Hanzi Write Practice Back to site
Journal archive

All posts.

588 posts · page 42 of 49.

Chinese ink-wash landscape with bold calligraphy 汉字之美 (the beauty of Chinese characters) above a misty river, illustrating why there is no native Linux tablet writing app
Essays

Why Is There No Native Linux Tablet Writing App?

Chinese writing apps target iOS and Android because that's where the learners and stylus support are. Native Linux tablet builds are a tiny market, so they rarely exist. Here is the honest why.

Lawrence Arya··5 min
Traditional Chinese ink landscape with calligraphy 漢字學堂 beside a calm river, illustrating what to look for when quitting Skritter
Essays

Thinking of Quitting Skritter? What to Look For

If a Skritter update soured your routine, here is how to evaluate alternatives without losing what made it work: from-memory writing, stroke feedback, and spaced repetition.

Lawrence Arya··5 min
Chinese ink-wash landscape with calligraphy 汉字之美 above a misty river, illustrating why Hanzi muscle memory is stuck in your thumbs from pinyin typing
Essays

Why Your Hanzi Muscle Memory Is in Your Thumbs

If you can type Chinese fast but cannot write it, your muscle memory went to your thumbs, not your hand. Here is why, and how to build the writing kind.

Lawrence Arya··5 min
Chinese ink-wash landscape with bold calligraphy 汉字之美 (the beauty of Chinese characters) above a misty river, illustrating why your handwriting is bad even though your speaking is native in Singapore
Essays

Native Speaker, Bad Handwriting? Why (Singapore)

Native Singaporean Chinese speaker with bad handwriting? It is common and has a clear cause. Here is why speaking native does not mean writing well, and the fix.

Lawrence Arya··5 min
Misty ink-wash river valley with calligraphy 尋雲記 (seeking the clouds) and a lone boat, illustrating why a Hanzi learning app confuses Macau pronunciation
Playbooks

Why Your Hanzi App Confuses Your Macau Cantonese

If your character app shows Mandarin pinyin but you speak Macau Cantonese, the readings clash. Here is why, and how to set up practice that fits Cantonese.

Lawrence Arya··5 min
Ink-wash scene of a sage on a cliff with calligraphy 行稳致远 (steady steps reach far), illustrating why Korean Hanja maps closely to Chinese characters
Research

Why Korean Hanja Maps So Closely to Chinese Characters

Korean Hanja are Chinese characters used in Korean, so their forms and components map directly onto Chinese. That means Chinese writing practice transfers, with readings the one big caveat.

Lawrence Arya··4 min
Chinese ink painting with calligraphy 字里乾坤 and a scholar by red plum blossom at sunset, illustrating why pure reading immersion wipes out handwriting
Essays

Why Pure Reading Immersion Wipes Out Handwriting

Input-heavy methods build powerful reading and recognition, and leave handwriting at zero. Here is why pure reading causes character amnesia, and how to keep writing alive.

Lawrence Arya··5 min
Chinese ink painting of a scholar crossing a stone bridge beneath the calligraphy 學而時習不亦說乎, illustrating the gap Quizlet and Anki defectors face for Chinese writing
Research

Quizlet and Anki Defectors: The Gap for Chinese Writing

When Quizlet changed and learners fled to Anki and open alternatives, one gap followed them: no flashcard tool, free or paid, grades your handwriting. For writing, you need a different kind of tool.

Lawrence Arya··5 min
Misty ink-wash river valley with calligraphy 尋雲記 (seeking the clouds) and a lone boat, illustrating how to fix Chinese character amnesia
Playbooks

How to Fix Chinese Character Amnesia: A Practical Guide

Character amnesia, reading characters you can no longer write, is caused by typing and fixed by from-memory writing, spaced over time. Here is the practical method, step by step.

Lawrence Arya··5 min