How I Read 2000 Chinese Words in 30 Days Without Memorizing Flashcards

May 3, 2025

1. I Thought This Was Impossible

For years, I told myself I just wasn't good at reading Chinese. I could understand a few words when people spoke. I’d grown up hearing it at home — but when it came to actually reading signs, subtitles, or messages in Chinese? I was completely lost.

I tried flashcards. I tried Duolingo. I even tried drilling HSK word lists. But nothing stuck. Every time I came back, it felt like starting over.

2. I Needed Something Different

The turning point? A trip to Hong Kong. I was surrounded by menus and signs I couldn’t read — even though I knew some of the filler words, I didn't know any of the meaningful nouns. I realized: I wasn’t failing because I couldn’t learn. I was failing because I was going about learning the wrong way.  I didn't have a consistent, and immersive way to learn for my level. These random one off spurts of motivation weren't enough to sustain real learning results. 

3. I Found a New Way to Learn — And It Clicked

That’s when I found Read Bean — a Chinese learning app that could actually support my level that was focused on real content and useful questions. I wasn’t sure at first, but after my first 5-minute reading lesson, I felt something shift.

Instead of drilling random characters, I was:

  • Reading about trending Chinese memes

  • Learning words in real context

  • Getting personalized quiz questions that felt like actual practice, not busywork

4. Exactly What I Did for 30 Days

Day 1–3:

  • Took the in-app level test

  • Chose 3 starter lessons (mine were about Sun Wukong, some Chinese internet slang, and family terms)

Day 4–10:

  • Built a habit: every night before bed, I’d do 1 lesson

  • Let the app track new words I saw and highlight ones I didn’t know

Week 2–3:

  • Started seeing repeated vocabulary naturally

  • Focused more on sentence structure and context

  • Paid attention to word usage through AI-generated questions

Week 4:

  • Cracked 2,000+ read words in the app

  • Could read through short articles without translation

  • Even wrote a few messages to a family member in Chinese — and they understood it. And understand a few Chinese spammer messages 

5. What I Can Do Now vs 30 Days Ago

Then:

  • Could recognize 10–20 common characters

  • Needed pinyin or translation constantly

Now:

  • Can read a short graded Chinese article without help

  • Recognize patterns in grammar and slang

  • Actually enjoy opening the app every day

6. Why It Worked

This method works because:

  • I was learning through real content with real context, not fake textbook examples

  • The app adjusted to my level, showing me just-right material

  • Vocabulary was learned in context, making it easier to remember

  • It was fun. That meant I stuck with it.

7. If I Can Do This, So Can You

You don’t need to move to China. You don’t need to spend $80/hour on a tutor. And you definitely don’t need to grind flashcards every night.

You just need a system that works.

Try Read Bean. It’s free to start, personalized to you, and it might change the way you learn Chinese — just like it did for me.

DOWNLOAD Read Bean

Learn Chinese, smarter and faster

Weather app image
DOWNLOAD Read Bean

Learn Chinese, smarter and faster

Weather app image
DOWNLOAD Read Bean

Learn Chinese, smarter and faster

Weather app image
DOWNLOAD Read Bean

Learn Chinese, smarter and faster

Weather app image
DOWNLOAD Read Bean

Learn Chinese, smarter and faster

Weather app image