The apps that make learning CHINESE child's play

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The apps that make learning CHINESE child's play: New wave of games help you read and write Asian script
Chinese is one of the many courses available on learning app Memrise
It has various levels that teach users how to recognise Chinese symbols
Other levels teach users how to pronounce certain Chinese phrases
It's one of a trend of gamification apps designed to teach languages
Skritter, for example, teaches users how to write Chinese symbols
ChineseSkill only lets users 'unlock' levels when they score points
By VICTORIA WOOLLASTON FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 02:22 EST, 30 January 2015 | UPDATED: 17:09 EST, 30 January 2015

Mandarin Chinese is the world's most spoken language, so it's no wonder more and more people want to learn how to read, write and speak it.

And if you want to learn the basics without paying for an expensive course there are now a host of apps that can teach you for free.

And many, such as London-based Memrise, turn this learning into a game to make it fun, while also improving how much the brain takes in and recalls.
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Memrise, along with rivals Skritter and ChineseSkill, all feature interactive tools that entertain as well as teach - a trend known as 'gamification.' Users commit Chinese characters and definitions to memory with the help of animations and mnemonics. For example, the symbol for 'cow' resembles a cow and neck yoke

'We want to be a very popular game and we want people to play when they're bored,' Gina Gotthilf from DuoLingo added.

HOW MEMRISE TEACHES CHINESE
With Memrise, users commit Chinese characters and definitions to memory with the help of animations and mnemonics.
For example, the symbol for 'cow' resembles a cow carrying a neck yoke. And 'noodles' look like a bowl of noodles being eaten with chopsticks.
Users are notified to review the characters periodically - a technique known as 'spaced repetition'.
The firm compares the learning process to 'growing a garden of memory', with the premise being that when users learn words, they plant virtual seeds, which 'grow and bloom the more they review and practise.'
Memrise also offers a range of other language courses, as well as courses about art, history, chemistry, politics, and more.
DuoLingo does not currently offer a Chinese course, however.


'In a lot of Western countries we now see ourselves as competitive with Candy Crush', said Ben Whately, who worked on Memrise's Chinese courses.

'Candy Crush is effective because it adjusts the difficulty level to just the right level for you.
'Adapting to a level where people feel clever is a great way to keep them playing.

'That is exactly what our learning algorithm does: adjusts when you are tested so that you always have to struggle a little bit, but you are generally successful.'

With Memrise, users commit Chinese characters and definitions to memory with the help of animations and mnemonics.

For example, the symbol for 'cow' resembles a cow carrying a neck yoke.
And 'noodles' look like a tray of noodles being eaten with chopsticks.

Users are notified to review the characters periodically - a technique known as 'spaced repetition'.

'Within a couple of hours of study you can read most of a Chinese menu,' said Mr Whately.
'Every time you go to a Chinese restaurant or walk through China town, you re-engage with that.'

The firm compares the learning process to 'growing a garden of memory', with the premise being that when users learn words, they plant virtual seeds, which 'grow and bloom the more they review and practise.'..

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[Harley]

I'll have to try that out.

A lot of times, I pick language programs that don't feel too stiff to me. Randomly play Duolingo for French and Spanish when I have the time.

I prefer playing on apps that are like games, like Mandarin Madness, because it doesn't feel forced. I want to beat the next level so I commit each character to memory .