Chinese is one of the most spoken languages because of its economic importance and cultural richness worldwide. Therefore, many people tend to learn Chinese or Mandarin, but sparing time for this purpose isn’t possible for everyone. That’s precisely where Chinese language learning apps come into play, facilitating learning anytime, anywhere. To initiate a remote learning journey in your comfort space, learn 11 good apps and choose the best app to learn Chinese.
What’s the Best Chinese Language Learning App?
Everyone has a different learning style and pace, so countless apps with unique feature sets are available online. Whether you are learning this language for education, China visits, or business communication purposes, you must review this section. Here, some of the best apps to learn Chinese are listed, along with their comprehensive details, to ease your independent learning.
1. ABC Chinese – Learn Chinese(iOS | Android)
If you find Chinese difficult to understand and remember, you need this Chinese language learning app. It uses pictures and English sentences to help you quickly recognize Chinese characters and remember their pronunciation. You can also practice speaking by talking to Chinese AI, just like you hired a one-on-one Chinese teacher.
It contains all the Chinese from HSK1 to HSK6. According to the law of Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, the Chinese you learn will appear regularly in the subsequent learning process. This regular review can really remember Chinese.
Pros
- Quick memory pictures and instructions are drawn for each Chinese character and word, which can quickly remember the writing and meaning of Chinese characters
- English sentences are written for each character and word, and their pronunciation and meaning can be remembered through a daily sentence
- There is an AI dialogue and example sentence reading function, which can practice speaking like chatting with a Chinese
- There is an automatic review function to prevent forgetting
Con
- If you mark a flash card as “easy”, it will not appear in subsequent learning and review.
Recommended Age: 6+
Subscription: $11.99 – $69.99
2. FluentU: Learn Language Videos (iOS | Android)
If you are tired of learning Chinese from boring textbooks, you must use this app, which uses real-world interactive videos for immersive learning. In addition to videos, it facilitates learners with music, news, movie trailers, and inspirational talks to help them comprehend a new language. This app aims to let you speak language instead of using scripted phrases, so it offers vocabulary quizzes to try yourself.
Pros
- Using this good Chinese learning app, you can also avail of bilingual dictionaries and look up any word.
- It has step-by-step courses, exciting video lessons, and a video dictionary with multiple contexts.
Con
- The most obvious downside of this app is the unavailability of non-verbal or conversational practice.
Recommended Age: 13+
Subscription: $14.99 – $239.99
3. Pleco Chinese Dictionary (iOS | Android)
Another Chinese learning companion is Pleco, which has an integrated dictionary and flashcard system. With its built-in dictionaries, learners can access 125,000 entries, parts of speech, and titles from well-known publishers like Oxford and Longman. Additionally, users can look up words by Chinese characters and Pinyin with the help of full-text search or wildcards.
Pros
- Moreover, audio lessons allow you to hear Mandarin and Cantonese for words and example sentences.
- This Chinese learning app also offers a document reader and OCR technology to detect your writing.
Con
- Users claimed that the add-on dictionary requires an internet network and a subscription.
Recommended Age: 9+
Subscription: $4.99 – $59.99
4. HelloChinese – Learn Chinese (iOS | Android)
This learning Chinese app is designed for beginners to improve their reading and listening skills with stories and more than 2000 videos. Using this app, one can master Chinese characters quickly through situational conversations and real-life practice lessons. Instead of getting bored with lessons, you can use award-winning game-based Chinese learning experiences and stay motivated. Besides, there is a well-crafted Pinyan course, offline accessibility, and study progress tracking for systematic learning.
Pros
- To help students learn how to write Chinese characters faster, this app facilitates a drawing pad.
- It also has a speech recognition feature that corrects your pronunciation and improves speaking skills.
Con
- If you accidentally rate a flashcard, you can’t go backward or undo it.
Recommended Age: 6+
Subscription: $11.99 – $149.99
5. ChineseSkill (iOS | Android)
Designed by a professional CSL, this app has unique Mandarin-Chinese learning characteristics, covering grammar and vocabulary to pass HSK levels 3-4. It also has an automatic Chinese speech assessment feature and Pinyin tone animation technologies to make language learning effective. Moreover, there is an optimized curriculum for beginners, gamified learning lessons, challenges, and multiple practice modes. You can compete with your friends and make learning fun while downloading material offline.
Pros
- Through this best app to learn Mandarin Chinese, your data remains synced across devices.
- It has bite-sized lessons and HD recordings of native Chinese speakers with playback adjustments.
Con
- There isn’t any grammar clarification or interleave topics to take cumulative tests.
Recommended Age: 6+
Subscription: $12.99- $299.99
6. italki (iOS | Android)
With more than 150 languages to learn, this app facilitates private tutoring with qualified native Chinese teachers. Besides, it believes in group learning and human connection, allowing you to customize your learning plan while connecting with the teacher of your interest. Apart from teachers’ community support, it offers video call tutoring with experts so you can learn language with conversational practices.
Pros
- To practice speaking and learning, it integrates video and audio call features in the application.
- It also lets you create schedules and lesson summaries and listen to podcast lessons to elevate vocabulary.
Con
- Many users report confusion on the time zones while booking sessions with teachers.
Recommended Age: 13+
Subscription: Varies Per Lesson
7. trainchinese (iOS | Android)
If you have scheduled your HSK test and find your Chinese learning classes inadequate, try this good app to learn Chinese. It has a Chinese dictionary with over 10,000 entries and powerful flash cars with spaced repetition capabilities. Furthermore, it supports Pinyin and Zhuyin tone colors and tone marks to facilitate traditional Chinese learning. Its OCR technology can even identify and translate written Chinese to help you improve your writing skills.
Pros
- It also offers flashcards with audio and animation dictionaries to help you learn online.
- Those flashcards are synchronized across devices, and you can add study notes.
Con
- Based on some reviews, it shares data with third parties and doesn’t update certain features.
Recommended Age: 12+
Subscription: $4.99 – $54.99
8. Preply (iOS | Android)
Through this learn Chinese app, you can choose a tutor whose learning style aligns with your learning preferences to improve your language learning effectiveness. Here, you can get more than lessons, such as communication with the language learning community and instant feedback for upscale performance. If it’s daunting for you to manage time, you can conveniently decide which time you want to learn.
Pros
- From basic to advanced learning, users can also set a goal to determine what they want to learn.
- Alongside various features, this app provides approachable customer service with email and instant chat support to resolve issues.
Con
- If you seek a cost-effective solution, this app lacks free trials, which limits the opportunity to test the tool before purchase.
Recommended Age: 7+
Subscription: Varies Per Lesson
9. Chineasy: Learn Chinese Easily (iOS | Android)
As the name suggests, this Chinese language learning app makes learning Chinese easy through pictures, which speak thousands of words. It has bite-sized warm-ups to bear new words in mind and make writing work with stunning strokes. Additionally, it works on building block methods and breaks down language into chunks for beginners to understand quickly. It also provides a variety of challenges and puzzles to help you remember what you have learned.
Pros
- Besides, this app has eye-opening widgets that make Chinese learning easy and interactive.
- To help you learn writing faster, it also facilitates a drawing pad for stunning writing strokes.
Con
- According to some reviews, this app focuses on characters but leaves real-time feedback behind.
Recommended Age: 8+
Subscription: $12.99 – $149.99
10. Rocket Languages (iOS | Android)
Focusing on all learning skills, this best app to learn Chinese features audio lessons to improve comprehension, listening skills, and pronunciation. Moreover, with a voice recognition tool, you can communicate with the instructor to get detailed and instant feedback to improve your learning. If you cannot make time for lectures, you can also download them to listen offline using this reliable language learning application.
Pros
- Instead of passive learning, one can learn how to write Chinese through interactive exercises and feedback.
- This platform also supports 14 languages that let users explore and learn multiple languages to break language barriers.
Con
- This app contains repetitive exercises for assessment that can be boring and affect the learner’s motivation.
Recommended Age: 10+
Subscription: $89.99 – $249.99
11. Memrise Easy Language Learning (iOS | Android)
With the claim of having a basic conversation in 2 months, this language learning is vital in teaching Chinese. To begin with this Chinese learning app, you must set your level and pick the conversation you want to master. Here, you can listen to native speakers to get used to their accents and tempo for speaking skills enhancements. Moreover, one can learn practical phrases and verbs through situations that best suit them.
Pros
- This app can provide real-time feedback on your progress with AI integration in in-app chat.
- Also, you can track your progress and find your current level according to the starting date.
Con
- You cannot access grammar explanations and usage practices for comprehensive learning.
Recommended Age: 8+
Subscription: $2.99 – $324.99
How Can ZEGOCLOUD Help for Chinese Language Learning App Development
ZEGOCLOUD offers a suite of real-time communication APIs and SDKs that can significantly enhance the development of Chinese language learning applications. By integrating features such as live voice, video, and chat, developers can create immersive and interactive learning experiences.
For instance, incorporating live video and voice calls enables real-time interactions between students and instructors, facilitating immediate feedback and personalized instruction. Additionally, ZEGOCLOUD’s in-app chat functionality allows for seamless communication, supporting collaborative learning and instant clarification of doubts.
Moreover, ZEGOCLOUD provides tools like interactive whiteboards and screen sharing, which are particularly beneficial for language instruction. These features allow educators to demonstrate writing techniques visually, share educational materials, and engage students in interactive exercises, thereby enhancing comprehension and retention.
By leveraging ZEGOCLOUD’s robust and scalable communication solutions, developers can build comprehensive Chinese language learning apps that offer engaging, real-time educational experiences, catering to diverse learning needs and preferences.
Conclusion
In essence, learning Chinese has become necessary whether it’s a part of your academic curriculum or you will visit China. That’s why this article explores the best apps for learning Chinese, including their user ratings, pricing plans, pros, and cons. Upon learning about them, if you decide to create your app, you should try ZEGOCLOUD APIs and SDKs to ease the process.
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FAQ
Q1: What is better than Duolingo Chinese?
If you want a more in-depth learning experience, ChineseClass101 provides structured audio and video lessons. FluentU helps improve listening and comprehension with real-world video content, while The Chairman’s Bao offers reading practice with articles tailored to your proficiency level.
Q2: Should I use Duolingo for Chinese?
Duolingo is a great starting point for beginners to build basic vocabulary and grammar. However, it lacks depth for advanced learners. Combining it with other resources like FluentU or ChineseClass101 can provide a more well-rounded learning experience.
Q3: What is the best Chinese language to learn?
Mandarin is the most widely spoken Chinese language and is the official language of China, Taiwan, and Singapore. It’s the best choice for communication across different Chinese-speaking regions.
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