Helping with Chinese homework when you do not read Chinese
You do not need to read a character to check whether it was written correctly, or to keep a child company while they practise. Here is what can be checked from the outside.
What can I check without reading Chinese?
- The pinyin. Every word on this site carries its pinyin above each character, one syllable per character. If the child says something different from what is printed, that is worth another look.
- The stroke count. Each character page states how many strokes a character has and draws them in order. Counting strokes in what was written is a check anyone can do.
- Whether it came back. A word written correctly once is not learned. The app puts missed words back days later; you can ask whether yesterday's missed words showed up again.
Do I have to read the app in Chinese?
No. Hints sit beside the Chinese in your own language — twelve to choose from: English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), French, German, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Russian, Thai, Korean, Japanese and Traditional Chinese. They step back at the higher levels, and can be pinned on or off in Settings.
The Chinese itself is never translated away. A learner reads the Chinese and the hint sits next to it, because the point is to stop needing the hint.
How long should a session be?
Short and daily beats long and occasional, and that is not a slogan about motivation — spaced repetition is how the schedule under the word book works. Ten minutes with the missed words from last time does more than an hour of new material.
One practical thing that helps: say the word aloud yourself and let the child write it. That is what a 听写 is, and it is the part a parent can do without any Chinese at all. There is a guide to how those tests work.
What does it cost, and what does it collect?
Everything is free for the first two weeks. After that the first ten lessons of every level stay free, along with every spelling chapter and all handwriting practice; the rest is a subscription.
There are no adverts and no third-party trackers. Progress — stars, words, settings — is stored in the browser on the device and is not sent anywhere. The full statement is on the privacy page.
How do I see how it is going?
One line on the 我的 tab: days opened this week, and words collected. Two numbers, and no verdict about the child attached to them. There is no session clock, so the app does not claim minutes it has not measured.