Additional Resources
Other resources for learning Chinese and Japanese that we've personally used and can recommend
(note: some are affiliate links)
Pleco (Chinese)
Pleco is an amazing tool for learning Chinese. Of course, our dictionary is distributed by Pleco, but there are so many more great features that make it a truly indispensable tool. We recommend the Pro bundle, which includes flash cards, outstanding handwriting recognition, text to speech and native recorded audio, a document reader, stroke order animations and more. There are also dozens of dictionaries available: Chinese to English, English to Chinese, Chinese to Chinese, Chinese to French or German, specialized dictionaries of classical Chinese, Cantonese, medical Chinese, etc. There are also graded readers, and even a digital version of Endymion Wilkinson's Chinese History: A New Manual. Truly a one-stop shop for your Chinese learning needs! Learn more
Hack Chinese (Chinese)
Hack Chinese is designed to do one thing exceptionally well: help you remember Chinese vocabulary for the long term. All of our functional component data is built right into their dictionary — and they’ve also created a 15-module course to guide you through it step by step. With smart spaced repetition, curated or custom vocabulary lists, and clear progress tracking, Hack Chinese gives you the structure and feedback you need to keep your vocabulary growing and never let it fade. It runs in any browser, on desktop or mobile, so you can study wherever you are.
Glossika (Chinese and Japanese)
Glossika is one of the best tools out there for drilling speech. Their audio is outstanding, and they focus on building up your ability starting from syntactically simple sentences and gradually getting more complex. They offer both PRC and Taiwanese Mandarin courses, along with Japanese. And if you're into learning other Chinese languages ("dialects"), like we are, they also offer Cantonese, Shanghainese, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka (two varieties!), and Wenzhounese! Their Cantonese course in particular is outstanding. In fact, they offer over 60 languages in total, and all of them are included with a subscription! Learn more
JapanesePod101.com
JapanesePod101.com creates great podcasts and videos for learning Japanese. They've been at it for well over a decade, and they have thousands of episodes available. Each lesson features a dialogue which is then broken down and explained by the hosts. They have recommended courses, or sequences of lessons, at each level, and you can choose different courses based on your goals. All in all a fantastic resource for learning Japanese! Learn more
Skritter (Chinese and Japanese)
Skritter is a fantastic tool for practicing stroke order. It prompts you with a word or a character/kanji, and you need to write it on the screen. Skritter gives you real time feedback on your your strokes, and utilizes spaced repetition to help you maximize retention. They've recently updated the Japanese version of their app, and they continue to make improvements. They've also got some good content on YouTube, so be sure to check that out too! Learn more
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