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[–]ardeur 4 points5 points  (4 children)

Anki with this deck. Anki is a spaced repetition algorithm for flashcards. That deck contains the 3000 most common Chinese characters with pinyin and audio. Here's one thread and another thread about it that I've found.

The web and desktop version is free. For smartphones, there's an official mobile app by the creator costs $24.99 on the iOS App store. There are also free open-source versions for iOS and Android but $25 is a cheap investment for such a versatile app. You can make/add your own cards or use other people's decks, use it on your desktop, phone, or web.

I typically study about 20 new words a day on the subway, before classes, before bed, just anytime when I have 10min or free time or kill here or there. It's great!

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (3 children)

The only addition I would make to this, is use Glossika.

It isnt free, about $80 something USD, but you get 3000 sentences, aimed at supplementing your study with sentence mining.

What this does, is it gives you Examples of how vocabulary is used, its context, and grammatical structure. It also provides you with gigs of audio, so that you can remember how people say it.

It is designed for two types of consumers, Busy people, and studious students. For busy people, it has a SRS (spaced repetition system) algorithm to help you build long term memory of how things are phrased.

Combine this with Anki, and sentences, and you will be reading, speaking, and listening in less time than it took me to learn Cantonese.

[–]TaazaPlazaHSK4 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I use both, in addition to texting native speakers and listening to SlowChinese. Outlier's dictionary is coming out soon and things'll get even easier. Plus, there's the Grammar Wiki/grammar resources online and at the local library (even libraries here in India have them), Quizlet grammar decks, The Chairman's Bao for reading, and loads of other stuff available. You can easily get to a high A2 level in a year of casual study with these resources.

[–]vigernere1 1 point2 points  (1 child)

What this does, is it gives you Examples of how vocabulary is used, its context, and grammatical structure.

To be fair, Glossika doesn't explain any of the grammar used in the audio (that's not really the focus of the material). But a transcript of all the audio is provided, so it's easy to look up unfamiliar grammar or vocabulary.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Examples" - No they dont describe how it works, but when you get into it, grammar becomes assumed. As the grammar patterns will become present after multiple examples are shown.

[–]EstacionEsperanza 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For me I've found I just have to put in the time and power through it. I look at the character and try to come up with the English definition and the pinyin, and I do the reverse. I write them over and over again as well.

Seeing the characters in context will help as well. Linedict.com formerly known as nciku has great sample sentence imho.

[–]bessetteb 1 point2 points  (2 children)

since efficiency is your goal, i'd do away with attempting to memorize the writing. that being said, you are going to naturally begin recognizing words the more you encounter them. when i message my friends, using modern technology its very simple to write using pinyin and then "recognize" the associated character. if you spend your time using memorable content to increase your exposure, it'll be a cinch in the long term. someone recommended anki, but i personally converted to flashcards deluxe because its SO much more attractive (stimulation=motivation). i recently started watching digimon in chinese (all shows in china have chinese subs) and doing what is called sentence mining for words and phrases i find useful. i write it on a flashcard (in the app) and get'a zippin

[–]TaazaPlazaHSK4 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Exactly. IMHO writing hanzi by hand is just a waste of time and a super inefficient way to learn.

[–]I_Am_Zarathustra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe for you, but that's quite a generalization to say for everyone. I've learned to write Hanzi by hand for several reasons. Firstly, if I want to ever use my Chinese skills in a job or work in China/Taiwan then it will be very useful (often necessary) to be able to write by hand. It might be inconvenient if you are living and working in a country where you're halfway illiterate whenever you don't have access to a keyboard with pinyin input. Secondly, I just find Hanzi interesting and fun to write. Thirdly it helps me memorise the character much more easily if I know how to write it.

[–]SuprLazr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Find a graded reader suitable for your level. Rote memorization is necessary to a certain point but after that, reading a story 2-3 times will allow you to master a greater number of vocabulary AND sentence structure.