The mock exam has a level 1 paper in the new HSK 3.0 format. For teachers, answer sheets: the questions come from your own book, students mark their answers in Zitou against the clock, and the score is counted for you.
", "image": "https://zitou.app/og/og-en.png", "date_published": "2026-09-29T09:00:00Z", "tags": [ "News" ] }, { "id": "ztou-2026-09-28-en", "url": "https://zitou.app/en/", "title": "An HSK exam in the real format, and Teachers", "summary": "The HSK 1–4 mock exam now follows the real HSK 2.0 format: listening played as in the exam, timing and a review of every question. In Teachers you find a Chinese teacher by level, price and city.", "content_html": "The HSK 1–4 mock exam now follows the real HSK 2.0 format: listening played as in the exam, timing and a review of every question. In Teachers you find a Chinese teacher by level, price and city.
", "image": "https://zitou.app/og/og-en.png", "date_published": "2026-09-28T09:00:00Z", "tags": [ "News" ] }, { "id": "ztou-2026-09-27-en", "url": "https://zitou.app/en/", "title": "Live games", "summary": "A teacher makes a game from HSK words, a PIN goes up on the screen, and students join at zitou.app/o with no account and pick a character. Points for speed, streaks, teams — and each student’s missed words at the end.", "content_html": "A teacher makes a game from HSK words, a PIN goes up on the screen, and students join at zitou.app/o with no account and pick a character. Points for speed, streaks, teams — and each student’s missed words at the end.
", "image": "https://zitou.app/og/og-en.png", "date_published": "2026-09-27T09:00:00Z", "tags": [ "News" ] }, { "id": "ztou-2026-09-26-en", "url": "https://zitou.app/en/", "title": "Class exams", "summary": "A teacher builds an exam from all the words of an HSK level or their own list: a separate paper for each student, a time limit and a last day, and the results at once. Teachers can take the exam themselves first.", "content_html": "A teacher builds an exam from all the words of an HSK level or their own list: a separate paper for each student, a time limit and a last day, and the results at once. Teachers can take the exam themselves first.
", "image": "https://zitou.app/og/og-en.png", "date_published": "2026-09-26T09:00:00Z", "tags": [ "News" ] }, { "id": "ztou-2026-09-25-en", "url": "https://zitou.app/en/", "title": "A new name: Zitou", "summary": "The app is now called Zitou — 字头 (zìtóu), the top part of a Chinese character. The address stays zitou.app; accounts, progress and settings are unchanged.", "content_html": "The app is now called Zitou — 字头 (zìtóu), the top part of a Chinese character. The address stays zitou.app; accounts, progress and settings are unchanged.
", "image": "https://zitou.app/og/og-en.png", "date_published": "2026-09-25T09:00:00Z", "tags": [ "News" ] }, { "id": "https://zitou.app/en/blog/chinese-tones/", "url": "https://zitou.app/en/blog/chinese-tones/", "title": "Chinese tones: the four tones and the neutral tone", "summary": "What the four tones of Mandarin are, how to read tone marks, and the three tone changes (不, 一 and two third tones) every beginner meets.", "content_html": "In Mandarin the same syllable can mean different things depending on its pitch. Here are the four tones, the neutral tone and the three tone changes you will meet in your first week.
Chinese tones: the four tones and the neutral tone
", "image": "https://zitou.app/og/og-en.png", "date_published": "2026-09-25T09:00:00Z", "tags": [ "Articles" ] }, { "id": "https://zitou.app/en/blog/stroke-order-rules/", "url": "https://zitou.app/en/blog/stroke-order-rules/", "title": "Stroke order rules for Chinese characters", "summary": "The basic rules of Chinese stroke order with examples you can practise: horizontal before vertical, top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside and more.", "content_html": "Every Chinese character is written in a fixed order of strokes. A handful of rules covers most characters; learn them once and every new character gets easier to write.
Stroke order rules for Chinese characters
", "image": "https://zitou.app/og/og-en.png", "date_published": "2026-09-25T09:00:00Z", "tags": [ "Articles" ] }, { "id": "https://zitou.app/en/blog/hsk-levels-guide/", "url": "https://zitou.app/en/blog/hsk-levels-guide/", "title": "HSK levels explained: which word list to learn", "summary": "HSK 2.0, HSK 3.0 and the newest 2025 list: how many new words each level adds, how much the lists overlap, and where to start.", "content_html": "HSK is China’s standard test of Chinese for non-native speakers. Its word lists exist in several versions, which confuses almost every beginner. Here is what each one contains.
HSK levels explained: which word list to learn
", "image": "https://zitou.app/og/og-en.png", "date_published": "2026-09-25T09:00:00Z", "tags": [ "Articles" ] }, { "id": "https://zitou.app/en/blog/learn-chinese-first-30-days/", "url": "https://zitou.app/en/blog/learn-chinese-first-30-days/", "title": "Learning Chinese from zero: a plan for the first 30 days", "summary": "A simple 30-day plan: pinyin and tones first, then about 10 new words a day — enough to cover the HSK level 1 word list in a month.", "content_html": "Starting Chinese is easier with a clear plan and a small daily habit. This one takes 10–15 minutes a day and, if you keep the pace, takes you through the HSK 1 word list in a month.
Learning Chinese from zero: a plan for the first 30 days
", "image": "https://zitou.app/og/og-en.png", "date_published": "2026-09-25T09:00:00Z", "tags": [ "Articles" ] }, { "id": "ztou-2026-09-23-en", "url": "https://zitou.app/en/", "title": "zitou.app is open", "summary": "HSK course, a dictionary of over 120,000 words, native audio, stroke-order writing, spaced repetition and a friends leaderboard.", "content_html": "HSK course, a dictionary of over 120,000 words, native audio, stroke-order writing, spaced repetition and a friends leaderboard.
", "image": "https://zitou.app/og/og-en.png", "date_published": "2026-09-23T09:00:00Z", "tags": [ "News" ] } ] }