The Hanzijo Blog
Practical, science-backed guides to learning Chinese - characters, tones, pinyin, HSK and vocabulary.
Simplified vs Traditional Chinese: The Patterns That Let You Read Both
Three patterns let you read traditional characters, and 18 merged characters like 頭髮 and 皇后 explain the classic converter errors.
Why Your Chinese Handwriting Looks Off: Stroke Order Exceptions and Shape Changes
九 vs 力, 火 and 门 break the rules, and the left 木 in 林 ends in a dot: the exceptions and shape changes behind handwriting that looks off.
Why 很 Doesn't Mean "Very" in Chinese
我很好 isn't "very good": what 很 really does, what a bare adjective implies, and how to say "very" when you mean it.
再 vs 又: Two Ways to Say "Again" in Chinese
Why 明天又是星期一了 uses 又 about tomorrow: ask whether the repeat is a fact or still a choice, then check yourself with an 8-question quiz.
Chinese Convenience Store Phrases: What the Clerk Says at the Till
需要加热吗, 要袋子吗, 微信还是支付宝, 要小票吗: the clerk's eight lines in order, the two answers you need, and who scans whom.
Chinese Compliments Native Speakers Actually Use (and How to Reply)
你真厉害, 好帅, 很适合你, 你中文说得真好: three frames for any compliment, and what to say back (谢谢, 没有没有, 还差得远呢).
30 Chinese Characters That Are Literally Pictures (and Why Most Aren't)
山, 门, 网, 马: thirty characters that really are pictures, and why more than 80 percent of characters are meaning-plus-sound compounds built from them.
How to Say Goodbye in Chinese: 拜拜, 再见, 慢走 and How to End a Conversation
拜拜 is as common as 再见. 回头见, 我先走了, the host's 慢走 and the guest's 留步, ending a phone call with 那先这样吧, and 保重.
How to Order Bubble Tea in Chinese: Sugar, Ice, Size and Toppings
One sentence orders everything: 大杯，少冰，三分糖. The sugar scale in tenths, why 去冰 is still cold, toppings, pick-up numbers and menu words.
Before, After and When in Chinese: 以前, 以后 and 的时候
Event first, time word last: 吃饭以前, 下课以后, 我小的时候. Why 以后 alone means from now on, why a past story needs 后来, and 小时候 vs 有时候.
听 vs 听到 vs 听懂: Why Chinese Verbs Need an Ending
听 is listen, 听懂 is understand, 找到 is find. The ten most useful result endings, why it is 没听懂 and never 不听懂, and 没听懂 vs 听不懂.
要 vs 想 in Chinese: Want, Need and Going To
想 is a wish, 要 is a decision, a plan or a need. Why 我想你 means I miss you, 不要 means don't!, and don't need to is 不用.
看看, 试试, 等一下: Doubling Verbs in Chinese
Doubling softens an action: 看看, 试试, 尝尝. The patterns AA, A一A, A了A, ABAB and AAB (散散步), 一下, and the verbs you can never double.
进来, 出去, 拿回来: Direction Words 来 and 去
来 points toward the speaker, 去 away. 进来, 出去, 上来, 拿回来, why it is 回家去 and never 回去家, and a first look at 看起来 and 说下去.
Your Name in Chinese: 3 Honest Ways + 100 Names
Transliteration (John 约翰), a real Chinese name like Kevin Rudd’s 陆克文, or your Japanese or Korean characters read in Mandarin (田中 Tiánzhōng). Rules, homophone traps and a searchable list of 107 names with pinyin.
520, 666, 88: Chinese Number Slang, Decoded
Why 520 means I love you, 1314 means forever, 666 means awesome and 996 means you work too much - 29 codes with pinyin, the rude ones to avoid, lucky 8, unlucky 4, and why 1 is yāo.
15 Textbook Chinese Phrases That Accidentally Sound Rude
你几岁, 你懂吗, 小姐, 喂, 没关系 vs 不客气 - correct Chinese, wrong message. What listeners hear, what to say instead, and the gift taboos 送钟, 送伞, 分梨.
就 vs 才: Earlier Than Expected, Later Than Expected
One picture explains both: 就 = sooner or easier than expected, 才 = later or harder. Why 才 drops 了, 才 + number = only, 一…就, and the 只要…就 vs 只有…才 pair that HSK loves to test.
一点儿 vs 有点儿: Two Ways to Say “A Little”
有点儿贵 is a complaint; 便宜一点儿 is a request. Same “a little”, opposite sides of the adjective - plus 一点儿也不, the bargaining line, and the softeners 一下 and 看看.
还是 or 或者? The Chinese “Or”, “And” and “Also” Traps
Two words for “or” (questions vs statements), an “and” that can’t join sentences, and an “also” that never goes at the end. Three errors English speakers make for years, fixed in ten minutes.
的, 得, 地: The Three “De” of Chinese, in One Look
All three are pronounced de. Look left and right: 的 + noun, verb + 得, 地 + verb. Plus the object trap (他中文说得很好), 听得懂 vs 听不懂, when 的 disappears, and why natives write 的 for everything online.
会, 能, 可以: The Three Ways to Say “Can” in Chinese
Know how, able right now, allowed. One sentence uses all three - 我会游泳，但是今天不能游，这里也不可以游 - plus the three-question test, the 不会 / 不能 / 不可以 / 不行 trap, and 会 as “will”.
The 60 Chinese Signs You Meet Every Single Day
Doors, toilets, shop status, warnings, tills and ticket gates — the closed set of characters that runs public space in China, including the discount rule that catches out every visitor (打八折 is 20% off, not 80%).
How to Read a Chinese Menu
Dish names are assembled, not invented: cooking method + flavour + ingredient. Twelve method characters, eight flavours, twenty ingredients — and ten famous dishes taken apart, including why 鱼香 contains no fish.
吧, 呢, 啊, 嘛: The Little Words That Make You Sound Human
Chinese carries tone of voice in one syllable at the end of the sentence. What each particle really signals, why 吗 and 嘛 are opposites, when 啊 becomes 呀 or 哇, and why a lone 哦 reads cold in a text.
The Chinese Words That Carry Feeling, Not Meaning
其实, 反正, 居然, 难道, 到底, 干脆, 明明, 毕竟, 反而, 顺便, 万一, 好歹. Delete them and the sentence still translates the same way — and sounds like it came from a manual.
You Already Know 40 Chinese Characters
Kung fu is 功夫, skill built through effort. Feng shui is 风水, wind and water. Thirty English words that are Chinese compounds, the twelve characters inside them, and the fifty everyday words those characters unlock.
Free Pinyin Trainer: Tone Marks, Spelling Rules & Tone Changes
Where the tone mark actually goes (jiù not jìu), the spellings that hide a vowel (iu is really iou), and the tone changes the writing never shows. Three quiz modes plus the full pinyin chart.
20 Chinese Idioms (成语) and the Stories Behind Them
塞翁失马, 画蛇添足, 破釜沉舟 - every chengyu compresses a story into four characters. Here are twenty with their origins, real usage, and the register traps.
20 Most Beautiful Chinese Characters and Their Deep Meanings
囍 double happiness, 森 a forest built from three trees, 澈 water clear to the bottom - twenty characters with real etymology, the traditional forms that kept their meaning, and what to check before you tattoo one.
HSK Vocabulary Lists: How Many Words at Every Level
500 words at HSK 1, 3,245 by HSK 4, 11,092 across HSK 7-9 - the current HSK 3.0 counts alongside the older HSK 2.0 numbers most lists online still use, with realistic timelines.
How to Type Chinese on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows
Setup on all four platforms, the v-for-ü trick, initials-only shortcuts like bjdx for 北京大学, and three ways to look up a character you cannot pronounce.
Chinese Radicals: The 12 That Unlock Hundreds of Characters
Characters are not 3,000 unrelated drawings. Meaning components, sound components that let you guess a pronunciation, and which radicals changed in simplified Chinese.
How Many Chinese Characters Do You Actually Need?
2,500 reads a newspaper, 3,000 is functional literacy covering 99% of text, and 1,000 already covers 89%. The full coverage curve, why characters are not words, and realistic timelines.
多音字: Characters With More Than One Pronunciation
Why 行 is xíng but 银行 is yínháng. The 15 duoyinzi you meet constantly, the three kinds, and the rule that a character doing grammar loses its tone.
Free HSK Level Test: What HSK Level Am I?
24 questions, four per band from HSK 1 to HSK 6, covering characters, pinyin, grammar and meaning. Instant result with a per-band accuracy breakdown and an explanation after every answer.
How to Say Yes and No in Chinese
Mandarin has no single word for either. You echo the verb. 是 vs 对, 好的 vs 行 vs 可以, why negative questions reverse on English speakers, and how to refuse politely.
Comparison in Chinese: the 比 Sentence and Its Three Traps
Why 他比我很高 is always wrong, how to say how much taller, and the difference between 不比 and 没有 that quietly reverses your meaning.
The Chinese 是…的 Construction, Finally Made Clear
Not a past tense. It talks about when, where and how something both speakers already know happened. The pattern, object placement, the 不是 negative, and when 是 drops.
The Chinese 把 (bǎ) Sentence, Made Simple
把 moves the object before the verb to say what you did to it. The pattern, the iron “needs-a-result” rule, and when it’s required - with pinyin examples.
Chinese 了 (le): The Two Uses That Confuse Everyone
了 isn’t past tense - it does two jobs: completed action (verb + 了) and change of situation (final 了). One model, with pinyin and the mistakes to avoid.
Chinese Tone Change Rules (Sandhi)
Why 你好 is said ní hǎo - the third-tone rule, the half-third tone, and the shifting tones of 不 and 一, with pinyin and examples.
HSK 2 Vocabulary List: All 150 New Words
The complete level-2 list with pinyin, grouped by category - plus the grammar words that matter.
Chinese Question Words & the Golden Rule
什么, 谁, 哪儿 - and why Chinese questions are easier than English ones.
How to Order Food in Chinese
20 phrases for a whole restaurant visit - from 服务员! to 买单.
HSK 1 Vocabulary List: All 150 Words
The complete beginner list with pinyin, grouped by category so it actually sticks.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Chinese?
Honest timelines by goal - conversation, HSK levels and real fluency.
Family Members in Chinese: The Complete Tree
爸爸, 妈妈 - and why Chinese needs four words for “grandma.”
Colors in Chinese: 20+ Colors with Pinyin
红色 to 深蓝色 - plus the lucky, taboo and X-rated color meanings.
How to Tell Time in Chinese
点, 分, 半 and 刻 made simple - with the 两点 trap explained.
How to Say Hello in Chinese: 15+ Greetings
你好 and far beyond - greetings by time of day, formality and situation, with pinyin.
How to Say Thank You in Chinese (谢谢)
10+ ways to say thanks - and how to reply “you’re welcome” - with pinyin and English.
Chinese Numbers 1–100 (and Beyond)
The logical counting system, big numbers, 二 vs 两, money and finger counting - with pinyin.
How to Say I Love You in Chinese (我爱你)
Romantic phrases, terms of endearment and the famous 520 & 1314 codes - with pinyin.
Mandarin vs Cantonese: Which Should You Learn?
Speakers, regions, tones, writing and difficulty - a clear side-by-side comparison.
Days, Months & Dates in Chinese
The easy number-based system for the week, the calendar and full dates - with pinyin.
Is Chinese Hard to Learn? The Honest Answer
What’s truly hard, what’s surprisingly easy, and why the difficulty is front-loaded in your favour.
60 Essential Chinese Phrases for Real Conversations
Greetings, food, shopping, directions and emergencies - the phrases you’ll actually use, with pinyin.
Chinese Grammar Made Simple: 12 Essential Patterns
The sentence templates - 是…的, 了, 把, 比 and more - that take you from words to fluent Chinese.
Chinese Measure Words (量词): The Complete Guide
The 20 measure words you need, the safe default 个, and a system to stop guessing them.
Why You Can’t Understand Spoken Chinese (And How to Fix It)
The real reasons listening lags - tones, word boundaries, speed - and a method that works.
How to Learn Chinese Characters Without Forgetting Them
The 4-layer system - radicals, mnemonics, SRS and real context - that makes hanzi permanent.
The 4 Chinese Tones: A Complete Guide
Hear them, pronounce them and stop mixing them up - tone by tone, with sandhi rules and drills.
HSK 1 to HSK 9 Explained: The Complete Levels Guide
Words, characters, exam structure, realistic timelines and what each HSK level actually tests.
The 100 Most Common Chinese Words
Learn the highest-frequency Mandarin words first - with characters, pinyin, tones and example sentences.
Pinyin Pronunciation Guide: Read Any Chinese Word
Initials, finals, aspiration, the tricky sounds (q, x, zh) and the spelling rules - pinyin demystified.
The Best Way to Learn Chinese in 2026: A Realistic Plan
The five pillars of an effective Mandarin study routine, with a month-by-month roadmap.
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