Chinese Language - Broken Impossible to use due to missing words

[herbsandhelpers]

Okay I’ve tried your browser version, hanzi are tiny, however a previous missing hanzi was there. So a degraded format with missing features.

I need to constantly switch the keyboard between EN and hanzi but the missing hanzi are there.

However I’ve paid for the app …

[Thomas.Heiss]

I found an older post of mine in the Chinese section:

Some news in the Reddit thread "Duolingo only HAS TWO full-time staff for 8.6 million paying subscribers. That's why you can't get help.
Here's my letter to Luis & his response":

Chrome preview (not working in Firefox on Android):
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1idrpzm

Direct link (for Firefox Nightly):
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1idrpzm

At the moment Chinese is not in their top 8 list.

Looks like Chinese isn't specifically mentioned by their CEO for 2025 in a written reply to answer a letter from Georgethetruth, a /r/Duolingo Subreddit moderator.

Reply from Dr. Luis von Ahn:
https://preview.redd.it/ee6bklmky5ge1.p ... 37c0e0f52e

I guess it still holds true what I basically wrote above as a quick summary.

So maybe we see general course extensions for Chinese/Mandarin in the next few years but I'm not sure what this means for optional "traditional Chinese characters" reading/writing.

12 millions of Chinese learners are not are not too few so it should be safe to be able to expect as a user/learner at least some course updates in the future.

It's a bit surprising that DL staff (linguistic team) is now working on 8+1 languages incl. Mandarin.

[Thomas.Heiss]

What is the default zoom on Safari? 100%? Have you tried setting it to 133%?

Should be selectable in the Accessibility menu.

Okay I’ve tried your browser version, hanzi are tiny

Well, the newer zoom feature doesn't work that great on Chrome stable or Dev release on Android.
I can't return back to the old text scaling and disable the experiments like I could before.
Seems they have been permanently implemented.

The Duolingo text in the footer is also quite small.

On Android the font size / "text scaling" feature of Firefox (Nightly) set to 130-150% works much better, also for the Duome forum.

I haven't checked it for foreign writing symbols in Asian languages.
But I know that some DL users complained when using the web portal for Hindi, Arabic, Hebrew,...

Maybe one can switch the font type and enlarge the font size.
I believe I had applied "Duolingo larger front size" before but the code is quite old so the used div tags likely won't work anymore.

To do this you'll need a CSS stylesheet and the Stylus browser extension/addon in this case:

viewtopic.php?t=42-userscripts-and-exte ... ngo-forums

Maybe someone has already developed this and it still works with the newer/updated website.
On some websites userscripts and stylesheets are listed (especially for Duolingo).
However, too old scripts or CSS files very likely won't work anymore with the newer html code.

---

Maybe it's easier to find a generic browser extension/addon
(still unclear to me how to get this working on mobile for iOS).

On the /r/Firefox Reddit channel Hanzisize was suggested:
https://github.com/rjpeterson/Hanzisize

It is a bit older (2021) without further updates.
Should be working on Chrome (desktop), Edge (Canary release), Firefox Nightly if it's only language dependent.

[herbsandhelpers]

Pat pat your back

[herbsandhelpers]

Thank you for your advice so the workaround for me is to use the browser version.

This is far from ideal but it is a workable solution.

Thank you for your help.

[sleepy]

I have not exactly the same problem, but I am hitting a wall related to Hanzi all the same.
In few words: now Duolingo wants me to input pijin to produce Hanzi.
I am on Android.
I never manage to do anything. They are never accepted, even when I feel I am right.
Moreover the 4th tone "umlaut" is not accepted, no matter what I do.
Very bad working workaround: use Google Translate, copy/paste the Hanzi it produces, but it is not bullet proof and this way I do not learn a single thing (I am more focussed on being able to talk and listen, but once you are there you want to learn as much as possible).
When this does not work, I am literally stuck and I cannot go forward.
It has been a very rapid and shocking slow down. I was crawling along the course path alright (I am level 18), now I feel I am not going to proceed.
I have a Chinese keyboard available on my Smartphone now, but I simply cannot manage to use it to get the right characters (Duolingo does not teach how to use it, by the way).
I could use it, if anyone would indicate me where I can learn a bit of it.
I have been producing characters in Japanese, and I did not find it difficult to learn in short time some tricks to produce some "special" characters, but now with Chines I am feeling (temporary?) completely lost.
Thank you in advance for any hint!

[PtolemysXX]

Moreover the 4th tone "umlaut" is not accepted, no matter what I do.

You do not need to specify tones when you type in pinyin. Just type as if there were no tones and Android will figure out the hanzi - or if there are multiple possibilities it will show them in a line above the keyboard so you can pick the one you need.

One trick to remember is to type "v" when you want to enter "ü", e.g.

lvxing --> 旅行

Does your keyboard work if you use other apps (like e-mail or some notepad) on your phone? Does it convert pinyin to Chinese characters?

What exactly is the problem?

[Thomas.Heiss]

@sleepy

Just take a few screenshots for the individual keyboard layouts and then upload them to an AI tool (ChatGPT, Google Gemini, DeepSeek,..) and let them describe to you what button is what and how to use it.
You can say I'm a beginner and have not any clue.
Or what issues you run into...

I did it once before with JP and ChatGPT gave me a few suggestions what is what (I don't even learn JP).

Or maybe ask for a few pictures with clear labels/annotations what each button is for.
There must be a beginner guide available somewhere...

[sleepy]

I am beginning to sort it out.
Now the issue is shifting from understanding how to use the tools to the learning process itself.
It is nevertheless a rather steep step to climb. Bigger than any else so far.

Basically, so far it was enough to insert the pinyin directly in DuoLingo form a roman keyboard. No need to specify tones or such "details".
Now in some exercises you are presented a set of "naked" Hanzi composing a word without any other indication/hint/help.
Either you know it or you will have pain and will be stuck.
But even if you know the answer, you have to insert either a perfect pinyin (with the caveats in my original post) or a Hanzi produced with the Chinese keyboard.

Now I see it is possible, but it is not easy at all.
And, related to Duolingo, you have to figure all this out by yourself with no warning and then learn how to use it (again, no teaching provided by Duolingo), which I would say does not sound very good to me.

In any case, I will climb to the top of this hill!