The project
Is Mandarin Orbit a complete Chinese course?
No. It is a practice companion designed to sit alongside the way you already learn Chinese: a course, teacher, school, university, textbook, videos or another app. Its main job is helping you practise and retrieve what you have encountered.
What vocabulary does it cover?
The current version focuses on HSK 3.0 · Level 1 · 300 vocabulary items.
Is it free?
Yes. Mandarin Orbit is free. Any contribution to development is voluntary and does not unlock features, content, points or in-app advantages.
Do I need an account?
No. There are no Mandarin Orbit accounts or remote profiles.
Getting started
Where should I start?
If you are following a course, start with the words you have just studied. Search for them, revisit them in Cards and then try Listening, Build or Writing. If you want a ready-made session instead, open Guided practice and choose 5, 10 or 15 cards.
Do I need to use Mandarin Orbit every day?
No. There is no mandatory schedule. Use it when it is useful and for as long as makes sense for you.
Are Guided practice and free practice alternatives?
No. They complement each other. Guided practice creates a mixed session; free practice is for moments when you already know exactly what you want to work on.
Use and progress
Does Mandarin Orbit work offline?
Learning activities and progress work locally on your device. Speech playback may use the network if the TTS engine configured on your device requires it.
What does “encountered” mean?
It means the vocabulary item has already appeared in your path.
What does “completed” mean?
It means the item has reached the consolidation criteria used by the app. It helps organise practice; it does not mean the word has been permanently “mastered”.
What does “review” mean?
It identifies an item that deserves another pass or that you want to return to.
Does Search change my progress?
No. Search is a reference tool and does not change your learning progress.
Do points, streaks and medals measure my Chinese level?
No. They are part of the app experience. Your real level depends on what you can understand and use outside Mandarin Orbit too.
Listening, microphone and writing
Where does pronunciation audio come from?
Mandarin Orbit uses Mandarin voices available through your operating system or configured TTS engine. Voice quality, availability and possible network access depend on that service.
When is the microphone used?
Only when you deliberately start a pronunciation recording. The recording remains temporarily in memory for playback and is not sent to the developer.
Does Mandarin Orbit grade my pronunciation?
No. Recording is there so you can listen to yourself and compare your pronunciation with the reference voice.
Does Mandarin Orbit grade my handwriting?
No. You can study stroke order, reveal hints and compare your writing with the model, but the app does not score the shape of your characters.
Are the strokes I draw saved?
No. They remain only during the current activity.
Backups and local data
How do I back up my progress?
Open Privacy and information and export the JSON progress file. Where you keep, copy or transfer that file is under your control.
What is imported?
Import transfers your progress. Interface language, TTS voices, theme and other device preferences are not replaced. Before replacement, the app creates a safety copy of the current path.
How do I delete my data?
On Android, clear Mandarin Orbit data through system settings or uninstall the app.