Hacking Chinese

A better way of learning Mandarin

Articles in the ‘Learning outside class’ category Page 7

  1. Seeing through the illusion of advanced Chinese learning

    Courses and textbooks encourage narrow but advanced proficiency in Chinese, but if you want to be able to communicate well, you need to see through the illusion.

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  2. Why travelling isn’t the best method to learn Chinese

    Travelling is often touted as one of the best ways to learn a language, but is it really? What are some downsides of travelling to learn Chinese, and how should you travel to get the most out of it?

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  3. Skritter review: Boosting your Chinese character learning

    Skritter is a modern tool for learning ancient characters. It combines research-based methods such as active recall and spaced repetition with great Chinese-specific tools and content. While it’s not a free resource, it has enough edges over more generic, free services to be worth it in my opinion.

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  4. Get to know your Chinese voice to level up your speaking ability

    Have you listened to a recording of yourself speaking Chinese, only to find that your voice sounds unfamiliar and strange, like another person? Then you’re not alone!

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  5. How learning some basic theory can improve your Mandarin pronunciation

    Listening, mimicking and getting feedback is the best way to learn Chinese pronunciation, but unless you’re a small child or extremely talented, adding some theory to the mix can also be helpful.

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  6. Learning Chinese is more like walking a thousand miles than running 100-metre dash

    Learning Chinese is more like walking a thousand miles than running 100-metre dash. Make sure that your strategy works in the long term!

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  7. Vocabulary lists that help you learn Chinese and how to use them

    Learning new characters and words from a list is rarely a good idea, but there are exceptions! Let’s have a look at five types of vocabulary lists how to use them to learn Chinese.

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  8. 6 benefits of learning Chinese through sports

    The general benefits of physical activity are well-known, but the more specific benefits for learning languages are often overlooked, so let’s have a look at 6 benefits of learning Chinese through sports!

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  9. Should you use an efficient method for learning Chinese even if you hate it?

    Methods for learning Chinese can be good because they are efficient, because they to focus on the right content, or because they are enjoyable, allowing you to spend more time. But no method is good in all these ways at once, so what should you do if you just don’t like the most efficient method?

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  10. Don’t try to improve everything at once when learning Chinese

    To communicate in Chinese, many skills need to work in unison, but trying to improve all of them at once is a recipe for frustration. Instead, limit your focus to make progress and stay motivated!

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