Lilu: Learn Chinese by Video
Mandarin Clips, Pinyin & Words
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Stop scrolling for nothing. Start scrolling for Chinese.
Lilu turns a habit you already have — swiping through short videos — into real progress in Mandarin. Every clip is real, unscripted Chinese, spoken by a native speaker. You swipe to the next one exactly the way you already do on every other app. The only difference is what's left in your head afterward.
HOW IT WORKS
- Watch a short native Chinese video with a synchronized transcript underneath it.
- Tap any word to see its meaning and hear it spoken in context. A tap saves it to your vocabulary right away. Prefer to choose each word yourself? Turn on "Save only with the button" in Settings: then a tap only shows the word, and nothing is saved until you press Save word.
- Search your saved words or the full clip library any time, in Chinese, pinyin, or English.
- Your feed adapts to your level, your goals, and the topics you actually want to watch, set once during onboarding and adjustable anytime in Profile.
- Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets: see today's goal progress at a glance and get a word of the day from your own vocabulary, with pinyin and translation. Tap to jump straight back into your feed or a quick review.
WHY IT'S DIFFERENT
Every word's pronunciation comes from a real clip of a real person saying it, not a synthetic voice pretending to be one. Every transcript is synced to the audio word by word before it reaches your feed. There is no textbook pacing and no forced drills — just enough structure to turn watching into learning.
PRICING — NO FREE TIER
Lilu is a paid app from the first screen. Onboarding and the product demo are free to go through, but the learning feed itself requires an active plan.
- Monthly subscription
- Yearly subscription
- Founding Lifetime — a one-time purchase. Pay once and keep Lilu forever. Limited to the first 200 buyers, then it's gone for good.
Prices are shown in your local currency in the app before you buy.
Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple ID account settings after purchase.
WHO IT'S FOR
Complete beginners who don't know a single character yet, and returning learners who understand simple Chinese but want it to become automatic. Lilu asks about your level in plain language, with no test required to get started.
Lilu is not a textbook and not a chatbot. It's a feed. Scroll it like you mean it.
Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://lilu.litau.app/privacy
Terms of Service: https://lilu.litau.app/terms
- Try a real clip before you pick a plan: watch it, tap words and save them to your dictionary.
- It's clearer now what happens after the free week.
- Clips load more reliably when one isn't available in your country.
- Fixes and improvements.
The developer, sergey litau, 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
- User Content
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Purchases
- User Content
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
- Diagnostics
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- sergey litau
- Size
- 97.8 MB
- Category
- Education
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 16.4 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 16.4 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 16.4 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Contains
Advertising
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- Lilu Pro Lifetime $79.99
- Lilu Pro Monthly $9.99
- Lilu Pro Yearly $49.99
- Copyright
- © 2026 Sergey Litau