In this section, we're introducing you to a fantastic tool called Hanzeasy, which the course tutor Yuqi and her husband Scott developed to help students memorize Chinese characters effectively. Let us share the inspiration behind it.

Years ago, Yuqi and Scott came across a research paper from 1975 called "Comprehension and memory for pictures." This study demonstrated that individuals could draw nonsensical images, called "droodles," from memory far better when given an accompanying sentence. The sentence acted as a mnemonic, helping them recall the "droodle." It struck us that a similar concept, adapted for Chinese characters, could revolutionize the way we learn them. And so, Hanzeasy was born.

Hanzeasy's method uses carefully designed illustrations of Chinese characters to give meaning to strokes, just as a mnemonic sentence gives meaning to "droodles." Let's dive into some examples:

猫 (māo) - Cat: On the left, you'll see an image of a dog lying on its side, with legs and a tail. On the right, the phonetic component 苗 (miáo) represents sprouts, resembling grass growing on top of a rice field. Now, imagine that a cat is hiding in that rice field.

狗 (gǒu) - Dog: Again, on the left, there's an image of a dog lying on its side, with legs and a tail. On the right, the phonetic component 句 (gōu) has a bent/hook shape with a mouth inside. Imagine a dog biting a man in the arm, causing him to shout in pain.

鱼 (yú) - Fish: This image has three parts—the head on top, a square fish body with a cross shape in the middle, and a flat fishtail at the bottom.

鸟 (niǎo) - Bird: Visualize a proud bird sticking its chest out while showing off its wings.

Now, your task is to capture as many details as possible from these images and make connections with the meaning of the characters while memorizing their shapes. Watch the animations of these characters closely, paying attention to the strokes and their order. Then, practice writing these characters on paper at least 3-4 times each, recalling the images in your mind as you write.

Afterward, test your memory by writing these characters on a blank piece of paper. Check your results, and if they aren't accurate, don't worry—simply repeat the previous steps. With Hanzeasy and a bit of practice, you'll find Chinese characters easier to remember and more enjoyable to learn.