Essays
Mother-Tongue Attrition and Chinese Handwriting
Heritage speakers often lose the ability to write Chinese by hand first. Here is why handwriting attrites before reading, and how from-memory practice rebuilds it.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
An Offline Museum Kiosk for Writing Characters: What Fits
A museum kiosk where visitors trace a character is a great engagement exhibit, and tracing is the right choice there. The goal is a memorable moment, not teaching visitors to write from memory.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Non-Gamified Stroke-Writing Apps for an Older Parent
An older parent who loves writing characters does not need points and streaks. A calm, non-gamified app that just lets them write and improve is the better fit. Here is what to look for.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Writing Chinese With Arthritis: Low-Force Stylus Practice
Arthritis making brushes painful for Chinese writing? This is not medical advice, but a light stylus needs far less force than a brush. Here is a gentler approach.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Handwriting That Looks Illiterate to Natives? Fixable
If your Chinese handwriting makes natives wince, it is almost never hopeless, it is three fixable faults: proportion, stroke order, and structure. Here is how to fix them.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
iPad Too Slippery for Stroke Practice? Use a Matte Protector
Is your iPad's glass too slippery for controlled stroke practice? A matte, paper-feel screen protector adds the friction handwriting needs. Here is why it works.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Fixing Adult Chinese Handwriting Your In-Laws Notice
Adult Chinese handwriting usually looks off for three fixable reasons: proportion, stroke order, and structure. Here is what to fix and why from-memory practice beats tracing.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
AJATT and the Manual Writing Gap in Chinese
Immersion methods like AJATT build huge recognition but leave a manual writing gap. Here is why, and how offline from-memory practice closes it.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Research
NSDR and Character Study: Rest Helps, But Reps Teach
Non-sleep deep rest can support focus and recovery around study, and rest does help memory consolidate. But NSDR is not the practice, the from-memory reps and spacing are. Here is the honest pairing.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
What a Closed-Loop Hanzi Practice Tool Actually Does
Strip the buzzwords and a closed-loop writing tool is simple: you produce a character from memory, it checks stroke order and components, then it schedules the repeat.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Obsidian Spaced-Repetition Plugins for Hanzi: the Limit
Obsidian has spaced-repetition plugins that can drill Hanzi, but Obsidian is a text tool, so 'tracing' is the wrong word. Here is what it can and cannot do.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Obsidian for Chinese Notes, but Writing Practice Elsewhere
Obsidian is a superb local notes vault, but it cannot watch your hand or grade strokes, even with plugins. Keep your notes there and use a dedicated tool for writing practice.
Lawrence Arya··5 min