Hacking Chinese Podcast

ChatGPT can offer valuable feedback on Mandarin word choice and grammar, but can it help you improve your pronunciation? #learnchinese #pronunciation #chatgpt Link to the article this podcast episode is based on: No...

Learning to pronounce Mandarin can be tricky, and if you misunderstand the link between spoken sounds and Pinyin spelling, it gets a lot worse. Let’s discuss nine questions about learning Chinese pronunciation...

Flashcards can teach you to write Chinese characters, but they can be boring and hide problems. Communicative handwriting is more engaging and prepares you for real-world tasks. #learnchinese #characters #hanzi...

Mountains, trees and rocks are easy to use in mnemonics. But what do you do with character components whose meanings are general, abstract or overlapping? #learnchinese #mnemonics #characters #components #vocabulary...

Listening to a podcast about learning Chinese is not the same as learning Chinese, so why spend your limited time on the Hacking Chinese Podcast? #learnchinese #podcast #hackingchinese Link to The Hacking Chinese...

90% of an iceberg is underwater, yet we mostly pay attention to the bit that sticks up. The same is true for proficiency in Chinese: speaking ability is easy to see, but relies on a much larger system underneath...

I have published a book! It's called Hacking Chinese: the Snake Collection and contains articles I wrote in 2025, the Year of the Snake. The articles cover a wide variety of topics, but Chinese characters, tutors and...

Most learners know they should “listen more”, but what they listen to matters. To improve, you need to make sense of spoken Mandarin, not listen to people explain Mandarin in English. #learnchinese #listening #podcast...

When we first start learning Chinese, each new character is hard to learn, but as we learn more, it gets easier. But a new problem soon appears: Mixing up similar characters. #learnchinese #characters #vocabulary...

Listening is the most important skill. To improve your listening ability in Chinese, you need to listen a lot, but how much should you listen every day? #learnchinese #listening #time #practice #immersion Link to the...

Technology can make learning Chinese easier, but only if it helps you engage more with the language. Used poorly, the same tools can get in the way of learning instead of supporting it. #learnchinese #technology #traps...

Technology can make learning Chinese easier, not by doing the learning for you, but by helping you spend more time on what actually matters: listening, reading and communicating in Chinese. #learnchinese #technology #ai...

Spaced repetition software is designed to delay reviews as long as possible without letting you forget. For learning Chinese, though, barely remembering something is not enough. #learnchinese #vocabulary #srs...

Mnemonics are clever memory techniques that can be used to memorise everything from decks of cards to speeches, but how do you use them to learn Chinese? #learnchinese #mnemonics #memory #vocabulary Link to article: How...

Chinese chess, or 象棋 (xiàngqí), is more than a classic strategy game. It’s a fun, practical way into Chinese language and culture. #learnchinese #xiangqi #chinesechess Link to article: Learn Chinese by playing Chinese...