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Wordle or Zidou: A fun way to practice Cantonese
Wordle or Zidou: A fun way to practice Cantonese
Angie Lin | March 1st, 2022
We believe there are many ways to learn and practice a new language. Different methods will work with different people. One of our favorite ways is through games. I mean, who doesn’t like games? Games are great entertainment during boring lunch breaks and day-to-day commutes. It is an added bonus if you can practice your vocabulary. This is where Wordle comes in. Wordle is a web-based word puzzle game that recently became popular on Twitter. It is designed by software engineer Josh Wardle. He developed this game for his puzzle-loving significant other Palak Shah.
Wordle, or the Cantonese version of it, Zidou, begins by giving you a grid with thirty boxes. There are five columns and six rows. The keyboard is placed at the bottom of the screen for mobile. One row represents one chance. You will have a total of six chances of guessing the word of the day. The answer is a five letter word, which explains the five columns. When you enter your first guess word and press enter, you will get one of three results. The boxes with letters that are in the word and in the correct positions will turn green. The boxes with letters in the word but in the wrong positions will turn yellow. Lastly, the letters not in the word will turn gray. The word resets to a different one at midnight. You may have seen many people sharing their colored results on Twitter. If you’re curious about how addicting the game is, try it out yourselves. It is both entertaining and challenging.
You may wonder what this game has to do with practicing a new language. (Well for non-English speakers, Wordle is indeed a vocabulary game.) There is a Cantonese version of Wordle, otherwise known as Zidou. Zidou works in a similar way only with a slight difference. Instead of English vocabulary, Zidou uses jyutping. But it is the same with Wordle where the world or phrase of the day is made up of five boxes. The boxes will turn the same colors as explained previously depending on the accuracy of your guess. This is a great way to test your jyutping knowledge and Cantonese vocabulary.
As hard as it seems, the game is proven to be playable by beginners. A Chinese American youtuber tried out the game and got the word on the third try with limited vocabulary knowledge. (At least that’s what he said)
You can watch the youtube video mentioned through the link below. All credits to the owner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsf_AsNT1xA
The most challenging part is coming up with the first guess work. If you can get at least one or two yellow letters, then you will have some hints as to which letters or words to go with next. Some tips would be:
- Try using a common word for the first guess word. (I usually start with “bingo,” which stands for 邊個, or “who”)
- Try to use all the vowels with the first few guesses
- Brainstorm some phrases or words you know that uses five letters
I did a test run for the day:
This is a great game to warm up your mind before you do some actual language studying. It could also be a good exercise that can help you avoid forgetting the language. A fun way to study without the stressful studying atmosphere.
Sources
If you are a beginner with jyutping or are completely unfamiliar with it, you can check out our resources. We have books, courses, and podcasts to help you get started. Click the images below to check them out!
