Podcast Episodes

75 - Two reasons why pronunciation matters more than you think

Season 1 Episode 75

Pronunciation is usually limited to the first few weeks of a Chinese course, which is a pity, because clear pronunciation is important, whether or not you’ve studied for a week or a decade.

Link to a…

Published on 3 years, 9 months ago

74 - My best advice on how to learn Chinese characters

Season 1 Episode 74

Learning to read and write Chinese is a complex task with many layers, and there’s a risk of not seeing the forest for the trees, so let’s zoom out a bit and look at the bigger picture!

Link to artic…

Published on 3 years, 10 months ago

73 - How to improve fluency in Chinese by playing word games

Season 1 Episode 73

What if I told you that there is a game that helps you speak Chinese more fluently, is great for improving communicative ability and works well regardless of your current level? What if I said that t…

Published on 3 years, 10 months ago

72 - The building blocks of Chinese, part 6: Learning and remembering compound words

Season 1 Episode 72

How many characters do you need to know to be able to read Chinese? The truth is that characters only provide a foundation, so regardless of how many you know, you won't be able to read much unless y…

Published on 3 years, 10 months ago

71 - The building blocks of Chinese, part 5: Making sense of Chinese words

Season 1 Episode 71

How many characters do you need to know to be able to read Chinese? The truth is that characters only provide a foundation, so regardless of how many you know, you won't be able to read much unless y…

Published on 3 years, 10 months ago

70 - Why spaced repetition software is uniquely well suited to learning Chinese characters

Season 1 Episode 70

While spaced repetition software can be very useful, it also has some serious drawbacks. Fortunately, most of them don't apply to learning to write Chinese characters!

Link to article: Why spaced rep…

Published on 3 years, 11 months ago

69 - Should you learn the names of the strokes in Chinese characters?

Season 1 Episode 69

The best way to learn to read in Chinese is to read texts you can understand without constantly using a dictionary. As a beginner, such texts aren't easy to find, but let's have a look at the best re…

Published on 3 years, 11 months ago

68 - The 7 best Chinese reading resources for beginners

Season 1 Episode 68

The best way to learn to read in Chinese is to read texts you can understand without constantly using a dictionary. As a beginner, such texts aren't easy to find, but let's have a look at the best re…

Published on 3 years, 11 months ago

67 - 6 challenges students face when learning to read Chinese and how to overcome them

Season 1 Episode 67

When learning to read Chinese you will encounter several challenges, some of them unique to Chinese. What are these challenges, what do they mean for you as a student and how can you overcome them?

L…

Published on 3 years, 11 months ago

66 - Should you enrol in a Chinese course or are you better off learning on your own?

Season 1 Episode 66

Some people think enrolling in a course is the best way to learn Chinese, but others say that courses are useless, and swear by the effectiveness of self-studying. So should you enrol in a Chinese co…

Published on 4 years ago