HanziTrace vs Basho

Write Chinese characters correctly — one stroke at a time. See the exact animated stroke order for every character, with pinyin and meaning, then lock it in with hands-on writing quizzes. Built for beginners and HSK learners who want to actually WRITE Chinese, not just recognize it. WHAT YOU GET • Animated stroke order — see precisely how each character flows • Pinyin + meaning for every character • Writing quizzes — trace it yourself and make it stick • Study by HSK level, from beginner to advanced • Clean and distraction-free — made for a few minutes of daily practice Start with a few characters a day and build real writing skill: learn → practice → quiz → repeat.

Basho is a study companion for the haiku of Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694), Japan's most celebrated poet. Presented in Japanese in a minimal, Zen-inspired interface. Built for the English-language study of Japanese and haiku. Fifty-one poems, arranged in the order Bashō wrote them, from his early years in Edo through the journey recorded in Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North) to his final poems in 1694. TAP ANY WORD Every poem is broken down word by word — reading, meaning, and whether the word is still used in everyday Japanese, has faded into classical literary language, or is Kireji (cutting words, used exclusively in poetry). LEARN THE KANJI Each poem comes with a glossary of its kanji: meanings, on'yomi and kun'yomi readings, stroke count, and JLPT level where applicable. Tap a character to open a practice pad that shows you the stroke order so you can learn how to write the poem tracing by hand. NO ACCOUNTS, NO TRACKING Basho works entirely offline. There's no sign-in, no analytics, and nothing ever leaves your device. Note: translations and word notes are meant as a starting point for study, not a substitute for scholarly translation, a place to begin but worth double-checking as you go deeper.