Frequently Asked Questions
Account
Do I need an account to use HanTrace?
No. All lookups and reference pages — characters, words, measure words, polyphones, stroke order — are free and open, no registration required, and the stroke-order and pinyin practice tools work without an account either. An account is only needed to save words, practice a Daily Mix each day, and use the full HSK tone quiz bank.
How do I create an account?
Sign in with just your email address — we send you a one-time 6-digit code, no password to remember. A free account lets you save up to 100 words, practice a Daily Mix every day, and use the full HSK tone quiz bank.
Saving words
How do I save a word?
Open any HSK 3.0 character or word page and tap the Save button (the ribbon icon next to the heading). Saved words appear in My Vocabulary, where you can organize them with tags and proficiency stars.
What is the difference between Free and Pro?
Free accounts can save up to 100 words and get a Daily Mix every day — a short mixed set of new, due and tricky words, with no daily question limit. Pro raises the limit to 10,000 words and adds Due review (your full spaced-repetition schedule), quiz review, learning statistics, and tone practice on your own saved words. See the Pricing page for details.
What happens to my saved words if my Pro subscription ends?
Nothing is ever deleted. All your words stay visible and stay in your practice pool, and you can keep removing tags or deleting entries. If you have more than 100 words, adding new ones is paused until you delete down below the limit or subscribe again.
What do the proficiency stars mean?
Stars (★1–★5) are your own mastery rating for each word: ★1 means just started, ★5 means fully mastered. They are set by you, and you can filter your vocabulary by star range — for example, pull up all your ★1–★2 words to review the ones you haven't mastered yet.
How are HSK levels assigned?
Characters and words follow the HSK 3.0 standard (levels 1–9). HSK levels are an objective property of each entry and are independent of your personal proficiency stars. Measure words and some entries without official HSK classification are ungraded. In My Vocabulary you can filter your saved words by HSK level range — for example, everything from HSK 3 to 4.
Can I export my vocabulary?
Yes. Every logged-in user can export their saved words to CSV or plain text from My Vocabulary — including everything above the free limit. Your data is always yours to take.
Practice & review
Is tone practice free?
Yes. Every signed-in member can practice with the full HSK 1–9 tone quiz bank at no cost — pick your levels and load a fresh set of questions any time. Guest visitors can try a short sample without signing in.
How do I review the words I have saved?
Two review modes are built from your My Vocabulary: Daily Mix, a short daily set of new, due and tricky words (everyone gets this, with no daily question limit), and Due review, the words your spaced-repetition schedule says are ready today (Pro). Both start as soon as you open them.
Are there writing and pinyin practice tools?
Yes. Every character page has a Practice strokes pad that steps through the stroke order with you, and every character and word page has a Practice pinyin typing exercise. Both work without an account and are not graded.
What Pro practice features are there?
Pro unlocks Due review (your full spaced-repetition schedule, unlimited), quiz review and tone practice on your own saved words, plus learning statistics such as your review streak, accuracy and mastery distribution.
Billing
Who processes the payments?
Subscriptions are handled by an external merchant of record — a payment provider that processes checkout, taxes and refunds for us. You can pay by card, choose monthly or annual billing, and cancel any time using the link in your receipt emails.
Where can I manage or cancel my Pro subscription?
Use the subscription-management link inside your purchase-receipt emails — it opens the payment provider's customer portal, where you can switch billing or cancel. If you no longer have a receipt email, reach us via the contact page and we will help.
Can I cancel whenever I want?
Yes. Cancelling stops future charges, and you keep Pro access until the end of the current billing period. After that your account returns to Free — and your saved words all stay (see above).
Can I get a refund?
Yes — there is a 30-day money-back guarantee on your first billing cycle: contact us within 30 days of your first purchase for a full refund. One refund per customer. Renewal payments are not eligible for the money-back guarantee, and cancelling your subscription will not refund unused time in your current billing period. Full details are in our Refund Policy.
What if I have a question about a charge?
Reach us via the contact page and we'll help you sort it out.
Privacy & data
What data do you store?
Just the essentials: your email address, your saved words, tags, proficiency stars, and basic account records. We don't sell personal data. Details in the Privacy Policy.
Can I request a copy of all my personal data?
Yes. You can export your vocabulary data any time from My Vocabulary. To request a full copy of all account-related personal data, please reach out via the contact page and we will provide it.
How do I delete my account and data?
Contact us via the contact page and we will delete your account and all associated data. You can export everything first if you wish.