Chinese
汉字 · Pinyin · Tones · Reading
Character recognition, pinyin, tones, and reading in context — starting from the most essential HSK 1 characters.
Batch 01 — 人 大 小 山 日
Your first 5 Chinese characters: person, big, small, mountain, sun/day. Flashcard practice, pinyin reading, meaning recognition, sentences in context, and stroke order fundamentals.
Batch 02 — 上 下 中 天 地
Directions and space: above, below, middle, sky, earth. Includes compound words 天地, 地下, 天下, 上下 and introduces 地 as both a noun and a grammar particle.
Batch 03 — 口 手 目 耳 心
The senses and the body: mouth, hand, eye, ear, heart. Introduces compound words 心目, 耳目, 手心 and explores why tone 1 "ēr" doesn't exist in Mandarin.
Batch 04 — 女 子 男 父 母
Family and people: woman, child, man, father, mother. Introduces compound words 女子, 父母, 子女, 母子 and explores the ü vowel sound unique to Mandarin.
Batch 05 — 一 二 三 四 五
Numbers 1–5: one, two, three, four, five. Covers the critical 一 tone sandhi rule, 二 vs 两 distinction, and compounds 一二, 三四, 五四 (May Fourth Movement).
Batch 06 — 六 七 八 九 十
Numbers 6–10: six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Explores lucky numbers in Chinese culture (6, 7, 8), the 九 vs 几 confusion, and compounds 十六, 七八, 九十.
Batch 07 — 百 千 万 两 零
Large numbers: hundred, thousand, ten-thousand, two (before measure words), zero. Explains the 万 (10,000) unit and the critical 两 vs 二 rule.
Batch 08 — 年 月 分 时 今
Time I: year, month/moon, minute/part, hour/time, now/today. Compounds 今年, 今天, 时分, 年月 — essential daily vocabulary for dates and times.
Batch 09 — 明 昨 午 早 晚
Time II: bright/tomorrow, yesterday, noon, early/morning, late/evening. Compounds 明天, 昨天, 早上, 晚上 — plus the 明 = 日+月 (sun+moon = bright) mnemonic.
Batch 10 — 我 你 他 她 们
Pronouns: I/me, you, he/him, she/her, plural marker. Covers 他 vs 她 (identical pronunciation), third-tone sandhi (你好 → ní hǎo), and all four plural pronoun compounds.