2025 has come to an end. Which were the most popular articles on Hacking Chinese last year? The most popular podcast episodes? It's time to summarise the year that was and highlight the things you really shouldn’t miss!

#learnchinese #2025 #bestof #hackingchinese

Link to article on Hacking Chinese: Best of Hacking Chinese 2025: https://www.hackingchinese.com/best-of-hacking-chinese-2025/

All articles on Hacking Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/archive-2

Hacking Chinese Resources: http://resources.hackingchinese.com/

Hacking Chinese Challenges: https://challenges.hackingchinese.com/

Zi.Tools: A powerful free resource for exploring Chinese characters: https://www.hackingchinese.com/zi-tools-a-powerful-free-resource-for-exploring-chinese-characters

Classroom Mandarin: Essential expressions for learning Chinese in Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/classroom-mandarin-essential-expressions-for-learning-chinese-in-chinese

Using AI chatbots for low-stress Mandarin speaking practice: https://www.hackingchinese.com/using-ai-chatbots-for-low-stress-mandarin-speaking-practice

Learning Chinese through comprehensible input: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-chinese-comprehensible-input

The best YouTube channels for learning Chinese in 2025: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-best-youtube-channels-for-learning-chinese

Love and language: Challenges and opportunities in learning Chinese with a partner: https://www.hackingchinese.com/language-learning-with-a-chinese-girlfriend-or-boyfriend

16 reasons to learn to write Chinese characters by hand: https://www.hackingchinese.com/reasons-to-learn-to-write-chinese-characters-by-hand

7 characteristics of a great chinese tutor or private teacher: https://www.hackingchinese.com/characteristics-of-a-great-chinese-tutor-or-private-teacher

16 myths about learning Chinese that are holding you back: https://www.hackingchinese.com/myths-about-learning-chinese-that-are-holding-you-back

What a big Rubik’s Cube taught me about Chinese characters: https://www.hackingchinese.com/what-a-big-rubiks-cube-taught-me-about-chinese-characters

4, 3, 2, 1: Fluency! A great technique to boost your Mandarin speaking ability: https://www.hackingchinese.com/4-3-2-1-fluency-a-great-technique-for-boost-your-mandarin-speaking-ability

How to improve your Mandarin speaking skills with a tutor: https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-to-improve-your-mandarin-speaking-skills-with-a-tutor

The three roads to mastering Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-three-roads-to-mastering-chinese

The Input Pyramid: Chinese Listening for Any Situation: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-input-pyramid-chinese-listening-for-any-situation

Courses on Hacking Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses

More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

How is it possible to spend 80 hours a week learning Chinese? And what can you learn from that, even if you're busy juggling work, family and other commitments?

#learnchinese #immersion #busylife

Link to article on Hacking Chinese: Diversify how you study Chinese to learn more: https://www.hackingchinese.com/diversified-learning-is-smart-learning/

Learning Chinese in the shower with me: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-chinese-in-the-shower-with-me/

Learning Chinese through comprehensible input: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-chinese-comprehensible-input/

Three factors that decide how much Chinese you learn: https://www.hackingchinese.com/three-factors-decide-much-chinese-learn/

Time quality: Studying the right thing at the right time: https://www.hackingchinese.com/time-quality-and-studying-chinese/

The time barrel: How to find more time to study Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-time-barrel-you-have-more-time-than-you-think/

The forking path: A human approach to learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-forking-path-a-human-approach-to-learning-chinese/

The 10 best free Chinese listening resources for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-10-best-free-chinese-listening-resources-for-beginner-intermediate-and-advanced-learners/

Free and easy audio flashcards for Chinese dictation practice with Anki: https://www.hackingchinese.com/free-and-easy-audio-flashcards-for-chinese-dictation-practice-with-anki/

Using memory aids and mnemonics to make Chinese easier: https://www.hackingchinese.com/memory-aids-and-mnemonics-to-enhance-learning/

Immersion at home or: Why you don’t have to go abroad to learn Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/immersion-at-home-or-why-you-dont-have-to-go-abroad/

The new paperless revolution in Chinese reading: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-new-paperless-revolution-in-chinese-reading/

More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

You can build vocabulary in Chinese with flashcard apps and spaced repetition, but reading is more effective and more enjoyable. It helps you recognise words, understand how they work in context and build your sense of how the language works.

#learnchinese #reading #vocabulary #srs #flashcards #wordswing

Link to article on Hacking Chinese: Reading is a lot like spaced repetition, only better: https://www.hackingchinese.com/reading-is-a-lot-like-spaced-repetition-only-better/

WordSwing: https://wordswing.com/

Anki: https://apps.ankiweb.net/

Mapping the terra incognita of Chinese vocabulary: https://www.hackingchinese.com/mapping-the-terra-incognita-of-vocabulary

An introduction to extensive reading for Chinese learners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/introduction-extensive-reading-chinese-learners

Spaced repetition software and why you should use it: https://www.hackingchinese.com/an-introduction-to-spaced-repetition-software

Five text games for Chinese learners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/five-text-games-for-chinese-learners

More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

How long does it take to learn a Chinese character or word? It varies, but some vocabulary just refuses to stick, no matter what you do. These are called leeches, and if you don't deal with them, they'll suck you dry.

#learnchinese #leeches #vocabulary #flashcards #srs

Link to article on Hacking Chinese: Chinese characters and words that refuse to stick: Killing leeches: https://www.hackingchinese.com/killing-leeches/

Why flashcards are great for learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-flashcards-are-great-for-learning-chinese

Anki, the best of spaced repetition software: https://www.hackingchinese.com/anki-a-friendly-intelligent-spaced-learning-system

Spaced repetition software and why you should use it: https://www.hackingchinese.com/an-introduction-to-spaced-repetition-software

Anki documentation about leeches: .html: https://docs.ankiweb.net/leeches.html?highlight=review+mode

Skritter review: Boosting your Chinese character learning: https://www.hackingchinese.com/skritter-chinese-review-boosting-your-character-learning

Dealing with Chinese characters you keep mixing up: https://www.hackingchinese.com/dealing-with-chinese-characters-you-keep-mixing-up

About cheating, spaced repetition and learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/about-cheating-spaced-repetition-and-learning-chinese

The building blocks of Chinese, part 1: Chinese characters and words in a nutshell: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-building-blocks-of-chinese-part-1-chinese-characters-and-words-in-a-nutshell

Same building blocks, different characters: How component placement changes meaning in Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/memory-aids-and-mnemonics-to-enhance-learning

7 mistakes I made when writing Chinese characters and what I learnt from them: https://www.hackingchinese.com/7-mistakes-i-made-when-writing-chinese-characters-and-what-i-learnt-from-them

Cultivate your Chinese flashcard garden… or burn it down and start afresh: https://www.hackingchinese.com/cultivate-your-chinese-flashcard-garden-or-burn-it-down-and-start-afresh

More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

Everybody knows that knowing many words is important, but how important is it? And how should you expand your vocabulary in Chinese?

#learnchinese #vocabulary #words #characters

Link to article on Hacking Chinese: Learning Chinese words: When quantity beats quality: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-importance-of-knowing-many-words/

Anki, the best of spaced repetition software: https://www.hackingchinese.com/anki-a-friendly-intelligent-spaced-learning-system

An introduction to comprehension-based Chinese teaching and learning: https://www.hackingchinese.com/introduction-comprehension-based-chinese-teaching-learning

Seeing through the illusion of advanced Chinese learning: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-illusion-of-advanced-learning-and-what-to-do-about-it

When spaced repetition fails, and what to do about it: https://www.hackingchinese.com/when-spaced-repetition-fails-and-what-to-do-about-it

Free and easy audio flashcards for Chinese dictation practice with Anki: https://www.hackingchinese.com/free-and-easy-audio-flashcards-for-chinese-dictation-practice-with-anki

Review: Mandarin Companion: Easy to read novels in Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/review-mandarin-companion-easy-to-read-novels-in-chinese

An introduction to extensive reading for Chinese learners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/introduction-extensive-reading-chinese-learners

8 great ways to scaffold your Chinese listening and reading: https://www.hackingchinese.com/8-great-ways-scaffold-chinese-learning

More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

Chinese characters are beautiful and fascinating, but learning to write them by hand is time-consuming. If you want to learn to write Chinese characters by hand with the least possible time investment, what's the best approach?

#learnchinese #characters #hanzi #handwriting #strategy

A minimum-effort approach to writing Chinese characters by hand: https://www.hackingchinese.com/a-minimum-effort-approach-to-writing-chinese-characters-by-hand

The building blocks of Chinese, part 1: Chinese characters and words in a nutshell: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-building-blocks-of-chinese-part-1-chinese-characters-and-words-in-a-nutshell

My best advice on how to learn Chinese characters: https://www.hackingchinese.com/my-best-advice-on-how-to-learn-chinese-characters

16 reasons to learn to write Chinese characters by hand: https://www.hackingchinese.com/reasons-to-learn-to-write-chinese-characters-by-hand

Do you have to learn to write Chinese characters by hand? https://www.hackingchinese.com/is-it-necessary-to-learn-to-write-chinese-characters-by-hand

How to improve your Chinese handwriting: https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-to-improve-your-chinese-handwriting

An introduction to extensive reading for Chinese learners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/introduction-extensive-reading-chinese-learners

What to read to improve your Chinese and why: https://www.hackingchinese.com/what-to-read-to-improve-your-chinese-and-why

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

How to learn Zhuyin (Bopomofo) in two hours: https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-to-learn-zhuyin-bopomofo-in-two-hours

Phonetic components, part 1: The key to 80% of all Chinese characters: http://www.hackingchinese.com/phonetic-components-part-1-the-key-to-80-of-all-chinese-characters

Spaced repetition software and why you should use it: http://www.hackingchinese.com/an-introduction-to-spaced-repetition-software

Skritter review: Boosting your Chinese character learning: http://www.hackingchinese.com/boosting-your-character-learning-with-skritter

Learning to write Chinese characters through communication: http://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-to-write-chinese-characters-through-communication

Real communication: What it is, why you want it and how to get it: https://www.hackingchinese.com/real-communication-what-it-is-why-you-want-it-and-how-to-get-it

More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

Flashcards are powerful, but what if your deck feels more like an overgrown thicket than a carefully cultivated garden? Do you clear away the weeds and bring it back under control, or burn it all down and start afresh?

#learnchinese #vocabulary #flashcards #srs #characters #words

Link to the article on Hacking Chinese: Cultivate your Chinese flashcard garden... or burn it down and start afresh: https://www.hackingchinese.com/cultivate-your-chinese-flashcard-garden-or-burn-it-down-and-start-afresh/

Why flashcards are great for learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-flashcards-are-great-for-learning-chinese

Why flashcards are terrible for learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-flashcards-are-bad-for-learning-chinese

Which words you should learn and where to find them: https://www.hackingchinese.com/which-words-you-should-learn-in-and-where-to-find-them

Spaced repetition software and why you should use it: https://www.hackingchinese.com/an-introduction-to-spaced-repetition-software

Why manually adding and editing flashcards is good for you: https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-manually-adding-and-editing-flashcards-is-good-for-you

Do you have to learn to write Chinese characters by hand? https://www.hackingchinese.com/is-it-necessary-to-learn-to-write-chinese-characters-by-hand

Free and easy audio flashcards for Chinese dictation practice with Anki: https://www.hackingchinese.com/free-and-easy-audio-flashcards-for-chinese-dictation-practice-with-anki

Learning Chinese words: When quantity beats quality: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-importance-of-knowing-many-words

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

Measuring your language learning is a double-edged sword: https://www.hackingchinese.com/measurable-progress-is-a-double-edged-sword

6 benefits of learning Chinese through sports: https://www.hackingchinese.com/practising-sports-to-learn-chinese

Skritter review: Boosting your Chinese character learning: https://www.hackingchinese.com/skritter-chinese-review-boosting-your-character-learning

More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

Do you want to speak Mandarin fluently, no matter what your level is? Use the 4/3/2 technique to build confidence and flow!

#learnchinese #fluency #fluent #432 #speaking #paulnation

Link to the article on Hacking Chinese: How to talk about Chinese characters in Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/talk-chinese-characters-chinese/

How to become fluent in Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-to-become-fluent-in-chinese

How to improve fluency in Chinese by playing word games: https://www.hackingchinese.com/playing-word-games-to-practise-fluency

Learning Chinese through comprehensible input: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-chinese-comprehensible-input

How narrow reading and listening can help you bridge the gap to real Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/narrow-listening-reading-can-help-learn-chinese

Hone your Chinese writing ability by writing summaries: https://www.hackingchinese.com/hone-your-chinese-writing-ability-by-writing-summaries

En route to spoken fluency via task repetition – the ‘4, 3, 2 technique’ and ‘Market place’ (The Language Gym): https://gianfrancoconti.com/2017/03/04/en-route-to-spoken-fluency-via-task-repetition-the-4-3-2-technique-and-market-place

More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

How do native speakers talk about Chinese characters?

The writing system is not phonetic, so you can't spell out words, but it is still possible to talk about Chinese characters.

Let's explore how!

#learnchinese #characters #hanzi #spoken

Link to the article on Hacking Chinese: How to talk about Chinese characters in Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/talk-chinese-characters-chinese/

The building blocks of Chinese, part 2: Basic characters, components and radicals: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-building-blocks-of-chinese-part-2-basic-characters-components-and-radicals

The building blocks of Chinese, part 3: Compound characters: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-chinese-characters

Should you learn the names of the strokes in Chinese characters: https://www.hackingchinese.com/should-you-learn-the-names-of-the-strokes-in-chinese-characters

Kickstart your Chinese character learning with the 100 most common radicals: http://www.hackingchinese.com/kickstart-your-character-learning-with-the-100-most-common-radicals

More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

Going abroad to learn Chinese in an immersion environment can be great, but unless you plan to stay for years, you might be better off delaying your trip.

#learnchinese #immersion #travel #abroad #home

Link to the article on Hacking Chinese: Why not going to China now could actually be good for your Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-not-going-to-china-now-could-actually-be-good-for-your-chinese/

You wont learn chinese simply by living abroad: https://www.hackingchinese.com/you-wont-learn-chinese-simply-by-living-abroad

Free and easy audio flashcards for Chinese dictation practice with Anki: https://www.hackingchinese.com/free-and-easy-audio-flashcards-for-chinese-dictation-practice-with-anki

Skritter review: Boosting your Chinese character learning: https://www.hackingchinese.com/skritter-review-boosting-your-character-learning

Will a Chinese-only rule improve your learning? https://www.hackingchinese.com/are-chinese-only-rules-good-for-learning

An introduction to comprehension-based Chinese teaching and learning: https://www.hackingchinese.com/introduction-comprehension-based-chinese-teaching-learning

Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 6: Why is listening in Chinese so hard? https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-is-listening-in-chinese-so-hard

Which Chinese language course should you take? https://www.hackingchinese.com/which-chinese-language-course-should-you-take

How I learnt Chinese, part 3: My first year in Taiwan: https://www.hackingchinese.com/i-learnt-chinese-part-3-first-year-taiwan

Unlocking Chinese: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/unlocking-chinese-ultimate-guide-beginner

Immersion at home or: Why you don’t have to go abroad to learn Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/immersion-at-home-or-why-you-dont-have-to-go-abroad

More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)