Pleco

[Bigdumogre]

Just got the bundle and learning how to use it. Is there a way to download the Npcr 1 vocabulary into flash card section? Can you do it by chapter? I was trying to hand write the Chinese In but could not even register ma for me. Doing it on iPhone

[mikelove]

Strange that it wouldn't register ma correctly in handwriting - did you use correct stroke order? (not a requirement but improves accuracy)

 

There are some NPCR flashcards for Pleco here - download the Text format "master file," then see this section of the flashcard tutorial for help getting it on to your iPhone + importing it into flashcards.

[Bigdumogre]

Thanks a lot and my stroke order was off

Also it's a small screen to write it for iphone6 prob a lot easier on iPad

[Shelley]

I just type them in for each lesson using the keyboard. I put each lesson in its own category, NCPR09 for example.

 

I can then test myself using that lesson only, but I also have the earlier lessons available so I can review anytime. Not having all the lessons in one huge file is much easier to deal with.

 

I consider typing in the new words at the beginning of each new lesson a way to familiarise myself with the new vocab. I also put each lesson's new vocab into Hanzi Grids and sort out the paper flashcards for each new lesson and think of this as preparatory study.

[mikelove]

Great!

 

One thing a lot of users find helpful for accurate drawing is to buy a stylus and use that instead of a finger - basic iPhone stylii are quite cheap (US$10 gets a perfectly nice one) though it's rumored Apple might be offering an official stylus soon when they launch their new 12.9-inch "iPad Pro."

[Shelley]

I have just rediscovered my stylus yesterday    trying to input into Pleco on my phone ( I put the lessons on my phone and my tablet) and was having problems with the small keyboard and thought to myself Aha somewhere I have a stylus I will try it and wow it really helped.

 

i also tried it with Skritter as I have always felt it was a little artificial using my finger as I don't write on paper with my finger but with a pen and using a stylus gives it much more real feel.

 

So I now keep my stylus to hand and find it really useful.

[Frederik451]

When you use Pleco for flashcards, does it give you words to study everyday (like Anki) or do you have to choose what to study yourself?

[mikelove]

It can be configured to give you words to study every day - using SRS, like Anki. (algorithmically a bit more akin to Anki 1 than Anki 2, I believe, though we're working on a new algorithm that will be unlike either of them)

[Frederik451]

That sounds great, thank you

[Bigdumogre]

Great advise all

Will pick a stylus soon. Yea I would rather enter everything manually eventually for extra practice

[NotChinese]

I find stroke order is fairly essential at times.

 

On occasion I've literally not been able to find a character by writing it, until I realise I was doing one stroke in the wrong direction or wrong order. 

 

Try writing 提，把，擦，摆，or anything with the hand radical, and do just the hand radical in the wrong stroke order. See how hard it suddenly   becomes to locate the character you're looking for! 

[xiaokaka]

Hmm, I actually tried to write 把 now, and wrote it with the completely wrong stroke order (巴 first and different order and direction within each component) and yet, 把 still showed up as no 1! The same thing using the built in iOS keyboard. But I guess it is a lot more important for more complicated characters.