CiaoSpeak: Chinese for TOCFL
Traditional Chinese & Speaking
Only for iPhone
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS.
iPhone
CiaoSpeak teaches Traditional Chinese the way Taiwan speaks it: everyday Taiwanese Mandarin with Zhuyin or Pinyin, Taiwan-accent audio, Chinese tones and pronunciation from your first lesson, and units labeled with TOCFL levels from Novice to Band B. Then you use it: people in real Taiwan scenes ask you questions, and you answer out loud.
Every lesson is free. Always. No account needed: open the app and start learning.
SPEAK CHINESE: ANSWER REAL QUESTIONS OUT LOUD
• Someone in a real Taiwan scene asks you one question: the auntie at the breakfast shop, a night-market stall owner, a taxi driver, a new coworker, a language-exchange partner.
• Answer by voice or by typing. If a person would understand you, it counts. If not, you get one gentle fix and a more natural way to say it.
• Stuck? Help shows the meaning, a pattern and examples, or type it in English, see it in Chinese, then say it yourself.
• New questions unlock as you finish lessons and come back a little harder. My phrasebook keeps every sentence you managed to say.
LEARN STEP BY STEP
• A real curriculum from the four tones and your first "hello" through everyday vocabulary, grammar and full sentences.
• Units are labeled with their TOCFL level (Novice 1, Novice 2, Band A, Band B). A placement quiz lets returning learners skip ahead.
CHINESE TONES AND PRONUNCIATION
• The first unit trains your ear: the four tones on one syllable, word pairs that differ only by tone (買 mǎi "buy" and 賣 mài "sell"), and the pinyin letters English speakers misread, like x, q, zh and c.
TRADITIONAL CHINESE, ZHUYIN AND TAIWAN AUDIO
• Pinyin or Zhuyin (bopomofo): switch any time in Settings.
• Taiwan-accent audio on every word, sentence, story line and Speak question, not a mainland accent.
• Handwriting practice with stroke-order guides.
STORIES
• Leveled dialogues, articles and chapter series, from absolute beginner to intermediate. Tap any word for its meaning as you read.
REMEMBER WHAT YOU LEARN
• Spaced-repetition mistake review across lessons and stories.
• Streaks, XP, daily quests, badges and an optional daily reminder.
CIAOSPEAK+
Every lesson and all mistake review are free, and so are today's Speak questions (up to five a day). CiaoSpeak+ is an optional auto-renewing subscription that lets you keep practicing in any Speak scene whenever you like (fair-use limits apply), shows your whole phrasebook, unlocks the full Stories library and gives unlimited Quick Practice rounds.
• Monthly: US$5.99 per month
• Yearly: US$39.99 per year, with a 3-day free trial for new subscribers
Prices shown are for the United States. The App Store shows the price in your local currency before you confirm.
Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, or when the free trial ends. The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and the renewal is charged within the 24 hours before the period ends. Cancel a free trial at least 24 hours before it ends and you won't be charged. Manage or cancel any time in your Apple Account settings (open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions).
Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://ciaospeak.app/privacy/
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Is this Traditional or Simplified Chinese? Traditional. CiaoSpeak is built for Taiwan, not mainland China.
Do I need to know any Chinese already? No. CiaoSpeak starts from the four tones and your first words, and your first Speak questions are ready on day one.
Do I have to speak out loud? No. You can answer every question by voice or by typing.
Is CiaoSpeak affiliated with TOCFL? No. Lessons are labeled with TOCFL levels, but CiaoSpeak is independent and not endorsed by the SC-TOP. There are no past papers or mock exams.
CiaoSpeak also has English courses for Chinese and Japanese speakers.
• Speak: the first time you meet a question, you see one way to answer it, with audio
• Speak: every example answer now plays as clear, natural recorded audio
• Speak: the help buttons are always on screen
The developer, Yu Chen Lin, 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 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
- Yu Chen Lin
- Size
- 54.5 MB
- Category
- Education
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 15.0 or later. - iPod touch
Requires iOS 15.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
English and 2 more
- English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese
- Age Rating
13+
- 13+
- Infrequent
Alcohol, Tobacco, Drug Use or References
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- CiaoSpeak+ Yearly $39.99
- CiaoSpeak+ Monthly $5.99
- Copyright
- © 2026 Yu Chen Lin