Playbooks
When a Course Has No Stylus Writing: Filling the Gap
Frustrated that a course's reading track doesn't support stylus writing on the web? It is a common gap. Here is why, and how a stylus-first tool fills it.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Apple Pencil and Paperlike for Writing Hanzi
A Paperlike protector gives the Apple Pencil a paper-like scrape and sound that makes writing characters feel real. Here is what it adds, what it does not, and why the feel is a bonus.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Apple Pencil Stroke Pressure for Writing Hanzi
Apple Pencil pressure makes strokes look like brush calligraphy, but it is not what builds writing recall. Here is when pressure sensitivity matters for Hanzi and when finger practice is enough.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
ASMR Brush Sounds and Tracing Chinese Characters
The soft scrape of writing characters is genuinely soothing, but the ASMR feel comes from your hardware and surface, not a learning app. Here is the honest split.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
What Is Blind Drawing for Chinese Characters?
Blind drawing means writing a character from memory with the prompt hidden. It is the single most effective way to practise Hanzi, and it is the core of how Hanzi Write Practice works.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Can Skritter Teach You Calligraphy Proportions?
Skritter is excellent for writing characters correctly from memory, but it is not a calligraphy teacher. Here is the difference between writing recall and calligraphy proportions, and how to learn each.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Writing Practice for Traditional TCM Characters
Traditional Chinese Medicine study leans on traditional and classical characters that general apps skip. Here is how to build and practise that specialized set, honestly.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Color-Blind-Friendly Hanzi Component Highlighting
Many apps color-code character components, which fails color-blind learners. Here is what accessible component highlighting should do, and an honest note on where Hanzi Write Practice stands.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Calligraphy Tracing on iPad Pro vs Writing Recall
Looking for a digital calligraphy tracing app for iPad Pro? Here is the honest difference between brush-art tracing and writing-recall practice, and which tool fits which goal.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Practising Chinese Writing Without Pinyin
Want to hide pinyin, or see Cantonese Jyutping instead, while practising characters? Here is the honest state of romanization options and why the writing practice itself is the same.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Dong Chinese vs Skritter: What Both Miss
Dong Chinese and Skritter take different paths to character writing. Here is an honest comparison of their tracing, and the from-memory practice both can leave underdeveloped.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Dysgraphia and Messy Chinese Characters: What Helps
If your Chinese characters come out cramped or messy, slow, structured, from-memory practice on a grid can genuinely help legibility. Here is a realistic approach, and an honest caveat.
Lawrence Arya··5 min