Learn to read, hear, and actually use Chinese. Literate Chinese pairs a serious spaced-repetition flashcard system with 1,000+ graded stories, so every word you learn is reinforced by reading it in context. It works in both Mainland and Taiwan Mandarin, in Simplified or Traditional, from your very first character all the way to advanced reading. I grew up speaking Chinese without being able to read it and this app is me creating everything I ever dreamed of for learning to read Chinese effectively.
READ FROM DAY ONE
• Graded stories, dialogs, news, and articles matched to your personal vocabulary. The app knows which characters you know and shows you how much of each story you can already read
• Tap any word for instant pinyin or zhuyin, a clear definition, and native-quality audio (in Mainland and Taiwan accents, male or female)
• Read the news in easy Chinese, or paste or photograph your own Chinese text and read it the same way with custom stories
• Preview a story's new words before you read, and let Up Next queue the next chapter of the series you're following
• Video lessons with synced, tappable subtitles
• A built-in grammar guide, with every grammar point linked to real stories that use it
THE BEST CHINESE FLASHCARD APP
• True spaced repetition (SRS) built on your personal vocabulary bank, not just card decks
• Complete HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0 lists, TOCFL lists, AP Chinese, and themed vocabulary
• Capture new words from photos or audio and turn them into cards in seconds
• Drill any list on demand, practice writing characters, and get example sentences with audio on every card
• Share your custom word lists with a code or link, so a class or a friend can study the same words
• An AI word helper explains usage and nuance, tells you whether a word is actually common, and gives you more example sentences
REVIEW THAT FEELS LIKE PLAY
• A vocabulary arcade built on the words you're actually learning - another feature I always thought would be so fun so I built it.
• Speed rounds, listening sprints, sentence scrambles, falling-character battles, and write-from-memory challenges
• Every round counts as real review, so playing moves your streak and your spaced repetition forward
BUILT FOR TAIWAN LEARNERS TOO
• Full Traditional character and zhuyin (bopomofo) support throughout the app
• Taiwan Mandarin audio with authentic Taiwan pronunciations
• Taiwan-specific vocabulary lists: everyday terms, slang, and words that differ from Mainland usage
• Stories automatically adapt their vocabulary to Taiwan or Mainland Chinese based on your settings
• AI tells you whether a word is actually used in Taiwan (and vice versa for Mainland China)
EVERYTHING ELSE YOU'D EXPECT
• Simplified and Traditional, pinyin and zhuyin, switch anytime
• Detailed progress stats, streaks, and a reading level that grows with you
• Home and lock screen widgets with your streak and a word of the day
• Dark mode, offline review, no ads
Start free with the core study tools and a generous set of stories. Upgrade to Premium when you're ready to unlock the full library.
Whether you're on your first 50 characters or reading full stories, Literate Chinese is the graded reader and flashcard app that grows with you.
Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
I speak very well for last 45 years but forgot my characters after leaving Asia in 1980’s. This was easy and persistent to drill me. It’s nice to have multiple pinyin types but I wish it also had Yale pinyin only because it’s what I learned in the 70’s. Yale pinyin also happens to be the closest approximation for American English to properly vocalize the correct sound in good Mandarin. Think.. “Xi”. Americans don’t know how to pronounce this correctly. Americans think Xerox do pronounce Xi as ‘Zeee’, or something else that’s different. Xi should be pronounce as “Sheee”. No romanization does a great job of getting a learner close to saying it correctly. So, it’s good to have the proper sound with the flash card.
Fantastic for all levels
Ayedo
I grew up hearing Chinese from my mom but not being able to speak or read. I am incredibly impressed with this app to the point of having to actually write a review. To the devs: this is such a fantastic app. Thank you for taking the time to create and maintain this. To people thinking about trying it, do it! I never write reviews. Ever. But this deserved one.
Very Helpful and Useful
jl7899
Overall the app is the perfect way to memorize and learn the characters. One thing I would recommend for the user experience. Is to add an option to put a star/favorite a word that I would like to constantly repeat over and over and have a study session with those selected.
Developer Response
Thanks so much for your kind words and that's a great suggestion! I've just added a feature in the latest release where you can click a word list and then drill that list to review the words that are in it. You can do it with either a pre-built list or you can build a custom list and do it with that. :)
Absolutely Game Changing
fabledspark80
This app had 0 bugs, 0 problems, and over the past few weeks it has helped me learn so much more than any other platform. It does a really good job at making the learning process simple and comprehensive. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to learn Mandarin.
Reading Trail 2 is here: The Noodle Shop, a new 60-step story that takes you from 300 to 600 characters. If Trail 1 is too easy for you, you start on Trail 2, and you can switch between the two trails anytime.
The trail now opens right at your step, with a compact header that stays in place as you scroll.
New holiday stories and late-October news, rewritten Trail 1 chapters, and tapping the word on your widget now opens it. Fixes and polish throughout.
Version 1.8.3
The developer, Ray Banks, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Contact Info
Identifiers
Usage Data
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
Ray Banks
Size
158.1 MB
Category
Education
Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 17.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
