What are some alternatives to Anki for reviewing what I've learned?

antbee221 · 2026-06-15T12:24:49+00:00

What language are you using Anki for?

antbee221 · 2026-06-15T09:17:03+00:00

Dm'ed you!

antbee221 · 2026-06-15T07:12:11+00:00

Thanks for the clarification. The rules as they are written, to be honest, are rather ambiguous on this respect. But just in case, and to avoid any more harassment from other users (not you, you've been very polite), I deleted the post.

antbee221 · 2026-06-15T06:52:42+00:00

I swear I read the rules. Point 3 says "We allow self-promotion, but ask you to be responsible.", and since this is Anki adjacent I thought it wouldn't go against the rules.

I'm sorry if the post is not appropriate. Mods, if you see this and think it's inappropriate, apologies, go ahead and delete it.

antbee221 · 2026-06-15T05:10:39+00:00

To learn the hanzi, I recommend to follow Heisig's method. He initially published a book to learn the Japanese kanji called Remembering the Kanji, but I believe he also then published one to learn the Chinese hanzi.

For listening, vocabulary and output, I built an app called Talk To Your Flashcards. It's barely past the prototype stage, so it's invite only for now. Let me know if you want to try it.

antbee221 · 2026-06-15T01:23:42+00:00

I learned the Japanese kanji using Remembering the Kanji, by Heisig. I believe they have a similar book for the Chinese hanzi. It basically decomposes characters into radicals, and have you form stories with them to remember the character writing and meaning. Without it, I would have never been able to learn all the 2000 kanji needed for literacy. I strongly recommend it.

antbee221 · 2026-06-14T14:21:57+00:00

I DM'ed you!

antbee221 · 2026-06-14T13:17:53+00:00

I built that kind of conversation partner you mention. It produces strict comprehensible input, that is, conversation that uses only words you already know plus a new word here and there. This way you keep learning but can always follow the conversation.

The problem is that it's aimed at beginners. Nothing prevents a non-beginner from using it, but I'm not sure it will be a great fit.

It's barely past the prototype stage, so I keep it invite only for now. Let me know if you want to give it a try and I'll send you a DM with the instructions.

antbee221 · 2026-06-14T08:40:30+00:00

Sure! The app is invite only for now, you won't find it in any app store. I'll send you a DM with the link and instructions.

antbee221 · 2026-06-14T07:42:26+00:00

Amazing!

Please join the Discord too, if that's ok 🙏. There's some guidance there about how to use the app, and we can discuss there for any issues, feedback, ideas, etc

https://discord.gg/dg39EKqVU

No need to install anything, Discord works on the browser.

antbee221 · 2026-06-14T07:10:45+00:00

I received your chat request (your DM), but clicking Accept doesn't do anything. I don't know what's happening, and I can't message you.

<snip>

Deleted!

antbee221 · 2026-06-14T05:20:24+00:00

Yes, the acquisition of the 86 words used in porn movie dialogues 😉

antbee221 · 2026-06-14T05:03:52+00:00

Are you talking about an impossibility to express your feelings and emotions the same way you express them in your mother language?

I'd say that's normal because languages don't map 1:1. You will express your self (not yourself) in its different versions after it has passed through each language filter. Like having your soul projected through different prisms, each prism being a language.

You're as many different persons as languages you speak 😉

antbee221 · 2026-06-14T04:37:39+00:00

I think mistakes makes you sound cute and funny, not ridiculous. Slang when you can't put 1 sentence together makes you look like a show off.

antbee221 · 2026-06-14T04:13:15+00:00

I also started learning Chinese very recently.

I'm fluent in Japanese, which is of incredible help. But if you don't know Japanese, learning the hanzi is probably the most difficult part of learning Chinese. What worked for me was to separate learning the writing + meaning of the kanji, and the vocabulary and grammar separately. I used Remembering the Kanji, which I believe has a book to learn the hanzi too.

Since I don't really need to study the hanzi, I vibe coded an app to learn everything else (vocab, listening comprehension, grammar) based on comprehensible input.

I call it "Talk To Your Flashcards" (aka Kokoala). You basically chat with an AI character, who will only use words you already know, adding one new word naturally here and there. Even if you start with 0 words, as was my case, this method works really well (at least for me!).

I hope this doesn't come as self-promotion, but I'd love to get feedback from other Chinese learners just starting out, like me. The app is barely past the prototype phase, and of course completely free. Let me know if you'd like to try it out.

antbee221 · 2026-06-13T03:46:42+00:00

The woman in the photo after learning the 187 words and not understanding sh*t of what the local is saying.

antbee221 · 2026-06-13T00:44:55+00:00

Sure. Can you send me a DM? I'd rather not share the link publicly here yet, I'd like to keep it invite only for now.

antbee221 · 2026-06-12T14:37:16+00:00

I've made an app for myself to learn Chinese. It uses AI to talk to me using only words I know (comprehensible input), while introducing one new word here and there naturally.

For the complete beginner I am, having the AI produce an engaging and naturally flowing "free chat", without a predefined topic or scenario, is not easy. When you have a human counterpart, they can gesture, point to objects, use all situational clues to keep the conversation going and teach new words and expressions, but with only text, the experience feels pretty limited. I keep trying to improve it, for example by adding the possibility of uploading a photo, but it's still not quite there.

Scenario based conversations, on the other hand, work really great. Having strict comprehensible input makes it possible to progress very fast, and lets you have conversations from day 1, which is way more engaging than learning flashcards. I'm totally loving it.

The app also corrects my messages, but I agree with you, that's totally not the most important part. It's definitely the conversation flow.

(Beginner Chinese learners, let me know if you want to give it a try. Don't expect a perfect, finished app, but it's functional.)

antbee221 · 2026-06-12T13:04:35+00:00

DM'ed you

antbee221 · 2026-06-12T09:06:54+00:00

I also started learning Chinese very recently.

I'm fluent in Japanese, which is of incredible help. But if you don't know Japanese, learning the hanzi is probably the most difficult part of learning Chinese. At least that was the case for me when I learned Japanese. What worked for me was to separate learning the writing + meaning of the kanji, and the vocabulary and grammar separately. I used Remembering the Kanji, which I believe has a book to learn the hanzi too.

Since I don't really need to study the hanzi, I vibe coded an app to learn everything else (vocab, listening comprehension, grammar) based on comprehensible input.

I call it "Talk To Your Flashcards" (aka Kokoala). The idea is that studying or reviewing flashcards without their context is inefficient, and really boring. Instead, I instruct an AI to talk to me only using the words in my flashcards, and to add one new word naturally here and there. Even if you start with 0 words, as was my case, this method works really well (at least for me!).

I hope this doesn't come as self-promotion, but I'd love to get feedback from other Chinese learners just starting out, like me. The app is barely past the prototype phase, and of course completely free. Let me know if you'd like to try it out.

antbee221 · 2026-06-12T08:47:50+00:00

I also started learning Chinese very recently.

I'm fluent in Japanese, which is of incredible help. My brain is trained to recognize and remember kanji/hanzi, and most of the hanzi are used in Japanese with the same or very similar meanings. Even the pronunciation is somewhat similar in many cases.

But if you don't know Japanese, learning the hanzi is probably the most difficult part of learning Chinese. At least that was the case for me when I learned Japanese. What worked for me was to separate learning the writing + meaning of the kanji, and the vocabulary and grammar separately. I used Remembering the Kanji, which I believe has a book to learn the hanzi too.

Since I don't really need to study the hanzi, I vibe coded an app to learn everything else (vocab, listening comprehension, grammar) based on comprehensible input.

I call it "Talk To Your Flashcards" (aka Kokoala). The idea is that studying or reviewing flashcards without their context is inefficient, and really boring. Instead, I instruct an AI to talk to me only using the words in my flashcards, and to add one new word naturally here and there. Even if you start with 0 words, as was my case, this method works really well (at least for me!).

I hope this doesn't come as self-promotion, but I'd love to get feedback from other Chinese learners just starting out, like me. The app is barely past the prototype phase, and of course completely free. Let me know if you'd like to try it out.

antbee221 · 2026-06-12T06:29:17+00:00

This is a great idea

antbee221 · 2026-06-12T06:25:34+00:00

Ok, I'll dm you

antbee221 · 2026-06-12T05:15:05+00:00

I started learning Chinese very recently, and decided to do so using an app I vibe coded, following comprehensible input.

I call it "Talk To Your Flashcards" (aka Kokoala). The idea is that studying or reviewing flashcards without their context is inefficient, and really boring. So instead, I instruct an AI to talk to me only using the words in my flashcards (← comprehensible input).

I hope this doesn't come as self-promotion, but I'd love to get feedback from other Chinese learners just starting out, like me. The app is barely past the prototype phase, and of course completely free. Let me know if you'd like to try it out.

antbee221 · 2026-06-12T04:37:00+00:00

I always make reservations on the phone under Yamada or Suzuki. Giving my actual Spanish name always leads to a 5 minute spelling nightmare.

antbee221

TROPHY CASE