The Blog

Learn Mandarin Here
Free Email Course

Category: Anki for Mandarin Learning

  • How I Actually Learn Mandarin: Your Questions Answered

    How do I actually learn Mandarin? You’ve been asking, so this post answers your questions directly. Flashcards have been a huge part of my journey, so most of the questions are about them, but we’ll also cover listening, speaking, native-speed reductions and how long it all took.

    By the way, feel free to watch the video version here

    Cloze deletion or English-to-Mandarin flashcards?

    Both work very well, and I used both. They just have different strengths.

    • Cloze deletion blanks out part of a Mandarin sentence and you fill the gap.
    • English-to-Mandarin shows you an English sentence and you recall the whole Mandarin sentence.

    Cloze deletion: great for thinking in Mandarin

    Because the whole card is in Mandarin, cloze cards train you not to translate into English. They also sharpen your sense of context: where a word naturally goes in a sentence.

    The downside is that you start recognising the shape of the card. After enough reviews, you see where the gap is and the answer pops out automatically. You haven’t really done the work.

    The fix is what I call sentence transformation: take the original sentence and make new versions by swapping parts in and out. It’s harder at lower levels, but it beats the recognition problem.

    English-to-Mandarin: great for building sentences

    The obvious worry here is translation. But translation only causes two real problems for learners:

    1. Translating while listening. If you have to convert everything to English to understand it, you’ll fall behind. The cure is listening so much that you simply don’t have time to translate, and consciously telling yourself to just understand and enjoy it.
    2. Translating word for word when speaking. Learners who don’t know how a Mandarin sentence is built go English word, Mandarin word, English word, Mandarin word.

    That second one breaks what I call the conversation rule: in a real conversation you don’t have time to translate, because the conversation will have moved on before your sentence is ready.

    The way around both is to learn in chunks. With chunks, you aren’t translating word by word; you’re slotting ready-made pieces together.

    The big advantage of English-to-Mandarin cards is that you build whole sentences rather than filling gaps. That mimics what you actually do in conversation. It’s why, when I built my fluency trainer, I moved to whole English-to-Mandarin sentences: for many learners, it can work better (as long as you don’t translate word-for-word). That said, try a mix of both in Anki and see what works for you.

    How to make good cloze deletions

    Should you hide the whole chunk? Most of the time, yes. If that chunk is what you’re trying to learn, hide all of it.

    Should you add English? It depends on how clear the gap is:

    • If the context makes the missing piece obvious, keep the card entirely in Mandarin.
    • If you’re hiding a whole chunk, you’ll usually need English to make it specific. That’s fine.

    A big weakness of cloze cards is that without English they can be so vague that almost anything fits the gap. At that point you’re guessing, not learning.

    There’s also a middle option: split the chunk into two cloze deletions, one per part. Then you can usually work it out from context without any English.

    Should you make several cards for each chunk?

    My view here has changed over time. To use a chunk flexibly in conversation, you need to see it in several contexts. So I’d add two or three cards for important chunks, especially with English-to-Mandarin cards (multiple cloze cards for one chunk tend to look the same anyway).

    Balance that against how fast your vocabulary is growing. Go big on the chunks that really matter, not on everything.

    A feature I’m excited about in my Fluency Trainer is this: attach several very similar sentences to one chunk, each with small changes, and show a random one at each review. You see a new context every time, so you internalise the chunk instead of memorising a sentence.

    That’s the real skill behind speaking confidently. It isn’t reciting memorised sentences like a script; it’s building sentences on the spot to say what you mean.

    20,000+ flashcards: don’t the reviews run away?

    Not if the cards are good. When I was adding 10 to 15 new cards a day and getting over 90% right with long-term retention, I had around 100 reviews a day. If you’re quick, that’s 15 to 20 minutes.

    The catch: go back and delete or fix the cards you keep failing. Most of the time, forgetting something isn’t about your memory. It’s a poorly designed card.

    Do I still use Anki?

    Yes, every day, because all my reviews live there. But I now put new material into my fluency trainer instead. Abandoning Anki for new cards was a tough call after using it for so long. The main reason is that I can speak into the trainer, and I simply prefer it.

    I actually think flashcards matter more as you advance:

    • Beginner: somewhat less important.
    • Intermediate: very important.
    • Advanced: still very important, because new words and chunks are rarer and more technical. You may not hear them again for a long time, so a flashcard is your snapshot of it.

    So even at a high level, keep treating new material as seriously as you did early on.

    Should you delete old cards?

    Yes and no. Mature cards end up with review intervals of years, so they barely cost you anything. I can’t be bothered to delete them, so I leave them. Badly designed cards, though, I delete or fix straight away.

    Can I buy your Anki decks?

    I get this question constantly, and the answer is no. I don’t sell them or even give them away, because flashcards should be personal.

    Beyond the core chunks everyone needs to build sentences, your vocabulary depends on your job, family, where you live and your background. What you talk about will be different from what I talk about. My cards make sense to me, but they’d be a rocky road for anyone trying to go from beginner to fluent with them. Personalised cards will serve you far better.

    This is why, although I think my Fluency Trainer curriculum works very well, I encourage my students to add their own sentences they come across into the system to personalise their learning.

    Do Mandarin subtitles hurt your listening?

    In Mandarin they’re unavoidable: almost every video comes with subtitles. The key is not becoming over-reliant on them, and the easiest way is to listen to lots of podcasts, which have none.

    Mix subtitled video with plenty of podcasts and real conversations and you’ll be fine. Subtitles are even a plus, because they make looking up new words and sentence mining much easier.

    Imitation and self-talk (自言自语)

    Listening and repeating is one of the best things you can do. I did a lot of shadowing and sentence-by-sentence imitation, because pronunciation, and especially rhythm, is a big issue for non-native speakers.

    You don’t need a native accent. You do need a solid one that anyone can understand clearly and easily. Five to ten minutes a day repeating native speakers will get you there.

    Self-talk is something I’m a big believer in. Most of us listen, read and study characters a lot, but don’t speak nearly enough. Speaking is a skill that needs training, and talking to yourself lets you practice anywhere, any time.

    The risk is that you might be making mistakes. Don’t worry too much, as long as they don’t get in the way of communicating and you get corrections when you need them. To lower the risk, stick to things you’re confident about.

    For example, when I was studying medicine at university, I’d sit in my room between study sessions naming objects in Mandarin until I hit one I couldn’t name. It grew my vocabulary and my confidence speaking out loud.

    How do you get things out of Anki and into conversation?

    A lot of learners find words get stuck in their flashcards. Anki gets something into your head so you can say it. Using it repeatedly is what makes it stick for life:

    • in real conversations, ideally
    • out loud, on your own
    • in your own practice sentences
    • in practice with AI
    • through sentence transformation (see above)

    At its simplest: make a list of the things you struggle to say, and make your own sentences with them until they come out naturally in conversation.

    Why can’t I keep up with native-speed speech?

    One Mandarin learner commented on a YouTube video of mine saying they know all the official tongue positions but get lost in the reductions native speakers use. Are they hearing it wrong?

    Mostly, it’s just speed. Native speech feels impossibly fast at first, but once you’ve heard enough of it, it almost starts to sound slow.

    There are some real reductions, though, especially in northern China. In fast speech, sh and zh initials often soften into something close to an r sound. For example: [add example word or phrase]. This is probably the most common reduction that trips learners up.

    The solution is lots and lots of listening. You’ll gradually start to notice these and pick them up.

    Why Mandarin sentences can feel ambiguous

    Another learner asked how to use context quickly to follow what someone is saying. I think the real issue is that Mandarin can be quite vague. Unlike English, it often drops the subject, and a sentence can carry more than one meaning.

    Here’s an example I came across while designing some learning materials: 你应该早点来找我. Depending on context, it can mean either:

    • Past: “Why didn’t you come and find me earlier?” (you should have)
    • Future: “You should come and find me early.”

    This comes up a lot in Mandarin. To handle it:

    • get plenty of exposure and have lots of conversations
    • be aware that this ambiguity exists
    • practice at the sentence level so you really understand how Mandarin sentences are built

    It’s one of the harder, often-overlooked nuances of the language, and it simply takes practice.

    Podcast recommendations for HSK 4–5

    First, some news: I’m going back to making Mandarin podcasts myself, aiming for one a week with my girlfriend and other guests. Expect stories about my life, some crazy things that have happened, Mandarin learning and culture.

    Beyond that, my two top picks:

    • Tea Time Chinese – slightly easier, and one I recommend a lot.
    • 大叔中文 Dashu Mandarin – slightly harder. I’ve been on their channel many times and it’s one of my favourites. Nearly every learner I speak to loves it.

    How long did it take me?

    I’ve been learning Mandarin consistently for nearly seven years, and I’ve almost never missed a day. After about two years I was pretty happy with my level.

    The five years since have mostly gone into expanding my vocabulary, especially the technical side: language for my PhD, medicine and similar topics.

    Got more questions?

    I’d love to do more relaxed Q&As like this, talking through the problems you’re having with Mandarin. If anything here raised a follow-up, or I misread your question, drop it in the comments either here or over on my YouTube channel, and I’ll answer it next time.

  • FluentU vs. Chunking Chinese Fluency Trainer: Comprehension vs. Production

    You’ve just finished watching a video. You understood almost every word, you clicked through the subtitles a few times to check a phrase you weren’t sure of, and you felt, genuinely, like you were making progress. Then a friend asks you something in Mandarin, and the sentence doesn’t come as easily as you’d expect. Not because you don’t know the words. You’ve understood them plenty of times. You just haven’t had much practice producing them yourself.

    That’s not a flaw in any particular tool. It’s because comprehension and production are two genuinely different skills, and most learners end up needing dedicated practice for both.

    Two Different Skills, Two Different Tools

    FluentU teaches through real video and audio content, with interactive subtitles you can pause on and click through, and a pop-up dictionary giving you definitions, pronunciation, and example sentences for whatever word you’ve stopped on. Around the videos sits a reinforcement layer: fill-in-the-gap exercises, translation matching, and spaced repetition flashcards for vocabulary drawn from clips you’ve watched.

    That’s a genuinely good design for what it’s aimed at: building listening comprehension and a real feel for how Mandarin is actually used, anchored in content that’s more engaging than a textbook dialogue. Recognising vocabulary in context, picking up natural rhythm and intonation from real speakers, and building the kind of implicit understanding that makes fast native speech less intimidating, that’s a real and valuable part of learning a language, and it’s the part FluentU is built around.

    Production is a different exercise, and it’s the part Chunking Chinese Fluency Trainer is built around instead. Rather than recognising vocabulary in a video you’ve already watched, you get an English prompt and construct the Mandarin sentence yourself, using chunks you’ve actually learnt, in a context you haven’t seen before. Because there are usually several legitimate ways to phrase the same idea in Mandarin, the Fluency Trainer is built to recognise more than one correct answer, rather than expecting you to match one fixed sentence the way a fill-in-the-blank exercise would. And because production also depends on how you say something, not just what you say, we’ve recently built in character-by-character pronunciation and tone feedback when you speak a sentence out loud.

    Everything underneath is built around the same idea: you learn in chunks (e.g. sentence starters, fixed phrases, sentence patterns), new chunks are introduced before you’re tested on recombining them, and exercises specifically target whatever you’re currently weak on rather than depending on whichever words happened to show up in a video. You can also add your own sentences, from your own life, your own conversations and from videos you watch.

    Which One You Actually Need

    If your current focus is comprehension, understanding fast native speech, picking up vocabulary in real context, building a genuine feel for the language, FluentU is a strong, well-designed tool for exactly that, and it’s worth using on its own terms rather than as a stand-in for speaking practice.

    If your current focus is production, being able to construct and say a new sentence on the spot rather than recognise one you’ve already seen, that’s a distinct skill that needs its own dedicated practice. That’s what Chunking Chinese Fluency Trainer is built for.

    Most learners genuinely benefit from both at different stages, and there’s no conflict in using FluentU for comprehension alongside something built specifically for speaking. If production is the piece you’re missing right now, the Fluency Trainer is live and ready to use today. Spaces in each new batch are limited, so if you want hands-on support as you build toward actually speaking Mandarin, join the waiting list here.

  • Glossika vs. Chunking Chinese Fluency Trainer: The Best Glossika Alternative for Learning to Speak Mandarin

    If you’ve been learning Mandarin seriously for a while, there’s a good chance Glossika has come up. It’s one of the few tools built specifically around full sentences rather than isolated vocabulary, and its listen-and-repeat method has a loyal following. If you’re reading this, there’s also a decent chance you’re weighing it up against other options, including Chunking Chinese Fluency Trainer. So here’s an honest look at how the two actually work, where they overlap, and where they don’t.

    How Glossika Works

    Glossika is a mass-sentence, listen-and-repeat training system. Each session gives you five new sentences, and you work through five repetitions of each, twenty-five reps in total: hear the sentence, hear the native-speaker audio, repeat it back. Its spaced repetition engine (Glossika calls it GSR) schedules your reviews around which sentences you’re most likely to be forgetting.

    A typical rep looks like this:

    • You hear an English (or your native-language) sentence.
    • You hear the Mandarin translation, spoken by a native speaker, usually twice.
    • You repeat it, or in full practice mode, type it out and record yourself saying it.

    There’s a lot to like about this. Full sentences give you word order, natural rhythm, and context that isolated vocabulary never can, and Glossika’s native-speaker audio is genuinely useful for pronunciation and listening speed. Its spaced repetition engine is also solid: it’s the same underlying principle Anki and most serious language tools use, applied here to full sentences rather than single words.

    The main limitation is on the production and feedback side. The exercises are built around recognising and reproducing sentences that already exist in Glossika’s bank, so you’re not asked to build new sentences of your own or in new contexts. And in full practice mode, while you can record yourself speaking, the recording is saved without any correction, so you don’t get told whether your pronunciation or tones were actually right. Each sentence in the bank also has one fixed form, so there’s no way for the system to recognise a different, equally correct way of phrasing the same idea.

    Where Chunking Chinese Fluency Trainer Takes a Different Approach

    I built the Fluency Trainer to focus specifically on the piece I just described: taking language you’ve learned and actually producing new sentences in different contexts with it, rather than reproducing sentences you’ve been given. A few of the specific ways that shows up:

    Sentences are constructed, not repeated. Instead of hearing the Mandarin answer and echoing it, you get an English prompt and build the Mandarin sentence yourself, using chunks you’ve already learnt, in contexts you haven’t seen before.

    Chunks are typed by role. Every chunk in the database is tagged as an opener, a question, an opinion, an action, and so on, and I’ve written and organised every chunk and example sentence myself, with native speakers checking them, so the way they combine reflects how they’re actually used in real conversation.

    Alternative correct answers are recognised, not just one fixed sentence. There are usually several legitimate ways to express the same English sentence in Mandarin, depending on register and which chunks you reach for. The Fluency Trainer is built to recognise more than one correct construction for a given prompt, rather than grading against a single fixed answer.

    Pronunciation and tone feedback is character-by-character. We’ve recently built this in directly: when you speak a sentence, you get feedback down to the individual character and tone, rather than just a saved recording.

    Chunks are introduced before they’re tested, and new exercises specifically target the chunks you’re weakest on, rather than moving through a fixed, generic sequence.

    Your progress is shown as a connected network rather than a list of separate items, so you can see how a new chunk links up with what you already know.

    You can add your own sentences. Glossika’s sentence bank is fixed and curated centrally, so everything you train on is generic by design. In the Fluency Trainer, you can add your own sentences, ones from your own conversations, your own life, things you actually want to be able to say, so you’re not limited to material someone else chose for you. You can customize and personalise your learning experience, which played a big role in my Mandarin when I was using Anki, and continues to to do as I use the Fluency Trainer daily. (You can see a comparison of Fluency vs Anki here)

    None of this makes Glossika a bad tool. It’s built to solve listening comprehension and pronunciation exposure, and it does that well. The Fluency Trainer is built to solve a different problem: getting you from recognising Mandarin to actually producing it under a bit of real pressure with instant, flexible feedback so you know where to improve.

    Where Glossika Is a Genuinely Good Fit

    If your current bottleneck is pronunciation, listening speed, or getting your ear used to natural sentence rhythm, especially once you already have a base of vocabulary and grammar, Glossika’s shadowing format is well suited to exactly that. It covers 65 languages, which is useful if Mandarin isn’t the only one you’re working on, and I especially like that it offers a programme for rarer/minority languages that most tools ignore entirely. (In fact, it very generously offers these for free!)

    Where it’s less suited is training flexible sentence construction: holding a real conversation, answering a question you didn’t anticipate, or saying something about your own life that isn’t already sitting in its sentence bank. That’s a different skill, and it’s the one the Fluency Trainer is built around.

    Choosing Between Them

    These two tools are honestly solving different problems, so the more useful question isn’t “which one is better” but “which gap are you trying to close.” If it’s pronunciation and listening speed, Glossika is a solid choice, and plenty of learners use it well. If it’s the ability to construct your own sentences and actually speak in real conversations, that’s what I built the Fluency Trainer for: a chunk database, pattern-based exercises, sentence construction with feedback, synonym-aware grading, and character-level pronunciation feedback, all aimed at production rather than repetition.

    Spaces in each new batch are limited, so if you want hands-on support as you build toward speaking Mandarin in real conversations, join the waiting list here.

  • Anki for Mandarin Learning: 20 Proven Tips to Avoid Burnout and Make Real Progress

    If you’re using Anki for Mandarin learning but still struggling to speak confidently, remember words, or keep up with reviews, you’re not alone.

    I learned this the hard way.

    Flashcards are not a magic bullet. In fact, Anki for Mandarin learning can become a complete waste of time if you’re using it incorrectly. But when used strategically, it becomes one of the most powerful tools for vocabulary acquisition, tone accuracy, and long-term retention.

    In this guide, I’ll share 20 battle-tested lessons to help you use Anki effectively, without burnout, overwhelm, or “ease hell.”

    Note: you can check out the video version here

    Why Most People Fail with Anki for Mandarin Learning

    Most learners:

    • Add too many new cards
    • Create vague flashcards
    • Rely too much on English
    • Don’t practice recall
    • Never actually use the words in real life

    The result? Hundreds of reviews per day, frustration, no actual benefit, and eventually quitting.

    Let’s fix that.

    1. One New Thing Per Flashcard (The Golden Rule of Anki for Mandarin Learning)

    Each card should test:

    • ONE new vocabulary word
    • OR ONE grammar structure
    • NOT five new words in one sentence

    I used to think I was being “efficient” by learning five words per card. In reality, I slowed myself down dramatically.

    Clarity beats efficiency. Always.

    2. Keep Flashcards Short (10–12 Characters Max)

    When using Anki for Mandarin learning, your example sentences should be concise.

    If you add a paragraph:

    • You won’t remember it
    • You’ll waste review time
    • Your recall will drop

    Keep sentences tight and focused.

    3. Make Your Flashcards Extremely Specific

    Specificity is everything.

    Bad card:

    我喜欢_____。

    That blank could be anything.

    Better card:

    我喜欢吃_____。(水果)

    Now it’s clear you’re recalling a fruit.

    Use These 3 Types of Prompts:

    Context Prompts

    The sentence itself makes the answer obvious.

    Picture Prompts

    Add an image (e.g., an apple if learning 苹果).

    Language Prompts

    • English translation
    • English definition
    • Chinese definition

    The key: eliminate ambiguity.

    4. Stop Turning Everything Into a Flashcard

    Not every word deserves a card.

    Ask yourself:

    • Will I actually use this in conversation?
    • Is this personally relevant?
    • Will I encounter this again?

    Prioritization is essential in Anki for Mandarin learning.

    5. Personalize Everything

    The more personal the card, the stronger the memory.

    Instead of:

    他学土木工程。

    Try:

    我的朋友James学土木工程。

    Now it’s tied to a real person in your life.

    Memory loves emotional and personal connections.

    6. Use What You Learn (Input + Output)

    Anki gets words to the tip of your tongue.

    Real usage cements them.

    You must combine:

    • Listening practice
    • Reading practice
    • Speaking conversations

    Flashcards alone will never make you fluent in Mandarin.

    7. Use Spaced Repetition Software (Like Anki)

    If you’re still using paper flashcards, you’re wasting time.

    Spaced repetition:

    • Schedules reviews automatically
    • Optimizes long-term retention
    • Prevents over-reviewing

    This is why Anki for Mandarin learning works so well, when used correctly.

    8. Train Recall, Not Just Recognition

    Recognition = “Oh yeah, I know that.”

    Recall = Producing it from memory.

    For speaking improvement, recall is critical.

    Instead of only:

    • Chinese → English

    Also practice:

    • English → Chinese
    • Cloze deletions

    Recall-based cards dramatically improve speaking fluency.

    9. Limit New Cards (5–10 Per Day)

    If you add 20+ new cards daily as a beginner, you’ll burn out.

    Start with:

    • 5–10 new cards per day
    • Increase only when comfortable

    Sustainable pacing is crucial in Anki for Mandarin learning.

    10. Keep Reviews Fast (5–15 Seconds Per Card)

    If you’re spending 1 minute per card:

    • You’ll hate reviews
    • You’ll quit
    • Your daily sessions will exceed 1–2 hours

    Move quickly, but accurately.

    11. Avoid “Ease Hell”

    If you keep pressing “Hard,” Anki will show you the same card constantly.

    Instead:

    • Wrong → Press “Again”
    • Correct → Press “Good”

    Stop being overly humble with your ratings.

    12. Follow the “I+1” Principle

    Your example sentence should contain:

    • ONE unknown element
    • Everything else familiar

    If half the sentence is confusing, the card is poorly designed.

    13. Reduce English Over Time

    English is useful at the beginner stage.

    But intermediate learners should:

    • Use picture prompts
    • Use Chinese definitions
    • Reduce translation dependency

    This improves thinking directly in Mandarin.

    14. Don’t Zombie-Review

    If you’re tired and just clicking:

    “Yeah I know this… next… next…”

    You’re wasting your time.

    Be fully present during reviews.

    Quality > speed.

    15. Be Consistent (Daily Use)

    Spaced repetition depends on consistency.

    Miss one day? Fine.

    Miss several days?
    Your reviews will explode.

    Daily consistency makes Anki for Mandarin learning manageable.

    16. Flashcards Are Not the Magic Bullet

    You won’t magically wake up fluent after 10,000 cards.

    You must:

    • Listen a lot
    • Read a lot
    • Speak a lot

    Anki supports fluency, it doesn’t create it alone.

    17. Use Sentence Transformations

    This is a game-changer.

    After answering a card:

    1. Read the full sentence aloud
    2. Change the subject
    3. Change the tense
    4. Modify one word

    Example:

    我昨天去了北京。

    Transform:

    我上个月去了上海。

    Now you’re training flexibility, not memorization.

    18. Delete or Edit Bad Cards

    If a card:

    • Feels unclear
    • Keeps failing
    • No longer useful

    Delete it (or edit it if you think you can save it and it will actually be useful!)

    Your deck is a tool, not a trophy collection.

    19. Always Include Pinyin and Tones (For New Words)

    Mandarin is tonal.

    If you only memorize characters without pronunciation:

    • Your speaking will suffer
    • You’ll fossilize tone errors

    Include pinyin (especially for new words) to check accuracy.

    20. Don’t Burn Out

    The biggest mistake in Anki for Mandarin learning is overuse.

    Recommended daily limit:

    • 15–30 minutes of Anki
    • Then focus on input + output practice

    Sustainable systems beat intense bursts every time.

    Final Thoughts: How to Truly Master Anki for Mandarin Learning

    When used properly, Anki for Mandarin learning is incredibly powerful.

    But remember:

    • One new thing per card
    • Make cards specific
    • Train recall
    • Limit new cards
    • Be consistent
    • Use the language in real life

    Flashcards are a support system, not the entire strategy.

    If you combine smart Anki usage with consistent listening, reading, and speaking, you’ll see dramatic improvements in your Mandarin.

    And most importantly?

    You won’t burn out doing it.

    For more tips like these, I’d recommend checking out my free email course.

Wait! Before You Go...

Join thousands of learners mastering Mandarin with our proven methods. Get free tips and resources delivered straight to your inbox!