The reMarkable 2 is a lovely device: a distraction-free e-ink slate that feels remarkably like writing on paper. That makes it tempting for Chinese handwriting practice. It is genuinely useful for that, with one honest limitation that comes from what the reMarkable is, a document tablet, not an app platform.

What the reMarkable is good for

The reMarkable runs PDFs and notebooks, not interactive apps. So the way to practise Chinese on it is to load templates:

  • Grid-paper PDFs. Load 米字格 or 田字格 templates and write characters into the squares, exactly as on paper, see Chinese grid paper templates.
  • Copybook sheets. A faint-character 字帖 PDF gives you tracing models, see Hanzi handwriting font and worksheet generators.
  • The paper-like feel. The friction and calm are excellent for deliberate, proportion-focused practice, and the distraction-free screen helps focus.

For writing characters with proper proportion in a quiet, paper-like way, the reMarkable is a delight.

The limit: it cannot test recall

Here is the honest constraint. The reMarkable handles documents; it does not run interactive learning logic. So it cannot do the two things that make digital practice more than paper:

  • It cannot hide a character to test recall. A PDF either shows the character or it does not; it cannot prompt you, wait for your attempt, then reveal the answer.
  • It cannot check your work. There is no feedback on whether your strokes or order were right.

So on a reMarkable you are doing copying and tracing, which is recognition and motor copying, not from-memory recall, the distinction we cover in the case for a dedicated Hanzi writing app. It is very good paper, and paper has this same limit.

The best of both

You do not have to choose one device for everything:

  • Use the reMarkable for the paper-like feel, proportion work, and calm, distraction-free writing.
  • Use a from-memory app for the recall test and feedback, where the character is hidden and you produce it, see blind drawing for Chinese characters.

Where Hanzi Write Practice fits

Hanzi Write Practice is an iOS app and does not run on the reMarkable, so it would be wrong to suggest it replaces your slate. What it adds is exactly what the reMarkable cannot: it hides the character, makes you produce it from memory, and checks your stroke order, pinyin, and meaning, with spaced repetition. We also offer free printable grid templates you can load onto the reMarkable for the paper side.

Love the reMarkable for the feel. Just add a recall tool for the part good paper has never been able to do.

Join early access and add recall to your paper-like practice.