Hacking Chinese Podcast

When Chinese characters appear next to Pinyin, the familiar letters distract us from the characters. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could keep information about the tones, but throw Pinyin away? Link to article: Focusing on Mandarin tones without being distracted by Pinyin : https://www.hackingchinese.com/focusing-on-mandarin-tones-without-being-distracted-by-pinyin/ #learnchinese #pinyin #tones #readi...

You should be responsible for your own learning, and if you outsource that to someone else, the results might be disastrous. This might sound obvious, but I think the problem is widely overlooked, especially by students enrolled in language courses. Link to article: Take responsibility for your Chinese learning now : https://www.hackingchinese.com/take-responsibility-for-your-own-learning/ #learnc...

Learning Chinese as a beginner can be confusing. Here are answers to 50 common questions asked by new learners! Link to article: 50 beginner questions about learning Chinese : https://www.hackingchinese.com/50-beginner-questions-about-learning-chinese/ #learnchinese #beginner #questions Unlocking Chinese: The Ultimate Course for Beginners: https://unlockingchinese.com Hacking Chinese Pronunciation...

Which transcription system should you use when learning Mandarin: Pinyin, Zhuyin or perhaps IPA? Let’s discuss their pros and cons! Link to article 1: Learning to pronounce Mandarin with Pinyin, Zhuyin and IPA: Part 1 : https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-to-pronounce-mandarin-with-pinyin-zhuyin-and-ipa-part-1/ Link to article 2: Learning to pronounce Mandarin with Pinyin, Zhuyin and IPA: Part...

Games are great for learning languages. Here are ten ways you can use games to learn or teach Chinese as a second language! Link to article: 10 ways of using games to learn and teach Chinese : https://www.hackingchinese.com/10-ways-using-games-learn-teach-chinese/ #learnchinese #games How to improve fluency in Chinese by playing word games: https://www.hackingchinese.com/playing-word-games-to-prac...

How do you stop translating in your head? Is it worthwhile to study a Pinyin chart? And how do you learn traditional characters after learning simplified? Link to article: Hacking Chinese Podcast two-year anniversary Q&A :  https://www.hackingchinese.com/hacking-chinese-podcast-two-year-anniversary-qa/ #learnchinese #chinesecharacters #translation #pinyin A list of all episodes can be fou...

Whole books have been written about how the Chinese writing system works, and really understanding Chinese is a lifelong adventure, but what do you do as a beginner when asked to memorise a list of characters and words? Here are eight easy-to-follow strategies! Link to article: How to learn Chinese characters as a beginner : https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-to-learn-chinese-characters-as-a-begin...

There are many ways of writing down the tones of Mandarin beyond the standard tone marks. Which are they and what pros and cons do they have for learners? Link to article: 7 ways to write Mandarin tones : https://www.hackingchinese.com/7-ways-to-write-mandarin-tones/ #learnchinese #tones #marks #letters What’s the difference between Chinese pronunciation and Pinyin? Does it matter? https://www.hac...

When learning Chinese, questions about the language pop up all the time, but what's the best way to answer them? Link to article: Chinese language question triage: When to ask whom about what : https://www.hackingchinese.com/language-question-triage-general-guidelines/ #learnchinese #questions #answers #triage 5 websites to help answer your questions about Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/5...

A good  principle for choosing what to learn is to focus on the most useful things first, but how do you know what's most useful? Frequency lists can be helpful, but are often misused. Link to article:   The most common Chinese words, characters and components for language learners and teachers : https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-most-common-chinese-words-characters-and-components-for-l...

Being fluent in Chinese is more about being good at applying what you know, rather than knowing everything. Many students focus too much on learning new things, and neglect mastering what they've already learnt. Link to article: How to become fluent in Chinese : https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-to-become-fluent-in-chinese/ #learnchinese #fluency #fourstrands Which words you should learn and wher...

Making mistakes is a natural part of learning Chinese, but how can you make sure you learn as much as possible from the mistakes you make? The answer can be anything from "ignore it" to "stop everything you're doing and get to the bottom of it", and it all depends on what kind of mistake you've made! Link to article:   How to get honest feedback to boost your Chinese speaking and writing : ht...

Chinese characters are beautiful, but they take a long time to learn, especially if you want to be able to write them by hand. But do you actually need handwriting? When might you be required to write by hand? And are there any other benefits with handwriting that might make it all worthwhile? Link to article: Do you have to learn to write Chinese characters by hand? https://www.hackingchinese.com...

When learning a language, it's important to know many words, but it's also important that you learn the right words. How do you know which words to learn? Where should you find those words? And how much can you express using only the ten hundred most used words? Link to article: Which words you should learn and where to find them : https://www.hackingchinese.com/which-words-you-should-learn-in-and...

A textbook can only provide a sliver of the content and activities you need to learn Chinese, but rather than throwing your textbook away, try using several of them in parallel. Link to article: Why you should use more than one Chinese textbook : https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-use-more-than-one-chinese-textbook/ #learnchinese #textbooks #input #reading #listening Analyse and balance...

When learning Chinese, it’s hard to make sure you’re doing the right things. Paul Nation’s four strands allow you analyse and balance your learning! Link to article: Analyse and balance your Chinese learning with Paul Nation's four strands : https://www.hackingchinese.com/analyse-and-balance-your-chinese-learning-with-paul-nations-four-strands #learnchinese #fourstrands #sla #input #output #fluenc...

As if learning basic tones wasn't enough, tones in Mandarin also influence each other and change depending on context. Some of these tone change rules you have to learn, but others are better left alone and will be absorbed naturally over time. Link to article: On accuracy, communication and comprehensibility when learning Chinese : https://www.hackingchinese.com/on-accuracy-communication-and-comp...

As if learning basic tones wasn't enough, tones in Mandarin also influence each other and change depending on context. Some of these tone change rules you have to learn, but others are better left alone and will be absorbed naturally over time. Link to article: Obligatory and optional tone change rules in Mandarin : https://www.hackingchinese.com/optional-obligatory-tone-change-rules-mandarin/ #le...

Listening is probably the most important skill when learning Chinese, and the more you practise, the better. In order to listen as much as you should, you need to stop thinking about listening as a study activity and start thinking about it as a way of life! Link to article: How to find more time to practise Chinese listening : https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-to-find-more-time-to-practise-liste...

Authentic texts not written specifically for second language learners are rich, varied, interesting and engaging, but they can also be terribly difficult and confusing. Should you use such texts for learning Chinese, or are you better off using content tailored to language learners? Link to article: Are authentic texts good for learning Chinese or is graded content better? https://www.hackingchine...

Reading in Chinese has many benefits, but why you read should also inform your choice of what to read. Link to article: What to read to improve your Chinese and why : https://www.hackingchinese.com/what-to-read-to-improve-your-chinese-and-why #learnchinese #reading #comprehensibility #authenticity The 7 best Chinese reading resources for beginners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/beginner-chinese-r...

Tones in Chinese can be hard to master, but did you know that most of what you need is contained in just twenty words? Link to article: How to learn Chinese pronunciation as a beginner : https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-pronunciation-as-a-beginner/ #learnchinese #pronunciation #beginner #tones Hacking Chinese Pronunciation: Speaking with Confidence: https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/ma...

Tones in Chinese can be hard to master, but did you know that most of what you need is contained in just twenty words? Link to article: Focusing on tone pairs to improve your Mandarin pronunciation: https://www.hackingchinese.com/focusing-on-tone-pairs-to-improve-your-mandarin-pronunciation/ #learnchinese #tones #tonepairs #pronunciation Link to pronunciation course: Hacking Chinese Pronunciation:...

Many students think that learning a language is limited to going to class, working your way through difficult texts or having conversations with native speakers. These all contribute to your learning, but learning is not limited to things you can schedule in your calendar. If you think of it like that, you'll miss so many learning opportunities! Link to article: Time quality: Studying the right th...

Finding the right resources for learning and teaching Chinese can be tricky considering how much there is on offer. How do you find resources suitable for your level, apps designed to help you meet a particular challenge, or information and advice in general? You go to Hacking Chinese Resources, of course, which features 500 resources for learning and teaching Chinese, tagged by level, topic and t...