Tag: language tools

Chinese text correction: ChatGPT vs professional Chinese teacher

Experiment: can ChatGPT correct my badly written Chinese texts better than a Chinese teacher?

Improving Chinese reading & writing: one month using maayot – a review

Maayot is a fairly new app that helps to improve your Chinese reading, writing and speaking. It is nicely designed and powered by a dedicated team in Hongkong. I tested it for one month. Here’s the summary of my experience learning Chinese with maayot.

Review: Hanping Chinese Pro + Hanping Camera + Hanping Popup

This summer I visited China and instead of using Pleco, I’ve been using Hanping Chinese Pro for a change, as well as testing Hanping Camera and Popup. Here’s my review of all three Hanping apps for Android.

Learning Chinese with ChatGPT – a game changer?

Is ChatGPT merely a hype or will the AI language model transform the way we learn Chinese and other foreign languages? What can it do and what can it do not? 5 ways it can assist with learning and practicing Chinese.

Why do so few non-native learners manage to truly master Chinese tones?

From all the people learning Chinese and reaching a relatively high level of proficiency only a few ever seem to truly master the Chinese tones. By that I mean they speak fully fluent and sound so “native” that it would fool native Chinese speakers. Why is that? Are Chinese tones just too damn hard or is it laziness on our part?

Preparing for HSK 6 with flashcards: 2500 words in 500 days?

How long does it take to learn all HSK 6 vocabulary by relying on a spaced repetition flashcard app like Daily Chinese? And can it work?

Reading Chinese web novels with Readibu

Want to read more authentic content in Chinese? Chinese novels, short stories and children stories written for native readers? For more intermediate and advanced learners the app Readibu has plenty of good reads to offer.

Best Chinese dictionary app

Learning Mandarin: what’s the best Chinese dictionary app?

Chinese dictionary apps are much more than mere translation tools. Which Chinese dictionary app offers the best features for your money’s worth?

My 2022 overview of resources for Mandarin Chinese (II)

My 2024 overview of resources for Mandarin Chinese (II)

Learning Mandarin and looking for a comprehensive overview of must-have learning resources? This is part two.

app review: DuShu vs Easy Chinese news

Reading Chinese: DuShu vs Easy Chinese News

You want to read and understand Chinese texts faster? In this post, I compare DuShu and Easy Chinese News and tell you from which one your reading skills benefit the most.

5 apps that help Chinese learners prepare for the HSK exam

6 apps to help you prepare for the HSK exam

The HSK test is a must for most Chinese learners. If you’re considering taking the HSK, you might be wondering which resources to use. These are 6 apps that help you prepare for the Chinese Proficiency Test.

Pleco flashcards: yes or no?

The Pleco Chinese dictionary is a crucial app for Chinese learners. What about the Pleco flashcards add-on though, is it worth spending 10 bucks? How essential is the ‘dictionary-flashcards combination’ to get to the next level(s)?

Two free online tools to hack Chinese texts

Reading difficult Chinese texts? These two free tools assist you reading and extracting value from any Chinese text you want to study in-depth.

11 things I wish I knew before starting to learn Mandarin

Learning Mandarin can be a loooong-term endeavor. Looking back on at least 8 years of learning Mandarin, there are a lot of things I wish I could have worked out earlier.

5 apps that help you to understand and write Chinese characters

Learning Chinese characters with high-quality apps that actually help? They are rare, but do exist.

Why you shouldn’t use Douyin (“the Chinese TikTok”) to improve your Mandarin

Can you use the Chinese version of TikTok as a tool for learning Mandarin? You cannot. Here’s why.

Vocabulary trainer app: Daily Chinese

It’s no secret that there’s a whole monkey jungle of apps for Chinese out there. Is this new vocabulary tool Daily Chinese any good? My answer: Yes, it is. Check out why!

Can you learn Chinese from a textbook?

Can you become fluent by studying the whole textbook series of Integrated Chinese from beginner to advanced level? And what about learning WITHOUT a textbook?

Chinese dictionary apps: Pleco vs Hanping Lite

You’re learning Chinese and looking for a Chinese dictionary app to install on your phone, but don’t want to spend any money?

Recommended: You Can Learn Chinese Podcast

I’m talking about the You Can Learn Chinese Podcast. It’s an expert panel for everything related to learning Mandarin.

DuShu: a powerful reading tool for Mandarin Chinese

Bored of reading the same Chinese textbooks, but Chinese newspapers and other texts are still too difficult? DuShu is a reader app that will take any Chinese text, break it down and make it readable.

Learning Chinese with flashcards: Anki vs Pleco

You are serious about learning Chinese and use spaced repetition to support your vocabulary learning? What’s the best flashcard app out there?

buddhist statue

Pleco’s graded reader: Journey to the West

Pleco’s abridged version of “Journey to the West” offers a well-priced and swift way to immortality which can be bought in your local app store.

The best pop-up dictionaries for learning Chinese

Hungry sharks never get lost in the vastness of the ocean. This web extension will help you navigate and sharpen your senses when fishing in Chinese waters…

Review: Chinese dictionary app Pleco

The popular English-Chinese dictionary app Pleco doesn’t need any more positive reviews, but I wrote one anyway.