Question 1

Is my data private? Where is it stored?

Accepted Answer

By default, everything you save (Study List, Known Words, Saved Texts, Reading History) is stored locally in your browser, in IndexedDB. It never leaves your device unless you create an account to enable Cloud Sync.

Question 2

Do I need an account to use Manda?

Accepted Answer

No. Every core feature (reading, the dictionary, Study List, Known Words, spaced repetition) works with no account, storing everything locally in your browser. An account is only needed if you want Cloud Sync across devices.

Question 3

Is Cloud Sync automatic?

Accepted Answer

No. Cloud Sync is entirely manual. If you create an account, the Account page has a "Sync to Cloud" button (uploads your local data) and a "Restore from Cloud" button (downloads it, overwriting what's on the current device). Nothing happens automatically in the background.

Question 4

How do words get promoted to Known Words?

Accepted Answer

Promotion is automatic and based on a word's review state. After each Flashcard or Cloze card you grade yourself Again, Hard, Good, or Easy, and good grades stretch the word's review interval further and further out. Once a word's interval reaches 21 days after at least 4 successful reviews ("mature" by Anki's definition), it's promoted to Known Words and removed from Study List; there's no manual step. Practice-only modes like Passage never affect this.

Question 5

What if I get a Known Word wrong?

Accepted Answer

Rating a Known Word "Again" demotes it back to Study List, due for review immediately. Known Words aren't meant to be a one-way archive: failing one means it needs active review again.

Question 6

When does the maximum interval setting matter?

Accepted Answer

Mainly when auto-promote is off. With auto-promote on (the default), a word leaves the review queue entirely once it's mature (usually within about a month), so most words never stay in the queue long enough for a long cap to matter. The Maximum interval setting only governs words that remain in the Study List queue, which happens if you turn auto-promote off and keep words under active review indefinitely, or for words that grow slowly. In those cases the cap controls how far out a well-learned word can be pushed (anywhere from 6 months up to 5 years), so once it's solid, it resurfaces that rarely instead of repeating at a fixed yearly cadence.

Question 7

How does spaced repetition work?

Accepted Answer

Manda uses an SM-2-style algorithm, the same family as Anki. After each Flashcard or Cloze card you pick a grade (Again, Hard, Good, or Easy), and each button shows the interval it would schedule. Good multiplies the interval by the word's ease factor; Easy grows it faster and raises the ease; Hard grows it only slightly and lowers the ease; Again resets the word to due immediately. Intervals are capped at a year, and a word with no schedule entry yet (one you just added) is always treated as due now.

Question 8

Does re-adding a word keep its old progress?

Accepted Answer

No. Removing a word clears its review schedule: interval, ease, and review counts. Re-adding it starts fresh as a brand-new word, due immediately, as if you'd never studied it.

Question 9

Why avoid "Add all to Study List"?

Accepted Answer

Every word you add starts out due for review immediately. Adding an entire level (which can be hundreds of words) at once means all of them pile up in Due for Review on the same day. "Add 10" or "Add 20" spreads that load out so review sessions stay manageable.

Question 10

Why don't HSK and TOCFL levels always match?

Accepted Answer

HSK and TOCFL are two separate tests with different vocabulary lists and level structures; they aren't a direct 1:1 mapping. Manda looks each word up independently in both systems, so a word can be HSK 4 but TOCFL Level 3 (or vice versa) if that's genuinely where each test places it.

Question 11

Does Passage mode affect my progress?

Accepted Answer

No. Passage is practice-only: filling in the blanks doesn't touch any word's review schedule or promote or demote it. It's meant for reading practice, not tracked review.

Question 12

Can I export my words to Anki?

Accepted Answer

Yes, from the Import/Export Data page. The .apkg export builds a real Anki deck in your browser (one deck for Study List, one for Known Words) with the word, pinyin, definitions, and an example sentence on each card. No scheduling is transferred; every card starts brand-new in Anki, so Anki's own scheduler takes over from a clean slate.

Question 13

Will re-exporting to Anki create duplicate cards?

Accepted Answer

No. Anki dedupes new cards against your existing collection by their first field (the Simplified word), so importing the same export twice (or re-exporting after adding more words) won't create duplicates for words already in your deck.

Question 14

Is there a limit to Reading History?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it's capped at 100 entries. Once you pass that, the oldest entry is dropped each time a new one is added. Opening the same text again moves its existing entry to the top with an updated date instead of creating a duplicate.

Question 15

Why can't I save very long texts?

Accepted Answer

Text over 20,000 characters (a long EPUB chapter, or a huge paste) is never written to Saved Texts or Reading History, so a single import can't bloat your browser's local storage. The reader itself still works normally, including pagination; the text just isn't persisted once you navigate away.

Question 16

Does the Simplified/Traditional toggle apply everywhere?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it's a single global setting. Switching it in the reader also changes the Dictionary, Study List, Known Words, HSK/TOCFL lists, Word Lists, and the Chengyu Database all at once, since every page reads from the same stored preference.

Question 17

Can I install Manda as an app?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Install page auto-detects your platform and browser and shows the exact steps to add Manda to your home screen or dock as a Progressive Web App (PWA). It then opens and runs like a native app, still fully offline-capable.

Question 18

What happens if I clear my browser data?

Accepted Answer

Everything Manda stores locally (Study List, Known Words, review schedule, Saved Texts, Reading History, settings) is erased along with it, unless you'd previously synced to the cloud from a signed-in account. Clearing browser data is the one action Manda itself can't protect you from.

Question 19

Can I mark several words at once while reading?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the Mark Words button in the reader's toolbar opens a modal listing every word in the text, with a master dropdown to set them all to Study List or Known Words in one click, plus per-word overrides before confirming.

Question 20

Are the comments on word pages public?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for viewing: anyone can read a word's Comments section, signed in or not. Posting a comment does require being signed in, though; logged-out visitors see the thread with a "Sign in to leave a comment" prompt instead of the composer. A forbidden-word filter and a 3-minute rate limit between posts help keep it usable.

Question 21

Does OCR image upload work for both scripts?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Uploading a photo or screenshot runs both the Simplified and Traditional Tesseract.js language models together in the same pass, so either script (or a mix) is recognized without you needing to pick one first.

FAQ