The best Chinese dictionary apps and sites (and what each is for)
Pleco, LinZi, MDBG and the rest: an honest guide to Chinese-English dictionaries - which app to install and when you need more than one.
Tools·
October 20, 2026·
7 min read
Simplified vs Traditional Chinese: which script should you learn?
Simplified or Traditional characters - who writes what, how different they really are, and how to learn both without doubling the work.
Characters·
October 21, 2026·
8 min read
HSK levels explained: what HSK 3.0 changed and the word counts
HSK 1 through 9 in plain terms: the 2021 syllabus change, word counts per level, what each band means for reading and conversation, and where to get the lists.
Exams·
October 21, 2026·
7 min read
TOCFL vs HSK: which Chinese exam should you take?
TOCFL (Taiwan) vs HSK (mainland China): how the bands map, where the vocabularies actually diverge, and which test your goals point to.
Exams·
October 22, 2026·
6 min read
Pinyin vs Zhuyin (Bopomofo): which transcription should you learn?
Pinyin and zhuyin 注音 describe the same sounds two ways - how the systems differ, which to learn for mainland vs Taiwan study, and how long the second one takes.
Pronunciation·
October 22, 2026·
6 min read
Mandarin tones explained: the four tones and how to hear them
A working guide to Mandarin tones: what the four tones actually do, why tone pairs are the real training unit, the third-tone sandhi, and drills that build them.
Pronunciation·
October 23, 2026·
7 min read
Spaced repetition for Mandarin: how SRS works and how to make it stick
Why spaced repetition is the most efficient way to build Chinese vocabulary, what FSRS does differently, and how to set a daily pace that lasts.
Method·
October 24, 2026·
7 min read
Chengyu: the four-character idioms that carry real Chinese
Chengyu 成语 compress whole stories into four characters - why they matter for fluency, which ones to learn first, and how to study them without drowning in thousands.
Vocabulary·
October 25, 2026·
6 min read
Learning Mandarin for Taiwan: Traditional characters, zhuyin and TOCFL
Taiwan Mandarin needs a different stack than mainland courses assume - Traditional script, zhuyin, different words and readings.
Taiwan·
October 25, 2026·
7 min read
Chinese internet slang worth knowing (and where it comes from)
666, yyds, 内卷, 躺平 and the number codes - a working vocabulary of Chinese internet slang, what it means, where it came from, and how natives actually use it.
Vocabulary·
October 26, 2026·
6 min read
How to learn Chinese: the method that actually works
A realistic method for learning Mandarin - sounds first, characters by component, vocabulary by spaced review, and input you can actually finish.
Method·
October 27, 2026·
8 min read
Is Chinese hard to learn? The honest difficulty map
Chinese is hard where English speakers have no instinct - tones, characters, listening - and easy where languages usually fight you: grammar.
Method·
October 27, 2026·
6 min read
How long does it take to learn Chinese? Realistic timelines by goal
Survival phrases in weeks, conversation in a year, comfortable reading in two - the hours behind each milestone and what speeds them up.
Method·
October 28, 2026·
6 min read
How to learn Chinese for free: the complete no-cost stack
Every stage of Mandarin - sounds, characters, vocabulary, reading, listening - can be covered without paying anything. The genuinely free resources that work.
Method·
October 28, 2026·
6 min read
The best apps to learn Chinese in 2026, honestly compared
LinZi, Pleco, HelloChinese, Du Chinese, Anki and the rest - what each app actually does well and which combination fits your goal.
Tools·
October 29, 2026·
7 min read
How to memorize Chinese characters: the component method
Nobody memorizes thousands of pictures - characters are assembled from a small kit of components. The method that scales to 3,000.
Characters·
October 29, 2026·
7 min read
The 8 Chinese learning mistakes that stall most learners
Ignoring tones, memorizing whole characters, trusting English word order - the recurring errors that separate learners who progress from learners who plateau.
Method·
October 30, 2026·
6 min read
Is there a Chinese alphabet? How Chinese writing actually works
Chinese has no alphabet - it has characters. What replaces letters, how sounds are written in pinyin and zhuyin, and how the system actually encodes Mandarin.
Characters·
October 31, 2026·
6 min read
How many Chinese characters are there (and how many you need)
The dictionary holds 90,000+ characters - but daily life runs on about 2,500. The real counts at every level, from menus to novels.
Characters·
October 31, 2026·
6 min read
The most common Chinese characters (and how far each hundred gets you)
The highest-frequency hanzi, what each tier covers, and which characters to learn first - with dictionary links for every one.
Characters·
November 1, 2026·
6 min read
Chinese radicals explained: the 214-piece key to every character
What radicals actually are, which ones matter most, and how the radical-phonetic pattern lets you read characters you have never seen.
Characters·
November 1, 2026·
7 min read
Chinese stroke order: the 8 rules that cover (almost) every character
Stroke order is not arbitrary - a handful of rules generate all of it. The rules, the exceptions that matter, and how to practice writing.
Characters·
November 2, 2026·
6 min read
How to type in Chinese: pinyin, zhuyin, handwriting and stroke input
Every way to type hanzi on phones and computers - pinyin IMEs, bopomofo, handwriting, Wubi - plus the setup steps that actually work.
Method·
November 2, 2026·
6 min read
Chinese lookalike characters: the pairs everyone confuses
未/末, 己/已/巳, 拔/拨, 入/人 - the lookalike pairs that trip every learner, plus the polyphone characters that change reading mid-word.
Characters·
November 3, 2026·
6 min read
Chinese grammar rules: what is easy, what is actually different
No conjugation, no gender, no plural agreement - Chinese grammar is simpler than you feared, except where it is completely different.
Grammar·
November 3, 2026·
7 min read
Chinese sentence structure: word order rules that actually hold
Subject-verb-object with the topic up front, time and place before the verb, and questions without inversion - the word order rules Mandarin actually runs on.
Grammar·
November 4, 2026·
6 min read
Chinese question words: 什么, 谁, 哪, 怎么, 为什么 and the rest
Every Mandarin question word with real examples - and the golden rule that they stay where the answer goes.
Grammar·
November 4, 2026·
6 min read
了, 过, 着 explained: Chinese aspect markers without the jargon
了 is not "past tense" - it marks a completed event or a new situation. The three aspect markers with the examples that finally make them click.
Grammar·
November 5, 2026·
7 min read
的, 得, 地: the three DE particles and when to use each
Three homophones, three jobs: possession, manner adverbs, and result complements. How to keep 的得地 straight in writing.
Grammar·
November 5, 2026·
6 min read
把 and 被 sentences: the two constructions every learner hits at HSK 4
The disposal construction and the passive - when 把 and 被 appear, why word order flips, and the examples that make both natural.
Grammar·
November 6, 2026·
6 min read
Chinese pronouns: 我你他 and everything around them
The personal pronouns, the 们 rule that is not a plural, possessive 的, and the politeness difference between 你 and 您.
Grammar·
November 6, 2026·
5 min read
Chinese sentence-final particles: 吗, 呢, 吧, 啊 and what they do
The little syllables at the end of Mandarin sentences - questions, softeners, suggestions and mood markers, with examples.
Grammar·
November 7, 2026·
6 min read
Pinyin pronunciation guide: every sound English gets wrong
Initials, finals and the sounds with no English equivalent - q, x, zh, c, r, ü - plus how tone marks actually work.
Pronunciation·
November 7, 2026·
7 min read
Chinese tone change rules: sandhi that textbooks under-teach
Third-tone sandhi, the 不 and 一 shift rules, and neutral tone - the sound changes between dictionary tone and spoken Mandarin.
Pronunciation·
November 8, 2026·
6 min read
Chinese tongue twisters that actually train your tones
四是四, 妈妈骑马, 红凤凰 - the classic 绕口令 with what each one drills, plus where to hear them read at speed.
Pronunciation·
November 8, 2026·
5 min read
Chinese punctuation: ，。、「」 and the marks that differ from English
The full-width punctuation Mandarin uses - the enumeration comma, book-title brackets, and why 。 is a circle.
Grammar·
November 9, 2026·
4 min read
How to say thank you (and "you're welcome") in Chinese
谢谢 and its variants - 多谢, 感谢, 谢啦 - plus the three ways to answer thanks and when thanks are actually skipped.
Phrases·
November 10, 2026·
5 min read
No word for "yes" or "no" in Chinese - what to say instead
Mandarin answers yes/no questions by echoing the verb - the system behind 是, 对, 好, 可以, 没有 and 不.
Phrases·
November 10, 2026·
5 min read
How to say I love you in Chinese - and what people actually say
我爱你 exists but is rarely said out loud. The phrases Mandarin speakers really use for love, liking, and everything in between.
Phrases·
November 11, 2026·
5 min read
Happy birthday in Chinese - the song, the wishes, and the customs
祝你生日快乐, the four-line song that maps 1:1 onto the English tune, and the birthday phrases beyond it.
Phrases·
November 11, 2026·
5 min read
The Chinese travel phrases that get you through a trip
Directions, tickets, hotels, emergencies - the two dozen survival phrases that cover a week in China, with the characters to show a driver.
Phrases·
November 12, 2026·
6 min read
How to order food in Chinese: restaurant phrases that work
Getting a table, ordering, dietary needs, and the check - the complete restaurant script, from 服务员 to 买单.
Phrases·
November 12, 2026·
6 min read
How to bargain in Chinese: market phrases and the ritual
太贵了, 便宜一点, 最低多少钱 - the bargaining script for Chinese markets, and where bargaining is and is not done.
Phrases·
November 13, 2026·
5 min read
Chinese numbers 1-100 (and the 万 rule English never has)
Counting in Mandarin is perfectly regular to 9,999 - then 万 changes the base. The table, the hand gestures, and the two-èr rule.
Vocabulary·
November 14, 2026·
6 min read
Days, months and dates in Chinese: the regularity you wish English had
Months are numbers, weekdays are numbered, dates read big-to-small - the whole Chinese calendar vocabulary in ten minutes.
Vocabulary·
November 14, 2026·
5 min read
Telling time in Chinese: 点, 分, 半 and the 差 rule
几点了? - clock time, duration, and the one difference between 点钟 and 小时 that learners mix up.
Vocabulary·
November 15, 2026·
5 min read
Colors in Chinese: the words, the 色 suffix, and what colors mean
红黄蓝绿 and the rest - how color words work grammatically, and the cultural meanings that make 红色 lucky and 绿帽子 a warning.
Vocabulary·
November 15, 2026·
5 min read
The 12 Chinese zodiac animals: order, characters, and how to ask
鼠牛虎兔龙蛇马羊猴鸡狗猪 - the cycle, how to ask someone's sign, and why 属龙 is a compliment.
Culture·
November 16, 2026·
5 min read
Chinese New Year greetings: what to say beyond 新年快乐
新年快乐, 恭喜发财, 万事如意 - the Spring Festival phrases, who to say them to, and the red-envelope vocabulary.
Culture·
November 17, 2026·
5 min read
Chinese names explained: surname first, and how to choose one
Family name, then given name - the structure, the 100 common surnames, what makes a good given name, and how learners pick a Chinese name.
Culture·
November 17, 2026·
6 min read
Chinese superstitions: lucky 8, deadly 4, and the gift taboos
Why 4 is avoided and 8 costs extra, which gifts are insults, and the homophone logic behind all of it.
Culture·
November 18, 2026·
5 min read
Chinese proverbs worth learning (and how they differ from chengyu)
The sayings Chinese actually quotes - 俗语 and 谚语 with meanings, plus how they differ from the four-character chengyu canon.
Culture·
November 18, 2026·
5 min read
Cantonese vs Mandarin: same writing, different languages
Mutual unintelligibility, 6-9 tones vs 4, and which to learn first - the honest comparison for a common question.
Comparisons·
November 19, 2026·
6 min read
Chinese vs Japanese: shared characters, zero shared grammar
Kanji came from China and so did half the vocabulary - but the two languages are unrelated. What transfers for learners and what does not.
Comparisons·
November 19, 2026·
6 min read
Chinese "dialects": the language family inside one country
Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hokkien and the rest - what "dialect" really means in China and which ones matter to learners.
Comparisons·
November 20, 2026·
6 min read
How to learn Chinese with TV and movies: the subtitle method
C-dramas and films as study material - which genres work, how to use dual subtitles, and the shows learners actually watch.
Media·
November 21, 2026·
5 min read
The best Chinese textbooks for self-study: the field honestly reviewed
Integrated Chinese, NPCR, HSK Standard Course, A Course in Contemporary Chinese - which textbook fits which learner.
Media·
November 21, 2026·
6 min read