Hacking Chinese

A better way of learning Mandarin

Articles in the ‘Vocabulary’ category

  1. Welcome to The Fluent Listener, a new course from Hacking Chinese!

    Develop essential Mandarin listening skills with my new course, The Fluent Listener. Enrol by February 16 for lifetime access to video lessons, curated resources, tailored guidance, and a supportive learning community.

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  2. Don’t use mnemonics for everything when learning Chinese

    Mnemonics are clever memory techniques you can use to learn and remember more, but this doesn’t mean that you should always use them. If you do, you will end up spending more time on mnemonics than you do engaging with the Chinese language.

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  3. Can English learning materials help you learn Chinese?

    Can English learning materials for Chinese speakers help you learn Mandarin? Discover their potential, pitfalls, and how to use them effectively.

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  4. Chinese vocabulary challenge, December 2024

    It’s time for a vocabulary challenge! It starts on December 10th, so enrol, set your goal and learn as many characters and words as you can before the end of the month. This challenge is sponsored by Skritter, so there are also prizes on the line! This article contains more information about the challenge, some important things to keep in mind as well as some advice about learning Chinese characters and words.

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  5. Student Q&A, December 2024: Learning similar Chinese characters, polyphonic characters, and flashcards vs. reading for building vocabulary

    How can you remember the difference between similar Chinese characters? Are flashcards better than reading for building vocabulary? And how do you learn polyphonic characters?

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  6. How to learn Zhuyin (Bopomofo) in two hours

    Many people believe that learning a new script is challenging, but mastering systems like Zhuyin (Bopomofo) or Japanese kana is surprisingly easy. With the right approach and resources, you can do it in just a few hours!

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  7. Chinese character variants and font differences for language learners

    Small details sometimes matter when writing Chinese characters, but sometimes they don’t. Figuring out which details to pay attention to is made even harder by character variants and font differences!

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  8. Should you learn the pronunciation of radicals?

    Pronunciation of radicals

    Learning the building blocks of Chinese characters is a great idea, but what should learn about each character component? And more specifically, should you learn the pronunciation of radicals?

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  9. Student Q&A, June 2024: How much time on flashcards, Remembering the Hanzi, and resources for learning characters

    How much time should you spend on flashcards? Is Remembering the Hanzi good for learning Chinese characters? And what resources should you use if you want to understand the writing system better?

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  10. Chinese character learning for all students

    Learning to write Chinese characters by hand takes a lot of time. In today’s digital era, is it necessary to learn handwriting? Let’s explore the advantages and disadvantages for second-language learners and discuss what an effective curriculum that caters to all students might look like!

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