Built for the gap between knowing and speaking.

A lot of Mandarin learners can follow more than they can say. Class helps. Apps drill. Then the moment comes to speak — with family, a partner, a colleague — and the habit is to wait until it sounds perfect.

That wait is the problem. Fluency doesn't arrive before the first messy sentence. It arrives because you kept talking.

Chabu is a small practice companion for that habit: speak today, get understood, keep the turn going. Tap words when you need them. Read something real. Come back tomorrow. The name is the point — 差不多: close enough to use.

Why I built it

I'm Daniel. I founded Chabu.

When I was younger I was sent to Chinese school. A lot of rote — write the character, recite the list, next week another list. I took Mandarin at school as well. I could pass a test. I could not use it. I didn't really appreciate the language until much later.

Fast forward ten years. I need Mandarin for work. When I'm in China, the hours of real conversation move the needle in a way no classroom did. When I'm not, the exposure disappears. The skill doesn't stay where I left it. It sits still, then it slips.

That's the gap I built this for. Not another drill app. A place to get the listening and speaking hours in the weeks I'm not there — messy sentences, keep the turn going, close enough to use.

I'm building it as an independent product for adults who already care about Mandarin and just need a lower-pressure place to use it between lessons, trips, and real life.