2020
Dealing with Chinese characters you keep mixing up Apr, 2020
文字冒险游戏及其在对外汉语教学中的应用 Apr, 2020
Text adventure games and how to use them in the Chinese language classroom Apr, 2020
How to figure out how good your Chinese is Mar, 2020
The simple trick I used to double the amount of Chinese I listen to Mar, 2020
5 levels of understanding Chinese characters: Superficial forms to deep structure Feb, 2020
The forking path: A human approach to learning Chinese Feb, 2020
Does using colour to represent Mandarin tones make them easier to learn? Feb, 2020
Course open for registration: Unlocking Chinese – The Ultimate Guide for Beginners Jan, 2020
How to get past the intermediate Chinese learning plateau Jan, 2020
How important is reading speed on tests like HSK and TOCFL? Jan, 2020
Best of Hacking Chinese 2019 Jan, 2020
How to look up Chinese characters you don’t know Dec, 2019
Can too much guidance make you learn less Chinese? Nov, 2019
Why is listening in Chinese so hard? Nov, 2019
Chinese habit formation challenge, November 2019 Nov, 2019
Training your Chinese teacher, part 3: Listening ability Oct, 2019
Two types of pronunciation problems and what to do about them Oct, 2019
New course: Unlocking Chinese – The Ultimate Guide for Beginners Oct, 2019
The nine principles of learning (and the mistakes from failing to follow them) Aug, 2019
Review: Mandarin Companion: Easy to read novels in Chinese Jun, 2019
101 questions and answers about how to learn Chinese Jun, 2019
The most common Chinese words, characters and components for language learners and teachers May, 2019
7 things you were taught in Chinese class that are actually wrong May, 2019
How good is voice recognition for learning Chinese pronunciation? Apr, 2019
The cheapest and most convenient way to improve your spoken Chinese Apr, 2019
Using speech recognition to improve Chinese pronunciation, part 1 Apr, 2019
Training your Chinese teacher, part 2: Speaking ability Mar, 2019
The beginner’s guide to Chinese translation Mar, 2019
Tone errors in Mandarin that actually can cause misunderstandings Mar, 2019
Why using a good dictionary can be bad for your Chinese reading ability Mar, 2019
Free and easy audio flashcards for Chinese dictation practice with Anki Feb, 2019
Reading is a lot like spaced repetition, only better Feb, 2019
Training your Chinese teacher, part 1: Introduction Feb, 2019
Review: Language Empowerment: Demystify Chinese culture and fire up your Mandarin + interview with the author Jan, 2019
Best of Hacking Chinese 2018 Jan, 2019
36 samples of Chinese handwriting from students and native speakers Nov, 2018
Chinese handwriting challenge, November 2018 Nov, 2018
How to improve your Chinese handwriting Nov, 2018
The Hacking Chinese guide to Mandarin tones Oct, 2018
Focusing on Chinese tones without being distracted by Pinyin Oct, 2018
Cramming vs. spaced repetition: When to use which method to learn Chinese Aug, 2018
How and why to learn and teach Chinese through games Jul, 2018
866 digital textbooks for expanding your Chinese Jun, 2018
New text game for Chinese learners: The Magistrate’s Gallery May, 2018
8 tips for learning Chinese as an introverted student Apr, 2018
Chinese New Year and New Semester Course Discount Feb, 2018
Learning to unicycle, learning anatomy and learning Chinese Feb, 2018
Whom should you trust for advice about learning Chinese? Jan, 2018
Will reading Hacking Chinese help you learn Mandarin? Jan, 2018
Best of Hacking Chinese 2017 Jan, 2018
Can you learn Chinese faster by making it harder? Nov, 2017
Five text games for Chinese learners Nov, 2017
Should you focus on learning Chinese words or phrases? Oct, 2017
Chinese reading speed revisited Sep, 2017
Training and testing your ability to hear Mandarin sounds Aug, 2017
Is it necessary to learn the stroke order of Chinese characters? Aug, 2017
Advanced listening and reading with Skeptoid Chinese Jul, 2017
Hacking Chinese meet-up in Beijing, July 4th Jun, 2017
Task based Chinese learning and teaching Jun, 2017
Let’s play 迷霧中 (Into the Haze) Jun, 2017
How long do you have to study Chinese to make it useful? Jun, 2017
Learning (or not learning) Chinese slang Jun, 2017
Playing Codenames to learn Chinese Jun, 2017
What’s in a name? Hacking Chinese, 揭密中文 May, 2017
Into the Haze: A new text adventure game for Chinese learners May, 2017
How narrow listening and reading can help you learn Chinese May, 2017
Comprehension-based listening vs deep end immersion Apr, 2017
8 great ways to scaffold your Chinese learning Apr, 2017
Analysis paralysis: When choosing method becomes a problem Apr, 2017
How to become a Chinese-English translator and what it’s like to be one Mar, 2017
10 ways of using games to learn and teach Chinese Mar, 2017
A student’s guide to comprehension-based learning Mar, 2017
How was your first semester of learning Chinese? Mar, 2017
The benefits of a comprehension-based approach for teaching and learning Chinese Feb, 2017
Introducing Chinese quiz tournaments on WordSwing Feb, 2017
An introduction to comprehension-based Chinese teaching and learning Feb, 2017
Chinese New Year and New Semester Course Discount Jan, 2017
How to fake sounding like a native Chinese speaker Jan, 2017
Spaced repetition is not limited to flashcards Jan, 2017
Best of Hacking Chinese 2016 Dec, 2016
Looking up how to use words in Chinese the right way Dec, 2016
Why you should preview before every Chinese lesson Dec, 2016
Three factors that decide how much Chinese you learn Nov, 2016
Obligatory and optional tone change rules in Mandarin Nov, 2016
Learn Chinese implicitly through exposure with a seasoning of explicit instruction Nov, 2016
How I learnt Chinese, part 7: Teaching, writing, learning Oct, 2016
Mimicking native speakers as a way of learning Chinese Oct, 2016
7 kinds of tone problems and what to do about them Oct, 2016
Chinese character challenge, October 10th to 31st Oct, 2016
Learning Chinese by playing board games Sep, 2016
Expanding your Chinese with 一步一个脚印 Sep, 2016
Overcoming the problem of having too many Chinese words to learn Sep, 2016
Extra course content and new-semester discount Aug, 2016
Learning to read handwritten Chinese Aug, 2016
Transcribing Chinese audio as an active form of listening practice Aug, 2016
Escape: A text adventure game for Chinese learners Aug, 2016
Hacking Chinese on Patreon: Support me and get awesome rewards! Aug, 2016
How I learnt Chinese, part 6: Graduate program in Taiwan Jul, 2016
Are you practising Chinese the right way? Is your method valid? Jul, 2016
The benefits of using 语文/國文 textbooks to learn Chinese Jul, 2016
Hacking Chinese meet-ups in San Francisco (July 20th) and New York (July 24th) Jul, 2016
Accessing Chinese culture through cartoons Jul, 2016
How to talk about Chinese characters in Chinese Jun, 2016
How I learnt Chinese, part 5: Returning to Sweden Jun, 2016
Don’t forget to consolidate the Chinese you have already studied Jun, 2016
The best Twitter feeds for learning Chinese in 2016 Jun, 2016
Chinese benchmarking challenge, June 10th to 30th Jun, 2016
How going shopping can help you learn Chinese Jun, 2016
How I learnt Chinese, part 4: My second year in Taiwan May, 2016
Why you should start blogging in Chinese today May, 2016
How technology can stop you from learning Chinese May, 2016
How technology can help you learn Chinese Apr, 2016
Which Chinese language course should you take? Apr, 2016
How I learnt Chinese, part 3: My first year in Taiwan Apr, 2016
Chinese reading challenge, November 10th to 30th Apr, 2016
I have published a book! Apr, 2016
Should you learn the pronunciation of radicals? Mar, 2016
Learning Chinese through comprehensible input Mar, 2016
ChinesePod review: Your companion to Mandarin fluency Mar, 2016
Chinese characters that share the same components but are still different Mar, 2016
What your Chinese course will not teach you Mar, 2016
Learn Chinese character meaning and pronunciation together Feb, 2016
How I learnt Chinese, part 2: Learning Mandarin in Sweden Feb, 2016
Listen before you read: Improve your listening ability Feb, 2016
Learn Chinese faster by leaving your comfort zone Feb, 2016
How I learnt Chinese, part 1: Where it all started Jan, 2016
Can you use English learning materials to study Chinese? Jan, 2016
Hacking Chinese New Year challenge, January 10th to 31st Jan, 2016
Best of Hacking Chinese 2015 Jan, 2016
Learning tones in Mandarin is not optional Dec, 2015
Launching Hacking Chinese: A Practical Guide to Learning Mandarin Dec, 2015
The Hacking Chinese free tone training course Dec, 2015
Learning to hear the sounds and tones in Mandarin Nov, 2015
How to verify that you use the right Chinese font Nov, 2015
Chinese character variants and fonts for language learners Nov, 2015
One year of language challenges on Hacking Chinese Nov, 2015
Learning to pronounce Mandarin with Pinyin, Zhuyin and IPA: Part 3 Oct, 2015
The real challenge with learning Chinese characters Oct, 2015
Improving pronunciation beyond the basics Oct, 2015
Which words you should learn and where to find them Oct, 2015
Can native speakers be wrong about Chinese grammar and pronunciation? Sep, 2015
Learning Chinese characters through pictures Sep, 2015
Panning: How to keep similar Chinese characters and words separate Sep, 2015
Zooming out: The resources you need to put Chinese in context Sep, 2015
Chinese character challenge, September 10th to 30th Sep, 2015
Zooming in: The tools you need to break down and understand Chinese Sep, 2015
Chinese learning tools and resources worth paying for Aug, 2015
The illusion of advanced learning and what to do about it Aug, 2015
Why you should read Chinese on your phone Aug, 2015
Learning to pronounce Mandarin with Pinyin, Zhuyin and IPA: Part 2 Jul, 2015
Chinese listening practice with 锵锵三人行 Jul, 2015
Learning to pronounce Mandarin with Pinyin, Zhuyin and IPA: Part 1 Jul, 2015
Hacking Chinese meet-up in Beijing 2015-07-12 Jul, 2015
Technical problems and theme issues Jun, 2015
Learning Chinese through audio books Jun, 2015
Hacking Chinese China Tour 2015 Jun, 2015
Bite-sized learning isn’t enough to learn Chinese Jun, 2015
Why you should learn Chinese in Chinese May, 2015
Review: Mandarin Companion graded readers (Level 1) May, 2015
The best Twitter feeds for learning Chinese in 2015 May, 2015
Hone your Chinese writing ability by writing summaries May, 2015
Will a Chinese-only rule improve your learning? Apr, 2015
Using Chinese textbooks to improve reading ability Apr, 2015
The new paperless revolution in Chinese reading Apr, 2015
Chinese Hackers Hack Hacking Chinese* Apr, 2015
A minimum-effort approach to writing Chinese characters by hand Mar, 2015
How to adjust your Chinese listening to the right level Mar, 2015
Three steps to more and better Chinese listening practice Mar, 2015
What you intend to write is more important than the character you actually write Mar, 2015
24 great resources for improving your Mandarin pronunciation Feb, 2015
Sensible character challenge, January 2015: Wrapping up Feb, 2015
Hacking Chinese 2014/2015: What was and what will be Feb, 2015
How to find a suitable Chinese name Jan, 2015
Focus on initials and finals, not Pinyin spelling Jan, 2015
Sensible character challenge, January 11th to 31st Jan, 2015
How knowing your best performance in Chinese can help you improve Dec, 2014
How translation to another language can help you learn Chinese Dec, 2014
Is Chinese difficult to learn? Dec, 2014
How to find the time and motivation to read more Chinese Nov, 2014
Learning how to ask for and receive directions in Chinese Nov, 2014
Why you should think of characters in terms of functional components Oct, 2014
Launching Hacking Chinese Challenges Oct, 2014
Learning to write Chinese characters through communication Sep, 2014
Focusing on communication to learn Chinese Sep, 2014
Change your attitude to enjoy life and learn more Chinese Sep, 2014
How long have you studied Chinese? 290 years or 58 992 hours! Sep, 2014
About cheating, spaced repetition and learning Chinese Sep, 2014
Study more Chinese: Time boxing vs. micro goals Aug, 2014
7 ways of learning to write Chinese characters Aug, 2014
How long have you studied Chinese? Aug, 2014
Is speaking more important than listening when learning Chinese? Aug, 2014
Focusing on radicals, character components and building blocks Jul, 2014
Improve your pronunciation with the Hacking Chinese pronunciation check Jul, 2014
Language learning with a Chinese girlfriend or boyfriend Jul, 2014
A learner’s guide to TV shows in Chinese, part 2 Jul, 2014
Sensible character learning challenge 2014: The Big Finish Jul, 2014
How to reach a decent level of Chinese in 100 days Jun, 2014
Hacking Chinese meet-up in Taipei 2014-06-28 Jun, 2014
How and why to watch the world cup in Chinese Jun, 2014
Launching Hacking Chinese Resources Jun, 2014
A learner’s guide to TV shows in Chinese, part 1 Jun, 2014
Sensible character learning challenge 2014: Milestone #3 Jun, 2014
How and why to use television to learn Chinese May, 2014
How to find out how good your Chinese pronunciation really is May, 2014
The three roads to mastering Chinese May, 2014
How to Approach Chinese Grammar May, 2014
Sensible character learning challenge 2014: Milestone #2 Apr, 2014
Handwriting Chinese characters: The minimum requirements Apr, 2014
Learn to read Chinese… with ease? Apr, 2014
The grand listening cycle: Improve your Chinese listening ability Apr, 2014
Three ways to improve the way you review Chinese characters Apr, 2014
Sensible character learning challenge 2014: Milestone #1 Apr, 2014
Why good feedback matters and how to get it Apr, 2014
Improving Foreign Language Pronunciation: Interview with Hacking Chinese on Language is Culture Mar, 2014
Sensible Chinese character learning challenge 2014 Mar, 2014
Sensible Chinese character learning revisited Mar, 2014
Hacking Chinese meet-up in Taipei 2014-03-22 Mar, 2014
Asking the experts: How to learn Chinese grammar Mar, 2014
Flashcard overflow: About card models and review directions Mar, 2014
Learning how to fish: Or, why it’s essential to know how to learn Feb, 2014
Two reasons why pronunciation matters more than you think Feb, 2014
Habit hacking for language learners Feb, 2014
Hacking Chinese 2013/2014: What was and what will be Feb, 2014
Focusing on tone pairs to improve your Mandarin pronunciation Jan, 2014
Easing yourself into reading novels in Chinese Jan, 2014
A language learner’s guide to wuxia novels Jan, 2014
Wuxia, a key to Chinese language and culture Jan, 2014
25 books I’ve read in Chinese, with reviews and difficulty ratings Jan, 2014
Chinese reading challenge: Read more or die Dec, 2013
Chinese immersion with Carl Gene Fordham Dec, 2013
Role-playing to learn more Chinese and avoid frustration Dec, 2013
Review: The Geography of Thought: How East Asians and Westerners Think Differently… And Why Dec, 2013
Learning to read aloud in Chinese Nov, 2013
Improving your spoken and written Chinese by focusing on the process Nov, 2013
Asking the experts: How to bridge the gap to real Chinese Nov, 2013
How to improve your Chinese writing ability through focused reading Oct, 2013
Drills and exercises aren’t only for beginners Oct, 2013
Preparing for rainy days and dealing with slumps Oct, 2013
Your slumps affect your language learning more than your flows Oct, 2013
About fossilisation and improving your Chinese pronunciation Oct, 2013
What’s your next step to master Chinese? Sep, 2013
5 websites to help answer your questions about Chinese Sep, 2013
Hacking Chinese meet-up in Taipei 2013-10-06 Sep, 2013
Reading aloud in Chinese is really hard Sep, 2013
Phonetic components, part 2: Hacking Chinese characters Sep, 2013
Phonetic components, part 1: The key to 80% of all Chinese characters Aug, 2013
Why manually adding and editing flashcards is good for you Aug, 2013
Why you need goals to learn Chinese efficiently Aug, 2013
Do you really know how to count in Chinese? Aug, 2013
5 insights from the first year of a master’s program in Taiwan Jul, 2013
How to get good grades when studying Chinese Jul, 2013
The get-back-up-to-speed summer challenge Jul, 2013
Role-playing as a way to expand your Chinese Jul, 2013
Hacking Chinese: Contradictory and provoking? Jun, 2013
Dealing with near-synonyms in Chinese as an independent learner Jun, 2013
Skritter review: Boosting your character learning (2013 edition) Jun, 2013
What research can and cannot tell us about learning Chinese Jun, 2013
If you think spaced repetition software is a panacea you are wrong May, 2013
Learning how to learn Chinese through self-experimentation May, 2013
Using Audacity to learn Chinese (speaking and listening) May, 2013
Hacking Chinese meet-up in Taipei 2013-05-12 May, 2013
You might be too lazy to learn Chinese, but you’re not too old May, 2013
Immersion at home or: Why you don’t have to go abroad to learn Chinese Apr, 2013
Learning the right chengyu the right way Apr, 2013
The question you have to ask about your Chinese teacher or course Apr, 2013
Want to master Chinese in no time? Start dreaming!* Apr, 2013
Is your flashcard deck too big for your own good? Mar, 2013
You shouldn’t walk the road to Chinese fluency alone Mar, 2013
14 extra songs to learn Chinese and expand your horizons Mar, 2013
Hacking Chinese site update March 2013 Mar, 2013
21 essential dictionaries and corpora for learning Chinese Mar, 2013
Horizontal vocabulary learning in Chinese Feb, 2013
Hacking Chinese meet-up in Taipei 2013-03-02 Feb, 2013
The Cthulhu bubble and studying Chinese Feb, 2013
Improving your Chinese by translating from another language Feb, 2013
Hacking Chinese 2012/2013: What was and what will be Feb, 2013
Don’t use mnemonics for everything Jan, 2013
How to create mnemonics for general or abstract character components Jan, 2013
Sensible character learning: Progress, reminders and reflections Jan, 2013
Remembering is a skill you can learn Jan, 2013
Towards a more sensible way of learning to write Chinese Jan, 2013
You can’t learn Chinese characters by rote Dec, 2012
Why you really should use a Chinese notebook Dec, 2012
Measuring your language learning is a double-edged sword Dec, 2012
Have fun learning Chinese or else… Dec, 2012
RTI, my favourite radio station Nov, 2012
13 more songs to learn Chinese and expand your horizons Nov, 2012
Learning Chinese in the shower with me Nov, 2012
Chat your way to better Chinese Oct, 2012
Learning styles: Use with caution! Oct, 2012
Vocalise more to learn more Chinese Oct, 2012
Don’t just read about language learning methods, try them! Oct, 2012
12 songs to learn Chinese and expand your horizons Sep, 2012
Learning Chinese with StarCraft 2 Sep, 2012
Extending mnemonics: Tones and pronunciation Sep, 2012
The time barrel: How to find more time to study Chinese Aug, 2012
Kickstart your Chinese character learning with the 100 most common radicals Aug, 2012
Why learning Chinese through music is underrated Aug, 2012
Website restructuring completed Aug, 2012
Chinese listening strategies: Diversify your listening practice Jul, 2012
31 Twitter feeds to help you learn Chinese Jul, 2012
A language learner’s guide to reading comics in Chinese Jul, 2012
Approaches to reading in Chinese Jul, 2012
Chinese Language Learner Interview Series – Olle Linge Jul, 2012
Chinese listening strategies: Deliberate practice and i+2 Jul, 2012
Chinese listening strategies: Improving listening speed Jun, 2012
Language is communication, not only an abstract subject to study Jun, 2012
Chinese listening strategies: Active listening Jun, 2012
Using Lang-8 to improve your Chinese May, 2012
Playing computer games in Chinese: Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 May, 2012
Chinese listening strategies: Passive listening May, 2012
Chinese listening strategies: Background listening May, 2012
Chinese listening strategies: Problem analysis Apr, 2012
Chinese listening strategies: An introduction Apr, 2012
Review: The Phonology of Standard Chinese Apr, 2012
Answer buttons and how to use SRS to study Chinese Mar, 2012
Defining Language Hacking: Lessons Learned From Hacking Chinese Mar, 2012
The importance of counting what counts when learning Chinese Mar, 2012
Hacking Chinese back again after server crash Mar, 2012
The 10,000 hour rule – Blood, sweat and tears Mar, 2012
Use the benefits of teaching to boost your own Chinese learning Feb, 2012
When perfectionism becomes an obstacle to progress Feb, 2012
Making progress in Chinese in spite of praise Feb, 2012
Learning simplified and traditional Chinese Jan, 2012
Learn by exaggerating: Slow, then fast; big, then small Jan, 2012
Can you become fluent in Chinese in three months? Jan, 2012
Hacking Chinese 2011/2012: What was and what will be Jan, 2012
If you want to master Chinese, make long-term investments Dec, 2011
Chinese reading speed: Learning how to read ten lines at a glance Dec, 2011
Mapping the terra incognita of Chinese vocabulary Dec, 2011
The tones in Mandarin are more important than you think Dec, 2011
Reading manga in Chinese for more than just pleasure Nov, 2011
Triggering quantum leaps in Chinese listening ability Nov, 2011
About opening doors and the paths beyond Nov, 2011
Time boxing Chinese: Get more done in less time Oct, 2011
The Chinese-Chinese dictionary survival guide Oct, 2011
Enjoying the journey while focusing on the destination Oct, 2011
Benchmarking progress in Chinese to stay motivated Oct, 2011
Learning Chinese the holistic way: Integrating knowledge Sep, 2011
Achieving the impossible by being inspired Sep, 2011
Don’t be a tourist if you want to learn Chinese language and culture Sep, 2011
How to find more time to practise Chinese listening Aug, 2011
Growing up in Chinese as a foreign adult Aug, 2011
Using memory aids and mnemonics to make Chinese easier Aug, 2011
Chinese vocabulary in your pocket Jul, 2011
Improve your conversations by listening to the listener Jul, 2011
Dealing with tricky vocabulary: Killing leeches Jul, 2011
Memorising dictionaries to boost Chinese reading ability Jul, 2011
Escaping the convenience trap to learn more Chinese Jun, 2011
Review: Chinese Synonyms Usage Dictionary Jun, 2011
Spaced repetition isn’t rote learning Jun, 2011
You won’t learn Chinese simply by living abroad May, 2011
Goals and motivation for learning Chinese, part 4 – Micro goals Apr, 2011
Goals and motivation for learning Chinese, part 3 – Short-term goals Apr, 2011
Goals and motivation for learning Chinese, part 2 – Long-term goals Apr, 2011
Goals and motivation for learning Chinese, part 1 – Introduction Mar, 2011
What native speakers know and what they don’t Feb, 2011
Using search engines to study Chinese Feb, 2011
Anki, the best of spaced repetition software Jan, 2011
Pros and cons with travelling to learn a language Dec, 2010
Chinese listening ability, a matter of practice? Dec, 2010
Spaced repetition software and why you should use it Oct, 2010
The virtues of learning Chinese through language exchange Oct, 2010
Learning Chinese through social media Sep, 2010
Making mistakes in Chinese is necessary to adjust your mental models Sep, 2010
Learning Chinese is easier than you think Sep, 2010
A pre-launch plea for help Sep, 2010
Requirements to be met before site launch Sep, 2010
Domain name registered, software installed Sep, 2010

Hacking Chinese

A better way of learning Mandarin

Articles on Hacking Chinese

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