I just learnt my 3000th word in Chinese! Kind of a magic number for me to reach, because they say I should be able to start reading basic newspapers now. We shall see.

I know this because I tap every word I learn into my trusty Palm, and use Supermemo software to give me daily tests. Strictly speaking, I guess I know 3000 English words; I am not sure exactly how that transposes into discrete Chinese characters but it is probably about the same when you average it out.

Out of interest, you can see when I passed the 2000 mark at the end of last September, here: 2000 Chinese Characters

So, over this 6 month period, that is over 40 new words per week going into my head! I just wonder what must be being shoved aside to make space. My French, that is for sure.