Essays
Reading and Transcribing Handwritten Menus in China
OCR struggles with messy handwritten Chinese menus. Here is why reading handwriting is its own skill and how learning to write builds it.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Can an App Turn Your Paper Handwriting Into an SRS Quiz?
Scanning your paper handwriting into a spaced-repetition quiz? The real value is being prompted to write from memory, not reviewing scans. Here is the take.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Can an App Validate Yan-Style Calligraphy?
Can software grade your calligraphy against a master's style like Yan Zhenqing's? It can check correct form, but style conformity is a connoisseur's judgment.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
An App Where a Wrong Radical Kills Your Pet?
A virtual pet that dies on a wrong radical sounds fun, but punishment backfires. Here is why gentle, mastery-based motivation works better.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Handwriting Hanzi for Gacha Drops? A Better Reward
Gacha rewards can motivate practice, but loot-box mechanics often manipulate. Here is why mastery-based motivation beats gacha for actually learning to write.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Practicing Traditional Hanzi From Video Game Subtitles
Want to learn to write the traditional characters you see in video game subtitles? Game text is great material, used the right way. Here is how to practice it.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Trace Traditional Chinese, Hear Cantonese Audio
Want to write traditional characters while hearing the Cantonese reading, not Mandarin? Here is why that pairing helps Cantonese learners and what to look for.
Lawrence Arya··4 min
Essays
Apple Pencil Hover to Preview Strokes: Helpful?
An app that previews the next stroke when you hover the Apple Pencil sounds slick, but showing the answer undermines recall. Here is the honest case against it.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Is a Vision Pro Spatial Hanzi Tracing App Worth It?
Spatial air-tracing on Vision Pro is gross motor, but real handwriting is fine motor. Here is why a 2D writing app transfers better to the page, and where spatial genuinely helps.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Drawing Hanzi in the Air on Apple Vision Pro?
Drawing characters in mid-air on Vision Pro looks magical, but does it build handwriting? Here is the honest case and what actually works today.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
An Apple Watch App to Trace a Quick Character?
An Apple Watch nudge to trace a character sounds handy, but the screen is tiny. Here is what a watch is good for in Chinese practice and what it is not.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
An Offline Traditional-Character Writing Tracker
Want an offline tool to practice traditional characters and track progress, with no account? Here is what a local-first writing tracker should do and why it fits.
Lawrence Arya··4 min