10,000 Chinese Vocabulary (Part 1 of 3)
This deck contains 10,000 of the most common Chinese vocabulary words, ranked in order from beginner to advanced vocabulary. Each word comes with an example sentence and audio to help you build familiarity and recall words more easily. I created this deck in tandem with the Chinese Language Pathway on the Natural Language Journey. You can find out more on how to learn Chinese for free here.
Although I try my best to make sure there are no mistakes or strange sentences, sometimes things slip through. If you notice any mistakes, please feel free to contact me via the contact form on naturallanguagejourney.com
HOW TO USE
This deck contains two types of cards to help you first build recognition of a word and then recall the word. Below is an example of a recognition card. It will show you a Chinese word and an example sentence, then ask you to type the character and remember the English translation. Typing the character is a good way to ensure you remember the pinyin and feel comfortable writing it. To help with your memorization, you may also try writing the character down on a piece of paper. I will also record myself reading the vocabulary word and sentence to the best of my ability using Anki's built-in recording feature before flipping the card over, then I compare my recording to the audio on the card.
On the back side of the card, you will grade yourself based on how easily you can read and understand the word. Typing is optional, so you can say the word out loud or in your head instead. Just make sure you are grading yourself accurately, or the spaced repetition algorithm won't be able to show you words at the right time. Grade yourself on how well you were able to recall the word's pronunciation, tone, and meaning. Remember, if you don't know the tone, you don't know the word! Just knowing the sounds isn't enough!
The second type of card will ask you to recall the vocabulary word. It will give you the example sentence with the word removed and the English translation. You should then type the hazi for the word in the provided space. Alternatively, you may also write the word down on a piece of paper or record yourself saying it using Anki's built-in recording feature. If you're struggling to read the Chinese sentence, you can click on the blue text that says "English Sentence" for the English translation. However, I would only use this if you need it.
On the back, Anki will show you if there are any omitted or extra characters in your answer, but you will still need to grade yourself. Although typing the words is optional, I still highly recommend it because it will improve your recall and thoroughly test your abilities. If you decided to write the vocabulary word, you can compare your stroke order to the animation at the bottom of the card, and if you decided to record yourself reading the word and sentence, then you can compare your pronunciation to the card's audio.
Although this deck doesn't come with images, it does have a field where you can add your own images. Adding an image is great for words you struggle to remember, as it will create a visual association with the word. To add an image, click "edit" in the screen's bottom left corner, then copy and paste the image of your choice into the image field. When you're done, click "close" in the bottom right corner.
Now when you see this card again, it will have the image you added on it!
Hopefully, you enjoy this deck and find it to be a useful tool!
For a detailed guide on how to use Anki to learn Chinese, click here.