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If you’ve been following along and have made your own flashcards, you’ll have noticed that there are two cards for each character. While it may seem redundant, this arrangement actually allows for a number of memory games. Below, I’ll explain five that I have thought of.

These first three exercises require both red and black cards and a large surface to lay them out on.

Game 1: Character — Translation speed match

This exercise will help you remember the meaning of Chinese characters

1. Gather together a selection of red characters you wish to learn the meaning of, and place them on one side.
2. Gather together the corresponding black English translations on another side.
3. Put the red Chinese character and black English translation in pairs as fast as possible.

Game 2: Pronunciation — Translation speed match

This exercise will help you associate the sound of Chinese words with their English meanings.

1. Gather together a selection of red phonetics you wish to learn the meaning of, and place them on one side.
2. Gather together the corresponding black English translations on another side.
3. Put the red phonetics and black English translations into pairs as fast as possible.

Game 3: Character — Character super speed match

This exercise will help you recognise the differences between Chinese characters

1. Gather together a selection of red characters you wish to learn the meaning of, and place them on one side. Try to use characters that look similar, or that you often confuse with other characters.
2. Gather together the corresponding black characters on another side.
3. Match the red and black characters as fast as possible

While this may seem like a pointless exercise, if it is done often and under time pressure, it should help you to spot the differences between similar looking characters.

The following 2 exercises only require one set of cards (either red or black) and don’t need any surface to place the cards on. You could use these exercises while travelling on a bus or train.

Game 4: Character — Translation memorisation

This exercise will help you remember the meaning of Chinese characters, or the shape of Chinese Characters.

1. Gather a selection of black printed Character cards you wish to learn the meaning of.
2. Flip them so that the Chinese Character is facing you
3. Try to recall the English translation without looking at the reverse side of the card.
4. Shuffle the cards after you have been through the stack a few times. This prevents you memorising a sequence of words.

This activity can also be used to memorise Chinese characters as follows

1. Gather a selection of black printed English words you wish to learn the Chinese character for.
2. Flip them so that the English word is facing you
3. Try to recall what the Chinese character looks like without looking at the reverse side of the card. For added difficulty, write the character with a finger in the air. Remember to use the correct stroke order!
4. Shuffle the cards after you have been through the stack a few times. This prevents you memorising a sequence of words.

Game 5: Pronunciation — Translation memorisation

This exercise will help you associate Chinese characters with their pronunciation.

1. Gather a selection of red printed Character cards you wish to learn the meaning of.
2. Flip them so that the Chinese Character is facing you
3. Try to recall the pronunciation without looking at the reverse side of the card.
4. Shuffle the cards after you have been through the stack a few times. This prevents you memorising a sequence of words.

This activity can also be used to memorise Chinese characters as follows.

1. Gather a selection of red printed phonetic sounds you wish to learn the Chinese character for.
2. Flip them all so that the phonetic is facing you
3. Try to recall what the Chinese character looks like without looking at the reverse side of the card. For added difficulty, write the character with a finger in the air. Remember to use the correct stroke order!
4. Shuffle the cards after you have been through the stack a few times. This prevents you memorising a sequence of words.