Hacking Chinese Podcast

Hacking Chinese can seen as a very long response to the question of what I would have done differently if I could go back in time and learn Chinese again from scratch. However, most people don't want to read 800,000 words to get the full picture, which is why I have distilled all that into a few courses. Getting the most out of your learning with Hacking Chinese: ⁠https://www.hackingchinese.co...

Many students rely on textbooks to learn Chinese, but is this a good idea? Some people say that to unleash your full potential, you should throw your textbook away. Link to article: Should you throw away your Chinese textbook? https://www.hackingchinese.com/should-you-throw-away-your-chinese-textbook/ #learnchinese #textbooks Should you learn Chinese vocabulary from lists? https://www.hackingchine...

Have you tried translating Chinese to your native language as learning method? You should; it has more benefits than you might realise! Link to article: ⁠⁠ How translation to another language can help you learn Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-translation-can-help-you-learn-chinese/ #learnchinese #translation #chineseenglish Chinese translation challenge: https://www.hackingchinese.com/...

Should you drop everything you’re doing to learn Chinese for one year? How should you approach reading at an intermediate level? And how do you choose the best resources for learning? Link to article: ⁠Hacking Chinese Podcast three-year anniversary Q&A⁠ :  ⁠https://www.hackingchinese.com/hacking-chinese-podcast-two-year-anniversary-qa/⁠ #learnchinese #immersion #goingabroad #learningstrategy #...

Is Chinese difficult to learn, even impossible? Or is it in fact quite easy? The answer is that learning Chinese is difficult, but not in the way most people think! Link to article: ⁠Is Chinese difficult to learn? https://www.hackingchinese.com/is-chinese-difficult-to-learn/ #learnchinese #difficult #easy Why is listening in Chinese so hard? https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-is-listening-in-chine...

If you don’t invest the necessary time into learning Chinese, it doesn’t matter how good your method is. Timeboxing is a wonderful way to get more done in less time. Link to article: Timeboxing Chinese: Get more done in less time: https://www.hackingchinese.com/timeboxing-chinese/ #learnchinese #timemanagement #timeboxing #gettingthingsdone Three factors that decide how much Chinese you learn: htt...

Are you curious about the new HSK? Do you want to know what it’s really like to take and pass the advanced level? And how should you prepare to ace your own exams? Link to article: Insights from the new HSK 7-9: Interview with Sara Jaaksola: https://www.hackingchinese.com/insights-from-the-new-hsk-7-9-interview-with-sara-jaaksola/ #learnchinese #hsk #advanced #proficiencytest #china Sara's web...

Reaching an advanced level in Chinese is the goal of many learners, but what do you do when you get there? And is there such a thing as being done with Chinese? Link to article: ⁠ How I learnt Chinese, part 7: Teaching, writing, learning: https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-i-learnt-chinese-part-7-teaching-writing-learning/ #learnchinese #mystory #sweden #teaching #professionaldevelopment Chinese r...

Varying your diet of Chinese reading and listening practice is often considered good, indeed necessary, but this could be wrong. In some cases, variation makes things too difficult, and then narrow reading and listening is a better option! Link to article: ⁠How narrow reading and listening can help you bridge the gap to real Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/narrow-listening-reading-can-help...

Courses and textbooks encourage narrow but advanced proficiency in Chinese, but if you want to be able to communicate well, you need to see through the illusion. Link to article: Seeing through the illusion of advanced Chinese learning: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-illusion-of-advanced-learning-and-what-to-do-about-it/ #learnchinese #courses #illusion #proficiency #progress Seeing through th...

Travelling is often touted as one of the best ways to learn a language, but is it really? What are some downsides of travelling to learn Chinese, and how should you travel to get the most out of it? Link to article: Why travelling isn't the best method to learn Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/pros-and-cons-with-travelling-to-learn-a-language/ #learnchinese #travel #immersion #languagel...

I’ve spent two years in a master’s program for teaching Chinese as a second language, designed for native speakers and taught in Chinese. Here’s what I learnt from the experience! My Skritter review: How I learnt Chinese, part 6: Graduate program in Taiwan: ⁠https://www.hackingchinese.com/i-learnt-chinese-part-6-graduate-program-taiwan/⁠ #learnchinese #mystory #taiwan #ntnu #tcsl 5 insights from t...

You probably know what it’s like to use apps for learning Chinese vocabulary, but do you know what it’s like to run a company that builds such apps? And how can technology help us learn more, now and in the future? My Skritter review: Boosting your Chinese character learning (also contains episode 53 about Skritter): ⁠⁠https://www.hackingchinese.com/skritter-chinese-review-boosting-your-character-...

Have you listened to a recording of yourself speaking Chinese, only to find that your voice sounds unfamiliar and strange, like another person? Then that means you’re doing something wrong. Link to article: ⁠ Get to know your Chinese voice to level up your speaking ability: https://www.hackingchinese.com/know-your-chinese-voice/ #learnchinese #record #voice #mimic #pronunciation Get to know your C...

Listening, mimicking and getting feedback is the best way to learn Chinese pronunciation, but unless you're a small child or extremely talented, adding some theory to the mix can also be helpful. Link to article: How learning some basic theory can improve your pronunciation: https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-learning-some-basic-theory-can-improve-your-pronunciation/ #learnchinese #pronunciati...

Learning Chinese is more like walking a thousand miles than running 100-metre dash. Make sure that your strategy works in the long term Link to article: ⁠⁠ Learning Chinese is more like walking a thousand miles than running 100-metre dash: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-chinese-is-more-like-walking-a-thousand-miles-than-running-100-metre-dash/ #learnchinese #journey #sprint #longterm #goa...

Learning Chinese full time is easy, the hard part is to make progress, even when you’re occupied with other things. Link to article: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠How I learnt Chinese, part 5: Returning to Sweden: https://www.hackingchinese.com/i-learnt-chinese-part-5%ef%bc%9a-returning-sweden/⁠ #learnchinese #mystory #sweden #languagelearningjourney Chinese listening challenge, May 2023: ⁠https://www.hackingchinese.com...

Many things influence listening comprehension in Chinese, some are related to the language, and some to the situation, but some are also related to you as a listener. How can you become a better listener in Mandarin? Link to article: ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 5: Becoming a better listener as a student of Chinese https://www.hackingchinese.com/beyond-ting-bu-dong-part-5-becoming-a-better-liste...

Learning new characters and words from a list is rarely a good idea, but there are exceptions! Let's have a look at five types of vocabulary lists how to use them to learn Chinese. Link to article: ⁠ Vocabulary lists that help you learn Chinese and how to use them: https://www.hackingchinese.com/different-lists-for-learning-chinese/ #learnchinese #vocabulary #lists #characters #words Should yo...

Students often rely on lists to learn new Chinese characters and words. This can be useful in some situations, but there are also many problems with this approach. Link to article: Should you learn Chinese vocabulary from lists? https://www.hackingchinese.com/should-you-learn-chinese-vocabulary-from-lists/ Kickstart your Chinese character learning with the 100 most common radicals: https://www.hac...

I learnt a lot in my first year in Taiwan, but the more I learnt, the more I realised that a single year would not be enough. Link to article: ⁠⁠⁠⁠How I learnt Chinese, part 4: My second year in Taiwan: https://www.hackingchinese.com/i-learnt-chinese-part-4%ef%bc%9a-second-year-taiwan/ #learnchinese #mystory #taiwan #languagelearningjourney Chinese speaking challenge, April 2023: https://www.hacki...

The general benefits of physical activity are of course well-known, but the more specific benefits for learning languages are often overlooked, so let's have a look at 6 benefits of learning Chinese through sports! Link to article: ⁠⁠⁠ 6 benefits of learning Chinese through sports: https://www.hackingchinese.com/practising-sports-to-learn-chinese/ #learnchinese #sports #physicalactivity Learni...

Methods for learning Chinese can be good because they are efficient, because they to focus on the right content, or because they are enjoyable, allowing you to spend more time. But no method is good in all these ways at once, so what should you do if you just don't like the most efficient method? Link to article: ⁠ Should you use an efficient method for learning Chinese even if you hate it? ht...

To communicate in Chinese, many skills need to work in unison, but trying to improve all of them at once is a recipe for frustration. Instead, limit your focus to make progress and stay motivated! Link to article: Don't try to improve everything at once when learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/dont-try-to-improve-everything-at-once-limit-your-focus/ #learnchinese #focus #progress #mot...

My second year of learning Chinese was largely spent in Taiwan, where I learnt a lot, despite not always using the best approach. Link to article: How I learnt Chinese, part 3: My first year in Taiwan: https://www.hackingchinese.com/i-learnt-chinese-part-3-first-year-taiwan/ #learnchinese #mystory #taiwan #languagelearningjourney Chinese reading challenge, March 2023: https://www.hackingchinese.co...