Learn first. Then test what you learned.
A teacher, course or good textbook can introduce a word, explain the grammar around it and show you when it is used. Mandarin Orbit mainly comes in afterwards: it helps you revisit what you have encountered without always relying on the same clue.
Seeing 你好 and thinking “hello” is one connection. Understanding it from sound, remembering nǐ hǎo, identifying the tones or writing the characters requires others.
Guided practice may also introduce a new entry. Treat it as a first encounter: if you have not studied it yet, explore it in your main learning resource and come back to practise it here.
Choose where to start.
I want a ready-made session
Guided practice
Choose 5, 10 or 15 cards. Mandarin Orbit mixes new cards, review and previously encountered skills using progress stored on your device.
Review items, entries that still need consolidation and less-practised skills can receive more attention. It is not a compulsory daily programme.
I know what I want to practise
Free practice
Go directly to Listening, Build, Writing, Cards, Sentences or Grammar. Use the available filters to focus on what you actually want to work on.
When you have a specific doubt, Search lets you check an entry without changing your progress.
Know your tools.
Cards and Search
Look at Hanzi, Pinyin, meaning and examples, listen to pronunciation and try to retrieve the answer before revealing it. Mark an entry for review when it deserves more attention.
Listening
Let sound be the first clue. Work towards meaning, Hanzi or Pinyin, identify tones and use Pinyin dictation.
Build
Move from Pinyin to Hanzi and Hanzi to Pinyin, rebuild sentences and identify word boundaries. Different modes expose different connections.
Writing
Practise a complete word one character at a time while keeping the whole word visible. Study stroke order, reveal a hint and write freely. The tool does not grade handwriting and does not store the strokes you draw.
Useful sentences
Explore HSK 1 sentences and listen to them as a whole. Use them as a bridge between isolated vocabulary and context, not as another list to memorise.
Grammar
Open concise rules, patterns and examples when an exercise or sentence raises a question. It is a quick reference, not a complete grammar course.
Four practical ways to use it.
After a lesson
Look up the words you have just studied, revisit them in Cards, listen without looking, then try a Build activity or Writing. You do not need to complete every step every time.
When one word refuses to stick
Search for it, listen to it, say it aloud, meet it in a sentence and retrieve it from another direction. If it is easy in one activity and difficult in another, you have found where to focus.
When you want to train your ear
Start with Listening and resist the urge to read immediately. Alternate meaning, Hanzi, Pinyin, tones and dictation. Device-generated speech is useful as a reference, but it cannot replace feedback from a teacher or proficient speaker.
When you do not want to choose
Open Guided practice. Choose the session length and let Mandarin Orbit alternate activities. If something gives you trouble, target it directly afterwards with free practice.
Remove the clues gradually.
- Try first. Even a few seconds separates retrieval from simply reading.
- When listening, do not look immediately. Give sound a chance to be the real starting point.
- Alternate activities. A word that feels easy in Cards but difficult in Listening is not a contradiction; it is useful information.
- Say words aloud. Comparing yourself with device speech can help, but it does not replace competent feedback.
- Keep sessions sustainable. Short and attentive is better than long and automatic.
Progress is a compass, not a grade.
Mandarin Orbit keeps a local record of what you have encountered, completed or marked for review and uses that information to organise practice. These are data about your path inside the app, not a certification of your Chinese level.
To find out what you really know, take Chinese outside the tool: listen to real content, use it in conversation, write it and seek corrections when you can.
Practical questions?
Accounts, backups, audio and privacy.
Operational answers are collected on the support page.