Hacking Chinese Podcast

Logging you language  learning can be very useful, and there are many tools and resources out there to help you, but which are the best and how do you use them?  Link to article: Chinese language logging, part 3: Tools and resources for keeping track of your learning https://www.hackingchinese.com/chinese-language-logging-part-3-tools-and-resources-for-keeping-track-of-your-learning &nbs...

Digital resources have made learning Chinese considerably easier than it used to be, but another problem has appeared: How can we make sense of and navigate the vast number of resources and find what's best for us?  Link to article: Chinese language learning in the twenty-first century: Towards a digital ecosystem? https://www.hackingchinese.com/chinese-language-learning-in-the-twenty-first-c...

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a dictionary, but did you know that it can be better than a dictionary for looking up words when learning Chinese? Link to article: The benefits of using Wikipedia to look up words when learning Chinese https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-benefits-of-using-wikipedia-to-look-up-words-when-learning-chinese/ Tags: #learnchinese #wikipedia #dictionary #wiktionary Liste...

When you start learning Chinese, your ability to communicate increases with every word you learn, but as your level improves, this feeling goes away and you it might feel  like you're no longer making progress. Welcome to the intermediate plateau! How to get past the intermediate Chinese learning plateau https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-to-get-past-the-intermediate-chinese-learning-plateau...

On July 1st, 2021, a new Chinese proficiency standard took effect. This will have big consequences for the HSK, the most widely used proficiency test for non-native speakers. What are these changes and what do they mean for you as a student? Link: The new HSK 3.0: What you need to know https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-new-hsk-3-0-what-you-need-to-know Tags: #learnchinese #hsk #2021 #test Listen...

As soon as you leave the classroom, you will notice that people don't speak Chinese the way your teacher and textbook do. Why is that, and what can you do to learn to understand regionally accented Mandarin? Link to article: Learning to understand regionally accented Mandarin https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-to-understand-regionally-accented-mandarin/ Tags: #learnchinese #accent #dialect #r...

Tones in Mandarin carry roughly as much information as vowels do, but still some people insist that tones are not very important, or even that native speakers don't really use tones. Why is that and what can we learn from digging deeper into this misconception? Link to article: The importance of tones is inversely proportional to the predictability of what you say https://www.hackingchinese.com/th...

Do you know the world's best footballer, Saylaw? What about Yàlǐshìduōdé? You probably do know them , even though you might not realise it. Link: Lost in transcription: Saylaw, Ice Island and Aristotle : https://www.hackingchinese.com/lost-in-transcription-saylaw-ice-island-and-aristotle/ Tags: #learnchinese #transcription #names Listen to this and other episodes on your favourite podcasting platf...

Many students who take Chinese proficiency exams say that they understand the text, but can't read fast enough. Is that a valid complaint? And how fast do you have to read to pass the hSK or TOCFL? Link: How important is reading speed on tests like HSK and TOCFL? https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-important-is-reading-speed-on-tests-like-hsk-and-tocfl/ Tags: #learnchinese #readingspeed #tocfl #hsk...

How do you balance your learning to make sure you get a healthy diet of Mandarin? Logging how much you listen, speak, read and write is easy, but are there better ways of doing it? Link: Chinese language logging, part 2: A healthy, balanced diet of Mandarin : https://www.hackingchinese.com/chinese-language-logging-part-2-a-healthy-balanced-diet-of-mandarin #learnchinese #progress #logging #balance...

How much time are you investing into learning Chinese? Most people don't actually know the answer to this question! Why is it a good idea to log your Chinese learning and how should you go about it? Link: Chinese language logging, part 1: Why and how to track your progress : https://www.hackingchinese.com/chinese-language-logging-part-1-why-and-how-to-track-your-progress #learnchinese #logging #pr...

Clear pronunciation makes communicating in Chinese much easier; the time to level up your pronunciation is now Link to announcement: It's time to level up your Chinese pronunciation : https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-hacking-chinese-pronunciation-course-is-finally-here/ Link to course front page: Hacking Chinese Pronunciation: Speaking with Confidence : https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/man...

There are many ways of looking up Chinese characters you don't know, but which is the best for students? Link: How to look up Chinese characters you don’t know More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found over at Hacking Chinese ( www.hackingchinese.com ) Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

It's not uncommon for both students and teachers to treat Chinese pronunciation and Pinyin as the same thing, but they are not, and thinking that they are can lead to certain problems. Link: What's the difference between Chinese pronunciation and Pinyin? Does it matter? More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found over at Hacking Chinese ( www.hackingchinese.co...

There are many different kinds of input methods available for Chinese, such as typing, handwriting, and speech to text, but which is the best for language learners, and why? Link: Learning the second tone in Mandarin Chinese More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found over at Hacking Chinese ( www.hackingchinese.com ) Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis,...

There are many different kinds of input methods available for Chinese, such as typing, handwriting, and speech to text, but which is the best for language learners, and why? Link: Chinese input methods: A guide for second language learners More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found over at Hacking Chinese ( www.hackingchinese.com ) Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benja...

Many students say that listening is the hardest part of learning Chinese, not speaking, reading or writing. Why is that? Could it be that listening in Chinese is actually harder than in many other languages? Link: Why is listening in Chinese so hard? More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found over at Hacking Chinese ( www.hackingchinese.com ) Music: "Traxis 1...

Many websites, apps and other resources for learning Chinese use colours to highlight tones, but does using colours really make tones  easier to learn? Link: Does using colour to represent Mandarin tones make them easier to learn? More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found over at Hacking Chinese ( www.hackingchinese.com ) Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin"...

Reading is the best way to expand vocabulary and learn about new things, but how should you approach reading in Chinese? And what are the best free reading resources out there? Link: The 10 best free Chinese reading resources for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found over at Hacking Chinese ( www.hackingchines...

Have you ever tried to do something in Chinese you thought would be fairly easy, only to find out it was much harder than you thought? Well, you're not alone! Link: 6 things in Chinese that are harder to learn than they seem More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found over at Hacking Chinese ( www.hackingchinese.com ) Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis,...

Have you ever felt that you lack focus, that you don't spend enough time studying, and that it would be cool to cooperate with others to learn more Chinese? The Hacking Chinese Challenges is for you. Link: Hacking Chinese Challenges ( challenges.hackingchinese.com ) The major types of challenges: Chinese listening challenges: https://www.hackingchinese.com/chinese-listening-challenge/ Chinese read...

Have you ever wanted to listen in on great Chinese teachers when they talk about science, technology and related topics? Now, you can!  Original article: Learning science in Chinese with 李永乐老师 More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found over at Hacking Chinese ( www.hackingchinese.com ) Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under...

Understanding is necessary for efficient learning, but when it comes to Chinese characters, is more understanding always better? Original article: 5 levels of understanding Chinese characters: Superficial forms to deep structure More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found over at Hacking Chinese ( www.hackingchinese.com ) Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Tra...

For most people, writing in Chinese is synonymous with writing characters, but there is in fact a lot more to it than that Original article: 20 tips and tricks to improve your Chinese writing ability More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found over at Hacking Chinese ( www.hackingchinese.com ) Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Cr...

Have you ever been taught something that later turns out not to be true? Here are 7 things commonly taught in Chinese class, that are actually wrong. Original article: 7 things you were taught in Chinese class that are actually wrong More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found over at Hacking Chinese ( www.hackingchinese.com ) Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" b...