Frequently asked questions

Flashbao uses a text-to-speech system for Mandarin pronunciation. Most clips are generated in advance and stored. When a requested clip is missing, Flashbao may ask the system to create it at playback time and then store it. If on-demand generation is unavailable, the audio remains unavailable.

Read uses an OCR model on your device to recognize Chinese in photos. The photo is not uploaded. Pasted or corrected text is sent to Flashbao when you choose Read so it can be segmented.

Development work sometimes uses AI for code, tests, documentation and research. An experienced software engineer reviews that work and makes the final decisions about requirements, security, privacy, licensing and testing.

The cards are not written by a language model. Definitions, example sentences, character notes and deck membership come from the sources listed on the data sources and credits page. Content selection is deterministic. FSRS-7 scheduling uses your ratings and can update future due dates from your review history. Your review history and recall target do not change. The text-to-speech system receives public dictionary or corpus text, or Read text only when you ask to play the passage. It does not receive your account ID, email, IP address or review history.

Flashbao uses dictionaries, language datasets, example sentences, grammar material and official vocabulary lists. Fixed rules choose meanings, examples, grammar material and deck membership from those sources. We can trace the material to its source and rebuild the catalogue. Flashbao does not generate this material. The sources and credits page explains what each source contributes, how it is used and which licence or notice applies.

You do not need an account to explore public dictionary entries, search, character and grammar references, deck word lists, or text and photo reading. Pronunciation and passage audio are also free without an account. An account is required for personalized study, review scheduling, synchronization, cloze practice and saving words to custom decks. Personalized study requires a verified account with study access. No payment method is required to create an account and start studying.

Public dictionary browsing, references, Read, and pronunciation and passage audio are free without an account, and no payment method is required to create one and start studying. The pricing page shows the current study access terms. You will not be locked in: you can export your data at any time from Settings and keep a copy if you decide not to continue.

Anyone can take a photo of printed Chinese or paste a passage of up to 2,000 characters into Read, see pronunciation, look up words and play audio. The first photo use downloads about 15 MB for the local OCR model; after that, photo recognition can work offline. Photos stay on your device, and you can correct the recognized text before continuing. Saving words to study decks requires account setup.

When you choose Read, pasted or corrected text is sent to Flashbao for segmentation and is not retained on the server. Your current passage and photo are saved only in this browser, including through signup, verification and setup. Start over removes the local draft, and logging out clears the account's draft. For learners with a selected syllabus, Read shows vocabulary levels. After account setup, you can select up to 500 words to add to a deck. Playing a passage sends its text for speech, and the generated audio may be cached.

Cloze practice asks you to choose a missing word in a curated example sentence. It uses words you have learned and is available after you have studied enough words. It is extra practice, not a scheduled review, and it does not change your FSRS cards or review history. Wrong choices are usually the same kind of word as the answer, so you need the sentence's meaning rather than grammar alone, and recently shown sentences are avoided while you have enough others.

Choose your study script during onboarding. Flashbao cannot change it later because your cards and review history are tied to that script. You can change the display script later; that changes how content is displayed, not your study history.

During onboarding, choose a study script and either use an HSK 3.0, HSK 2.0 or TOCFL level, import a known-word list, or start with no known words. The published levels are rough guides, not a test or certification. TXT, CSV and TSV imports are checked against your study script; unmatched rows are ignored.

Flashbao leaves declared-known words out of ordinary new-card introduction at first and brings them back gradually. Your answers then schedule their reviews.

Learned more since you started? Add a higher level or another list under Settings → Schedule → Known words. Only words without a card are added, so words you have already studied keep their review history.

HSK 2.0, HSK 3.0, TOCFL, YCT and BCT are separate standards. They use different vocabulary lists and level structures, so a level in one is not equivalent to the same-numbered level in another. Chengyu is a separate idiom deck. Flashbao keeps these decks separate, and the same word can appear at different levels.

Your rating and review-intensity setting affect when a card appears again. Flashbao uses FSRS-7, a spaced-repetition algorithm. If you forget a card, it generally returns sooner; if you remember it easily, it generally returns later. New cards first go through short learning steps.

After enough reviews, Flashbao may automatically fit a new schedule to your review history and change future due dates. Your review history and recall target stay the same. The new-card limit controls how many unseen words are introduced; reviews you have already earned are not capped by it.

A count marked with ~ is the published vocabulary size for that course level, not an exact count of Flashbao's cards. Flashbao matches the course list to dictionary readings in your chosen script. Counting rules, variants, duplicates, missing matches and source updates can change the result. The progress bar uses the actual number of Flashbao cards; the number marked with ~ is an estimate.

Flashbao shows a limited group of new and learned cards at a time. New cards have a daily limit. When the current queue is empty, learning or relearning cards whose next step is within roughly 15 minutes may be served early when at least two are available. This gives them a second look in the same session; a single card may wait until its step is due.

If no cards are ready, the next reviews wait until their scheduled time. After your normal new-card allowance is used, Flashbao may offer Learn N more today, where N is based on your current new-card pace and the remaining cards in the selection. Taking the offer does not change your usual setting or the schedule of learned cards.

Yes. You can create a private deck, paste words or import TXT, CSV or TSV files, and add entries from the dictionary. A word may be followed by its pinyin with tone marks or numbers, spaced or run together (西瓜 xīguā, 包子 bao1zi). Flashbao reports duplicates, words it cannot match, and pinyin that doesn't match the dictionary, showing the dictionary's readings. You can turn on an unlisted sharing link and turn it off later.

Flashbao stores your account information, study settings, card schedules and review history. Photos used with Read are processed on your device and are not uploaded. Your current reader draft is saved only in this browser. Pasted or corrected Read text is used for analysis and is not retained on the server; passage audio may be cached.

Your device keeps cached cards and reviews waiting to sync so you can study offline. Flashbao does not use analytics, ads or cross-site trackers. In Settings, you can download your profile, study and sync history, and billing records as JSON, or delete your account. If you sign out, delete your account or clear browser data while reviews are waiting to sync, those device-only reviews are lost. Reviews that already synchronized remain in your account. Some billing records can remain when needed for reconciliation, fraud prevention, disputes or legal obligations. The privacy policy has the full details about storage, sharing, retention and your rights.

Yes, after the app shell and your study data have been cached; the most reliable cold start is the installed PWA. You can start and continue review sessions offline. Flashbao stores upcoming cards and reviews on your device, then synchronizes pending reviews when you reconnect.

Offline use is otherwise limited. Dashboards, search, entry details and pasted-text analysis need a connection. Photo OCR can work offline after its first model download. Playing passage audio sends the text for speech, so it needs the relevant online access or a cached clip. Clearing browser data, signing out or deleting the account removes pending device data; reviews that already synchronized stay in your account.