Tried two different ways to learn Mandarin characters last year

Started with just writing them out over and over, which was slow and I kept forgetting. Switched to an app that taught them with pictures and stories, like the one for 'tree' looking like a tree. After six months, I knew about 300 characters with the app versus maybe 50 from just writing. Anyone have a good method for remembering the tones?

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3 Comments

thomas1055mo ago

Try singing the words with the tones.

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the_eva5mo ago

It's a solid trick for learning. You can use simple melodies at first, like nursery rhyme tunes, to get the hang of it. Matching the pitch of your voice to the tone mark while singing makes it stick way better. After a while, you start hearing the tones naturally when you speak.

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lee7333mo ago

I mean, maybe it's just me but singing actually makes it harder to hear the tones in normal speech later.

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