Entropy-based Sound-Character Mapping for Chinese Character Learning

Supplementary materials

Supplementary materials for an information-theoretic method that prioritizes high-entropy sound-character mappings to accelerate Chinese character learning.

Supplementary materials for the paper “Entropy-based Sound-Character Mapping for Chinese Character Learning,” International Journal of Chinese Language Teaching (2025, Vol. 6, Issue 2, pp. 63–89).

Overview

The paper applies information-theoretic methods to Chinese character acquisition. By quantifying the entropy of the sound-to-character mapping, the work identifies which characters have the most complex (high-uncertainty) phonetic relationships and proposes prioritizing those as learning targets — a data-driven strategy for mastering characters with irregular or high-variance pinyin mappings.

Paper

Read the article on CLT-International · DOI

Supplementary Materials

The supplementary site provides the following downloadable resources:

• Presentation slides (演示文稿)
• Character dictation worksheet (汉字听写练习)
• Worksheet reference table (汉字听写练习参考表格)
• High-entropy, high-frequency pinyin character practice (熵高频高拼音汉字练习参考表格)
• Pleco flashcard file (Pleco 闪卡文件) — compatible with the Pleco mobile flashcard app

Materials are designed for both educators and self-learners who want an evidence-based approach to Chinese character study.