P1 Chinese, every MOE word, in Anki

12,727 flashcards covering the complete MOE syllabus from P1 to P6 — including the new 2024 syllabus. Now with a picture on every sentence card. Lesson-by-lesson. Standard and Higher Chinese. Built on spaced repetition — the same science used by medical students to memorise thousands of facts.

You already know this isn't working

Be honest with yourself for a moment.

Have you ever scanned a 听写 word list with your phone camera because you couldn't read the characters?

Have you ever Googled each word one by one just to hear the pronunciation, then tried to test your child on words you can't say properly yourself?

Have you ever watched your child pass Friday's 听写 — then realised two weeks later they've forgotten almost everything?

Have you ever sat through a homework session that ended in tears — theirs or yours?

If any of that sounds familiar, you're not alone. You're the majority. In the 2020 Census, about 3 in 4 Chinese children aged 5 to 14 in Singapore spoke English most often at home. For most of our kids, Mandarin isn't a "mother tongue" — it's a school subject closer to a foreign language.

And that means the whole system — 听写 drills, tuition, worksheets — is built on an assumption that no longer holds: that someone at home speaks Chinese fluently enough to reinforce what school teaches. If you've felt guilty about not being able to help your child with Chinese — that guilt isn't yours to carry. The system wasn't designed for your family's reality.

You've probably already tried to fix this

Most of us try tuition first. It's a fee every month, for every child, from P1 to P6.

But here's what tuition actually does: more drilling, more worksheets, more memorisation. Upper primary centres teach composition "templates" — pre-memorised paragraphs and stock idioms (好词好句) your child sprinkles into essays regardless of context. It scores marks. But it's not real fluency. It's mechanical language that lives on exam paper and nowhere else.

The fundamental method is identical to school: memorise, test, forget. More of it is just a faster treadmill. The words still don't stick.

Maybe you've tried popular Chinese learning apps. They're engaging at first, but they teach generic Mandarin vocabulary, not what your child actually needs for school. Your child plays the app, but Monday's 听写 list is completely different words.

Maybe you've tried making your own flashcards. You know how that goes — hours of work, inconsistent use, and no system for when to review what.

Maybe you've even tried Anki with a free deck from the internet. But the vocabulary was HSK from Mainland China — not the Singapore MOE syllabus — and the words didn't match what your child actually studies in class.

None of these fix the core problem: without properly timed review, the brain forgets.

The only method that solves the forgetting problem

There's a study technique with a long record behind it. In 1885 the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus tested his own memory and found that 38 repetitions spread over three days worked as well as 68 crammed into one day. Medical students use it to memorise thousands of facts for exams; language learners use it for vocabulary.

It's called spaced repetition, and it works by showing each word right before your child would forget it.

See 花 today → review in 3 days → review in 1 week → review in 3 weeks → review in 2 months

Each successful recall pushes the next review further out. Words move from short-term cramming to genuine long-term memory. Without review, words learnt for Friday fade fast. With spaced repetition, each one comes back just before it would be forgotten, 10–15 minutes a day. Same words. Same child. Completely different outcome.

The problem is that spaced repetition requires a specific type of flashcard system — one that tracks every word individually and schedules reviews automatically. You can't do this with paper cards or generic apps.

That's what this deck is.

Why I built this — and why it works for families like ours

I'm Joshua. We speak English at home. When my daughter started Primary 1, Chinese was a struggle. Worksheets weren't sticking. Drilling was making her dread the subject. Homework sessions were turning into arguments. I felt the same guilt every English-speaking parent feels: I should be able to help, but I can't read the word list.

So I spent hundreds of hours building a system. I compiled every word in the MOE Chinese syllabus from P1 to P6 — 4,737 words across 6 levels, both Standard and Higher Chinese, including the new 2024 syllabus. Created three card types per word (reading, writing, and sentence comprehension). Added native audio pronunciation and stroke order animations. Loaded it all into Anki — the most powerful spaced repetition software available.

Within 4 months, my daughter could read and recognise every P1 word. Not crammed for a test. Actually knew them. No tuition. No nagging. No tears at 9pm.

I've spent two years expanding and refining the deck since then. I update it every time MOE releases new syllabus content. Every card has been tested on my own children first — if something doesn't work, I fix it before anyone else sees it.

Works even if you don't speak Chinese

This is the part that changes everything for English-speaking families.

You do not need to know Chinese to use this deck with your child.

Every word comes with:
• Natural Mandarin audio — your child hears the correct way to say each word
• Stroke order animations on Writing cards — shows exactly how to write each character, stroke by stroke
• Pinyin — romanised pronunciation guide on every card
• English translations — so you always know what the word means
• Example sentences — with audio, translation and a picture of the scene

The algorithm decides what to review and when. Your child taps a button to rate how well they remembered. That's it.

No more scanning word lists with Google Lens. No more guessing stroke order. No more pretending you can read the homework.

You can sit next to your child and actually understand what they're studying — in English — while they learn in Chinese. For the first time, you can be involved in their Chinese education without needing to speak the language.

What the next 12 months look like

Month 1: Your child learns 3 new words a day, 10 minutes a session. The daily habit takes shape. You notice they're recognising characters on food packaging and MRT signs. 听写 prep already feels different — some words are already familiar before the list comes home.

Month 3: 听写 prep shrinks from 45 minutes to 5. Your child already knows most of the words before the list arrives. Thursday nights are calm. You've forgotten what homework arguments sound like.

Month 6: The teacher notices. Comprehension scores improve because your child reads faster — they're not decoding word by word anymore. Composition vocabulary gets richer. The Tuesday-Thursday cramming cycle is gone.

Month 12: Every P1 word is in long-term memory. Not crammed. Known. Your child picks up a Chinese book and reads for pleasure. The foundation for P2 is already built. And you didn't spend a single dollar on tuition to get here.

PSLE: why this matters more than you think

Under the AL scoring system, the difference between AL1 (90+ marks) and AL2 (85-89 marks) is just 5 marks. In Chinese composition and oral — where marking is subjective — losing 5 marks is easy. For a child aiming at top secondary schools, Chinese is often the subject that drags down their entire PSLE score.

Vocabulary is the foundation of everything: comprehension speed, composition richness, oral confidence. A child who genuinely knows every word — not just crammed them — reads passages faster, writes with more range, and speaks with less hesitation. That's the difference between AL3 and AL1.

And from 2026, scoring AL1 or AL2 in Standard Chinese qualifies your child for Higher Chinese in secondary school — regardless of their overall PSLE score. Higher Chinese is the tie-breaker for SAP schools like Nanyang Girls, Hwa Chong, and Tao Nan. A strong Chinese vocabulary doesn't just help Chinese — it opens doors to the schools you're aiming for.

What's in the deck

12,727 flashcards covering the complete P1–P6 MOE syllabus, for Standard and Higher Chinese, including the new 2024 syllabus. Cards per year (Standard / Higher):

• P1: 675 / 707 (2024 syllabus: 797 / 826)
• P2: 792 / 812 (2024 syllabus: 860 / 906)
• P3: 694 / 747 (2024 Higher: 3A 465, 3B 300)
• P4: 707 / 796
• P5: 677 / 891
• P6: 452 / 623

Your child doesn't study all 12,727 cards — just their level and track. A P1 student works through 675–826 cards, depending on the track. That's roughly 4 new cards per school weekday spread across the year. 10-15 minutes a day. Very doable.

Includes both Standard Chinese and Higher Chinese vocabulary. Organised lesson-by-lesson to match exactly what your child learns in school — not random HSK vocabulary from Mainland China. Already updated for MOE's new 2024 syllabus, with further updates added within weeks as MOE releases each level.

3 card types — matched to what MOE asks for

Characters your child only needs to read (识读字) get a Recognition card and a Sentence card. Characters they need to write (识写字) also get a Writing card, one character at a time, with stroke order.

Most flashcards only test one thing: "see the word, recall the meaning." That's not enough. Your child needs to read, write, AND understand each word in context. This deck tests all three:

1. Recognition
See: 运动 → Recall: yundong — sports/exercise
Can your child read this word and recall its meaning?

2. Writing
See: 我爱[yundong]。→ Write: 运动
Can your child write the characters from pinyin context?

3. Production
运动对身体好。→ yundong dui shenti hao → Exercise is good for health, with a picture of the scene above the English.
Can your child understand the word in a full sentence?

This is why the deck builds real fluency instead of shallow recognition: every word is read and understood in a sentence, and every character the syllabus asks your child to write is written. No other Chinese flashcard deck for the Singapore syllabus does this.

What parents say

This parent's son went from struggling with weekly 听写 to qualifying for Higher Chinese:

"The cards have been beneficial and helps him to remember his words beyond just the usual 听写. He also got into Higher Chinese as well!"
— Singapore Parent

This parent tried building flashcards herself — and found out how much work is behind this deck:

"I was trying to make my own flashcards for my child to prepare for PSLE, and it is VERY time consuming. Joshua must have spent days and even months of work to compile 6 years of Chinese worth of vocabulary list into flashcards. Extremely grateful for this!"
— Parent preparing for PSLE

Reviews from our Gumroad store

6 ratings on Gumroad, all 5 stars. These are the three that came with a written review, word for word:

Everything you get

The P1 deck (SGD 199) includes:

• Every P1 word for Standard and Higher Chinese, old and 2024 syllabus (675–826 cards per track), with reading, sentence and writing cards
• Natural Mandarin audio on every card — 13 voices, including a Singaporean one, so your child hears more than one speaker
• A picture on every example sentence — a watercolour scene above the English meaning that makes the sentence stick
• Stroke order animations for every character your child must write — your child sees exactly how to write each stroke
• English translations and pinyin on every card — so English-speaking parents can follow along
• Step-by-step setup help — setup pages for your device and setup emails, from installation to daily habit. Most parents are up and running in 10 minutes
• Lifetime updates — MOE is rolling out the new 2024 syllabus year by year. As each level is released, I update the deck within weeks. You never need to buy again
• Family use — siblings can each have their own profile to track individual progress
• 60-day money-back guarantee — on every Level and the Bundle

To build this yourself, you'd need to compile every word and character in the MOE syllabus across 6 years and both levels, create 12,727 flashcards, draw a picture for every example sentence, record audio for every card, build stroke order animations, and organise everything lesson-by-lesson. That's hundreds of hours of work. You're getting all of it for SGD 199.

The real cost of staying on the treadmill

Tuition is a fee every month, for every child, from P1 to P6. This deck is one price for the whole family:

The Bundle, entire family, P1-P6: SGD 599 total

But the money isn't the real cost. It's 6 years of Thursday night stress. The arguments over homework. The dread your child develops towards the language. The relationship damage from forcing a method that doesn't work.

The P1 deck is SGD 199, with a 60-day money-back guarantee — for a system that actually addresses why the words don't stick.

Pricing

P1 Deck — SGD 199
Everything listed above. Every P1 card in all four tracks, audio, pictures, stroke order, setup support, lifetime updates, family use. 60-day money-back guarantee.

The Bundle, P1–P6 — SGD 599
All six Levels: 12,727 flashcards covering P1 through P6. For families who want the complete set through PSLE. Same inclusions as above. 60-day money-back guarantee. About the Bundle

The guarantee

Use the P1 deck with your child for 60 days. Do the 10 minutes a day. If your child doesn't retain more words in a month than they normally keep after a 听写 cycle — email me, and I'll refund every cent. No questions asked. No hoops. No forms to fill out.

I can offer this because I know what happens when you commit to 10 minutes a day. The method works — spaced repetition is proven science, not a gimmick. I'm not asking you to take my word for it — I'm asking you to test it on your child and see for yourself.

How to get started

You don't need to be technical. If you can install an app and open a file, you can do this.

1. Download Anki — free on Mac, Windows, and Android (iOS app is S$34.98 one-time)
2. Import the deck — double-click the file, done in 5 minutes
3. Study 10-15 minutes daily — the algorithm decides what to review and when

A setup email arrives right after purchase walking you through everything. Most parents are up and running in 10 minutes.

At ~3 new cards per day, your child completes P1 in about a year. At 6 new cards, you go double the speed at only 15 minutes a day. The deck grows with them through P6. Works offline. Syncs across devices. Own it forever.

FAQ

How is this different from tuition?
Tuition uses the same drill-and-forget method as school, just more of it. Many centres teach composition templates and stock phrases that score marks but don't build real vocabulary retention. This deck uses spaced repetition, which brings each word back just before it would be forgotten. And it's one price for the whole family: SGD 599 for all six years.

I don't speak Chinese. Can I still use this with my child?
Yes — this is exactly why the deck was built the way it is. Every card has natural Mandarin audio, pinyin and English, and every sentence card has a picture; writing cards show stroke order. The algorithm handles the testing and scheduling. You don't need to read or speak Chinese at all.

Will this help with PSLE?
The deck covers every word in the P1-P6 MOE syllabus. A child who genuinely retains this vocabulary — not just crammed it — will be stronger in comprehension, composition, and oral. Strong Chinese vocabulary also qualifies your child for Higher Chinese, which is the tie-breaker for SAP school entry.

Why not use free Anki decks?
Free decks use random vocabulary, often from Mainland China (HSK levels). This deck contains the exact words from the Singapore MOE syllabus, organised lesson-by-lesson to match what your child learns in school. There is no other Anki deck built specifically for the Singapore Chinese curriculum.

How much time does it take?
10-15 minutes daily. Consistency beats cramming. Short daily practice is more effective than weekend marathon sessions.

What if my child doesn't like it?
60-day money-back guarantee. If it doesn't work for your family, I'll refund you in full. No questions asked.

Can I upgrade to all six Levels later?
Yes. Start with your child's Level (SGD 199). For 14 days after you buy it, you have Upgrade credit: the Bundle of all six Levels for SGD 299 minus what you paid. After that, the Bundle is SGD 599.

What app do I need?
Anki — free on desktop (Mac/Windows/Linux) and Android. The iOS app costs S$34.98 one-time. AnkiWeb syncs progress across devices for free.

Can siblings share?
Yes, family use is included. Each child can have their own Anki profile to track individual progress.

Is this for Standard or Higher Chinese?
Both. The deck includes all vocabulary from both tracks, clearly labelled so you can focus on what your child needs.

The 听写 cycle doesn't pause

Every Monday, your child gets a new word list. Every Friday, they pass and forget. The words they learned last month are fading right now. The words from last term are mostly gone.

Six years of memorise, test, forget, repeat — that's what happens if nothing changes.

For SGD 199, with a full money-back guarantee, you get the system to break this cycle. If it doesn't work, you get your money back. If it does, the words stay.

Not sure yet? Start free

Tap your child's level and I'll email you lessons 1 to 3 of it as an Anki deck, free, right now.

Questions? Email [email protected] — I read and reply to every message.