Get daily Chinese handwriting practice with Google Pinyin IME on Android

Handwriting 修

Install Google Pinyin IME on your Android phone to get daily Chinese handwriting practice. It’s a bit slower than pinyin input, but you’ll remember the hanzi. → Read more

Use pinyin from Google Translate to practice writing Chinese characters

Practice writing Chinese characters with Google Translate's pinyin generator

If you need another way to practice writing Chinese characters, give Google Translate’s pinyin-generation feature a try. It’s a nice way to practice hanzi. → Read more

Making a dedicated Skritter launcher in Linux Mint

Skritter launcher in Mint Menu

Encourage yourself to do more Skrittering by making a convenient shortcut launcher in Linux Mint. This works on any MATE desktop environment. → Read more

Anki tip: Use models (other than basic)

An example card template for Anki

Use Anki to its full potential by making use of models and templates in your decks. This keeps it easy to organise and makes Anki more efficient. → Read more

Learning facts and Chinese at the same time

"蜂蜜的成分除了葡萄糖、果糖之外还含有各种维生素、矿物质和氨基酸。" - "Apart from glucose and fructose, honey also contains various vitamins, minerals and amino acids."

Try to use Wikipedia in your target language as much as possible, and add sentences from it to your Anki deck. You learn facts and language at the same time. → Read more

Understand Anki’s structure and improve your SRS study

Anki deck properties menu

If you use Anki but don’t quite understand its complicated structure, this guide will help you straighten it out and make the most of the software. → Read more

Speed up pinyin input: be incomplete!

WJTCFXD = “我今天才发现的”

You can make your Chinese typing lightening fast by using incomplete pinyin. Just type the first letter of each syllable, and let the smart pinyin system work it’s magic! → Read more

Active vs passive vocabulary – do you know the difference?

A £10 note

How the difference between active and passive knowledge is crucial to learning and using vocabulary. It’s an important distinction that all language learners should be aware of. → Read more

10 common Mandarin learner mistakes

error

10 common mistakes often made by people learning to speak Mandarin Chinese. Includes pronunciation, grammar and more subtle stylistic problems. → Read more

Preventing procrastination with the hosts file

'Stop Sign' by Flickr user ladybeames

A quick tip for avoiding procrastination by editing the hosts file to block time-wasting websites. Works on Linux, Windows and Mac. → Read more