Big changes are coming to the HSK, the most widely used proficiency test for Mandarin Chinese for non-native speakers. The new standard takes effect on July 1st, 2021, and in this post we take a deep dive into what changes are coming, what they mean for you as a student. We also present vocabulary lists for HSK 1-9, including lists specifically for handwriting.
Making Tangyuan for the Winter Solstice
The Winter Solstice 你听过“冬至”吗？冬至是一年里白天最短、黑夜最长的日子。冬至在古代被当作过年，虽然在台湾冬至没有放假，但还是一个很重要的节日。 Have you heard of the Dongzhi Festival? It is also known as the Winter Solstice in Taiwan – the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Traditionally, Dongzhi was …
LTL Flexi Classes: Language Classes for Busy Learners
LTL has a big surprise for Skritter users. Find out more at the end of this article! What are LTL Flexi Classes? LTL Mandarin School is a language learning platform that offers different programs and …
Customize Your Skritter Decks with Video Embeds and Custom Artwork
We’ve released a minor update to the Skritter website that adds major improvements to the way in which you create and study custom decks on Skritter. In the video above, you’ll learn: How to create …
Study Streaks, Daily Goals, and New Progress Screens on Skritter Mobile
The Skritter: Write Chinese and Skritter: Write Japanese mobile apps are getting a huge update with the 3.6.0 Progress release (now live)! Learn all about what’s new in the mobile apps below or download the …
How to Ask Yes/No Questions in Mandarin Chinese
Swipe the gallery images below to learn how to ask Yes/No questions in Chinese. Want to know about Wh- questions in Mandarin, (what/when/why, etc)? Click here. Read on to learn about how to use 吗/嗎 …
The Neutral Tone Demystified
The neutral tone in Mandarin causes a lot of confusion for many second language learners. What does “neutral” mean? How low or how high should the neutral tone be? How do you pronounce it? The …
Hacking Chinese Vocabulary Challenge, June 2021
This month, I’m running another vocabulary challenge on Hacking Chinese! It starts on June 10th and focuses on learning characters, words, and expressions in Chinese. In these challenges, you challenge yourself to learn more than …
Wh- Questions in Mandarin
In this post, we’ll learn the “Wh-” questions in Mandarin Chinese, and see how they are used in sentences.
The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Stroke Order
Welcome to the ultimate guide to Japanese character stroke order! If you’re new to Japanese and just want the most essential information, the Japanese character stroke order 101 is for you. Japanese character stroke order …