The Remember Libraries
The complete picture library of Mandarin β every sound and every shape-part with its picture, name, pinyin, meaning, and audio. This is the app's Remember module, open to the web.
In the Remember module, every piece of the language gets a picture and a story β that's how the memory palace works. Initials are people, finals are places, tones are family voices, and radicals are the shape-parts every character is built from. Below is the complete default library. Tap any βΆ to hear a sound; tap a radical for its full card. In the free app, you can replace any picture and name with your own.
Everything on this page β the people, the places, the family voices, the radical pictures β is a default sample that ships with the app. It's a starting point, not the answer. A memory palace only sticks when the pictures mean something to you: your grandpa, the school canteen, your kitchen, a friend's garage or your backyard. In the free app, every picture and every name is replaceable β snap a photo, give it your own name, and it flows into every story, card, and review. See how Remember works β
π€ Initials π Finals π΅ Tones πΌοΈ Radicals
The Initials β meet the people 24
Each initial is a person whose name starts with that sound, so the consonant and the face become one memory. E.g. m β Mia, then ε¦ (mΔ, mom), η« (mΔo, cat), η±³ (mΗ, rice) all begin with Mia. Pick a person, cartoon character, or hero whose name sounds like the letter β s β Spider-Man, f β Frodo, zh β a genie named Jin (the name matches the sound, not the spelling). Stick to people, cartoons, or heroes β not animals, which are Chinese characters too and would confuse the story. In the app, you can change their photo and rename them!
π‘ Try this first: hold a tissue (or your hand) in front of your mouth. Say stayβ¦ then say top. Feel the little burst of air on the t of top β but not on the t of stay? That burst is the puff of air, and it's the secret to six of these sounds.
Mandarin d is the quiet t of stay β no puff. Mandarin t is the t of top β with the puff. That's the whole difference! It's also why Mandarin d can sound like English t to your ear β you're hearing a quiet t, not an English d.
The same quiet/puffy pair happens six times: bβp, dβt, gβk, zβc, zhβch, jβq β the first of each pair is quiet, the second has the puff.
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The Finals β your places 36
Each final is a room in one Memory Palace β the ending vowel is the longest part of the syllable, and a fixed room makes it stick. E.g. an β Throne Room, so ι₯ (fΓ n, meal) = the f-person walks to the Throne Room. Pick a place whose name rhymes with or reminds you of the sound β ao β a cave (echoes "ao"), ing β an ice rink (rings "ing"), u β the moon (rhymes). In the app, you can change the picture and rename the place!
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The Tones β the voices 5
Each tone is a family member's voice. See the pitch shape and hear the sample word.
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The Radicals β the shape-parts 214 + 48 variants
Every character is built from these. ζ°΅ is water, so ζ΅· (sea), ζ²³ (river) and ζ³ͺ (tear) are all "something with water". Tap any radical for its full card β picture, name, pinyin, meaning, strokes β and hear it.
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This page is a read-only reference. The magic happens in the app: upload your own picture for any sound or radical, give it your own name, and it flows into every character story, flashcard, and review. See how Remember works β
Sounds in action β the interactive pinyin chart β
Flashcards β how review works β
Getting Started β your first five minutes β