Skritter CEO Jake Gill on How to Level Up Your Mandarin & Learn Chinese Characters the “Write” Way

Jake Gill (高健) is a Chinese educator, former “Teaching Chinese as a Second Language” graduate student, and the CEO of Skritter, an innovative language learning app that helps Japanese and Chinese learners master characters through active production (i.e. writing on the screen) instead of passive recognition.

Topics Discussed

In the interview, we talk about:

• How and why he learned Mandarin Chinese.
• Why traditional language classes won’t get you fluent in a language.
• What he would do differently if he were to start learning Mandarin over again.
• The limitations of app-based learning and following “the golden path.”
• The importance of following your passion and curiosity in languages.
• How to learn to write Chinese characters the “write” way.
• Jake’s current language learning routines and favorite resources.
• The importance of daily habits and focusing on process over outcome.

Concepts & Resources Mentioned

• Skritter (Use code LANGUAGEMASTERY to get 10% off.
• Read my full review of Skritter here.
• ChinesePod
• Mandarin Training Center (國語教學中心)
• Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career by Scott Young
• Hàn-yǔ Pīn-yīn (漢語拼音・汉语拼音)
• Zhù-yīn (注音, a.k.a. Bopomofo)
• Tīng-xiě (聽寫・听写)
• BearTalk Podcast (狗熊有话说)
• Language Reactor (formerly Language Learning with Netflix)
• Nihongo (Japanese dictionary app)