{"type":"project","slug":"learn-chinese-app","title":"Learn Chinese Agent","status":"building","tagline":"A Chinese coaching surface built around practical conversation.","summary":"A language-learning agent experiment for Chinese practice, review, progress, and memory-assisted coaching.","canonicalUrl":"https://jonathantipper.com/projects/learn-chinese-app","markdownUrl":"https://jonathantipper.com/projects/learn-chinese-app.md","jsonUrl":"https://jonathantipper.com/projects/learn-chinese-app.json","launchUrl":"https://learn-chinese-app.vercel.app/","launchLabel":"Open beta app","launchNote":"Early beta hosted on Vercel.","started":"2026","tags":["language-learning","chinese","mandarin","ai","coach"],"links":[{"label":"Open beta app","url":"https://learn-chinese-app.vercel.app/"}],"image":{"src":"https://jonathantipper.com/images/projects/learn-mandarin-app.png","alt":"Learn Mandarin app screenshot showing a Mandarin Coach chat session with key points, examples, quick exercise, and a sidebar for review, progress, memory, and settings","mode":"screenshot"},"content":"## What it is\n\nLearn Chinese Agent is a personalized Mandarin practice app for everyday language learning. It focuses on short practice sessions, useful recall, and context-aware coaching around real situations, phrases, and routines.\n\nUnder the hood, it uses LangGraph as the agentic framework and is powered by open-source models from Venice AI. That gives the product a structure for memory, review, guided practice, and ongoing coaching.\n\n## What it explores\n\nThe project explores how AI can support language learning when the experience is personal, persistent, and grounded in daily life. It is not just a generic chatbot wrapper: the product shape matters as much as the model.\n\nThe useful parts are structured practice, recall, review, and lightweight persistence that helps a learner return to context rather than starting from zero each time.\n\n## Current status\n\nLive beta. The app is usable now, with the next focus on reliability, polish, and a stronger daily practice loop."}