Loading...
Honest study guides, vocabulary breakdowns, and exam tactics — written for serious learners, not auto-generated for clicks.
The Leitner system moves flashcards between five boxes based on whether you got them right. Why it fits Chinese in particular, how it compares with algorithmic spaced repetition, and the five habits that decide whether it works.
Dictionaries list 370,000+ entries, but about 3,000 characters cover 99% of everyday text and 3,245 words gets you HSK 4. Characters vs words, the official count for every band, coverage curves, and realistic targets by goal.
Mandarin has four tones plus a neutral tone, and pitch is part of the word rather than emotion. The five tones in one table, where the tone mark goes, the tone-change rules nobody writes down, and a practice routine that fixes them.
Putonghua is the official standard spoken language of mainland China — what English calls Mandarin. How it differs from Mandarin, Chinese, Guoyu and Cantonese, where the standard came from, and what makes it distinctive to learn.
The HSK is China's official Chinese proficiency test, recognised worldwide. A plain guide to the levels, what it tests, and the new 9-band 3.0.
Articles help, but most of the gain comes from real practice. Pair every read with a mock test or a handwriting drill.