1. Link the sound to something silly
η± (Γ i, love) sounds roughly like 'eye' β picture two eyes falling in love. ζ°΄ (shuΗ, water) sounds a bit like 'sway' β imagine swaying water. A vivid, even ridiculous link beats repeating the word ten times.
2. Learn characters by parts
ε₯½ is ε₯³ (woman) + ε (child). ζ is ζ₯ (sun) + ζ (moon). When you learn the parts, you are not memorizing strokes; you are recognizing a tiny story. This is why HanziQuest shows character breakdowns on every word page.
3. Put every word in a sentence about you
- εζ¬’ β ζεζ¬’εθΆ (I like drinking tea).
- ε·₯δ½ β ζε¨ιΆθ‘ε·₯δ½ (I work at a bank).
- ζ倩 β ζζ倩ε»εδΊ¬ (I am going to Beijing tomorrow).
4. Let spaced repetition do the timing
Your brain forgets on a curve: fast at first, slower later. A spaced-repetition queue shows a word right before you would forget it, which is far more efficient than reviewing everything daily.
5. Review in short bursts
Ten minutes of daily review beats an hour on Sunday. Keep weak words in a review queue and clear it in small sessions β that is exactly what the /review page is for.