Zi.Tools is a great free resource for exploring Chinese characters. See what it offers and how you can use it to boost your learning! Learning...
Category: Chinese
Zooming in: The tools you need to break down and understand Chinese
Image credit: VistaICO.com Learning is about connecting something new to what you already know. If what you know is clearly structured and logical,...
Zooming out: The resources you need to put Chinese in context
Image credit: VistaICO.com When you learn Chinese, it’s important that you don’t learn isolated chunks. Instead, you should integrate your...
What important words are missing from HSK?
Learning Chinese can sometimes lack structure and feel confusing, especially if you study on your own. There are few reliable reference points, and...
What important words are missing from TOCFL?
I recently published an article where I analysed the HSK vocabulary lists with the goal of finding words that aren’t on the official lists, but...
What native speakers know about Chinese (and what they don’t)
You say something in Mandarin, a native speaker corrects you, and you adjust. The next day, another native speaker tells you to revert to your...
What research can and cannot tell us about learning Chinese
Even if most students don’t come into contact with research into language learning directly, some still do so indirectly through newspapers, online...
What to read to improve your Chinese and why
When you first start learning Chinese, choosing reading material is not at the top of your list of problems for a simple reason: there simply aren’t...
What’s in a name? Hacking Chinese, 揭密中文
This is the current logo, and this version was crated by Hugh Grigg. It should be read from right to left, top to bottom. This autumn, Hacking...
What’s the difference between Chinese pronunciation and Pinyin? Does it matter?
I’ve talked, read and written about Mandarin Chinese pronunciation and Pinyin a lot, both in casual and academic settings, both in English and...