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Hacking Chinese - Education & Personal Development
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Student Q&A, December 2024: Learning similar Chinese characters, polyphonic characters, and flashcards vs. reading for building vocabulary | Hacking Chinese
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?
Chinese learning tools and resources worth paying for | Hacking Chinese
Thanks to the internet, learning Chinese is now more accessible than ever, and you can do it completely for free. Just because you can doesn't mean that you should, however. If you have money to invest, here's how to do so with the greatest impact.
Welcome to The Fluent Listener, a new course from Hacking Chinese! | Hacking Chinese
Develop essential Mandarin listening skills with my new course, The Fluent Listener. Enrol by November 24 for lifetime access to video lessons, curated resources, tailored guidance, and a supportive learning community.
Four key principles to improve your Mandarin listening comprehension | Hacking Chinese
Listening is the cornerstone of language learning, yet many students struggle to improve their Mandarin listening comprehension. Fortunately, making progress isn’t as difficult as you might think; just follow four key principles!
Student Q&A, November 2024: Pros and cons of digital tools for Chinese reading, and the struggle to find comprehensible and interesting texts | Hacking Chinese
Is reading digitally in Chinese better than on paper? What are the best digital tools for reading? And what should you do if you can’t find texts that are both interesting and at the right level?
Don’t learn Mandarin pronunciation by reading, listen and mimic instead | Hacking Chinese
Don’t try to learn pronunciation by reading. Instead, the best way to improve is to listen to and mimic native speakers. Focusing too much on how sounds are written down can actually make it harder to hear them!
Student Q&A, October 2024: Pronouncing the final -i after sh-, the initial z- and if Pinyin is a good transcription system | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
How is the Pinyin final -i pronounced after sh? How is the initial z- pronounced compared to z in English? And is Pinyin a good transcription system for learning pronunciation?
How to use YouTube and other video platforms to learn Chinese | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
YouTube and similar platforms offer a vast treasure trove of content that can help you learn Chinese, whether you're watching videos in Chinese or exploring content about language and culture. But how can you get the most out of this resource at different stages of learning?
YouGlish: A free service to hear and see Chinese words in context | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
Context matters. How words are pronounced and used depends on context, but traditional learning materials lack the diversity to prepare you for real-world Chinese. Fortunately, YouGlish is a great tool for studying language in context.
Student Q&A, August 2024: Avoiding mental translation, untranslatable words and why practising translation is good | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
How can you stop translating in your head? What are some Chinese words that can’t be translated? And why is translation a worthwhile learning activity?
Insights from my recent trip to China: The importance of top-down listening | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
Understanding Chinese involves more than just knowing words and phrases; it's about using context to interpret meaning. My recent trip to China highlighted the crucial role of top-down listening in navigating dialects, speech patterns, and unexpected questions.
Why you should preview before every Chinese lesson | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
Previewing before Chinese lessons is a simple yet frequently overlooked method to enhance learning. By previewing, you maximise the benefits of each lesson, allowing you to focus on areas where you truly need a teacher's guidance.
Hacking Chinese meet-up in Beijing, July 2024 | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
It’s time for a Hacking Chinese meet-up in Beijing! It's the first time I visit China since before the pandemic, so I’m looking forward to meeting people interested in learning or teaching Chinese based in or around Beijing, either in the first or third week of July.
The three factors that determine how much Chinese you learn | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
When learning Chinese, your progress depends on three factors: the content you study, the methods you use, and the time you dedicate. To achieve your goals quickly and efficiently, strive to optimise all three!
Student Q&A, June 2024: How much time on flashcards, Remembering the Hanzi, and resources for learning characters | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
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?
Chinese character learning for all students | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
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!
How to learn to hear the sounds and tones in Mandarin | Hacking Chinese
As infants, we perceive the world without categories. Learning our first language forms sound categories, aiding understanding but losing other sound distinctions. As adults learning a second language, we need to regain this ability. But how?
Student Q&A, May 2024: Understanding strangers, listening with transcripts, and which podcasts to avoid | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
Why is your teacher is so much easier to understand than anybody else? Should you read transcripts or subtitles before, during or after listening? And why do I refuse to recommend certain podcasts?
Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 6: Why is listening in Chinese so hard? | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
Many people assume that the hardest part of learning Chinese must be the characters or the tones, but it turns out that most learners struggle more with listening comprehension. Why is that, and what can you do about it?
Student Q&A, April 2024: Learning chengyu, listening to yourself and using role-playing games to learn Chinese | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
Is recording and listening to your own Chinese useful for improving your speaking ability? How can you use chengyu to expand your repertoire? And how can role-playing games be utilised to improve your spoken Chinese?
The best podcasts for learning Chinese in 2024 | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
Podcasts let you create your own Chinese immersion experience, with level-appropriate stories and authentic conversations. Learn flexibly on the go with the best podcasts for beginners, intermediate and advanced students!
How to learn Chinese in the long term with intrinsic motivation | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese
While strong motivation doesn't necessarily accelerate your learning or improve your memory, without it you won't spend enough time learning Chinese. So how can you stay motivated for months, years and even decades?