· 6 min read
Best App to Learn Chinese: What to Check
By Language Lab editorial team
Best app to learn Chinese: seven things to check before you choose, what Chinese asks of an app, official material to pair it with and a one-week test.
The best app to learn Chinese is the one that trains tones with your voice and teaches characters inside words. Mandarin is a long project: the US State Department places Chinese in Category IV, super-hard languages, and allows 88 weeks, or 2,200 class hours. Over that distance a weak method costs months. Check seven things before you choose: pinyin and the four tones taught first with audio, spoken practice with a response, characters introduced in words, self-testing, spaced review, real-life situations, and levels tied to the official HSK test. An app that lets you tap answers without ever saying a tone will not teach you to be understood. Pair it with the Open University's free beginner courses, and try it for a week before you pay.
What Chinese asks of an app
- Tones from the first day. Mandarin has four tones, and a syllable said in the wrong tone is a different word.
- Pinyin as a bridge. The app should teach pinyin first, then move you on to characters.
- Characters in words. Roughly 3,000 characters are used for everyday purposes; they are best learned a few at a time, inside vocabulary.
- A named target. The official HSK test is taken level by level.
Seven things to check
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Speaking | You say sentences aloud and get a spoken or written response, in situations you will meet. |
| Audio | A recording for every syllable and sentence, so that you can hear and copy the tones. |
| Writing system | Pinyin with tone marks first, then characters inside words, with regular review. Check whether it teaches simplified characters, traditional characters or both. |
| Self-testing | The app makes you produce the answer before it shows it. |
| Spaced review | Old material comes back after days and weeks, not only in the lesson where you met it. |
| Real situations | Lessons are built on things you will do: meeting people, shopping, travelling, working. |
| Levels | Stages are named, and you can see how they relate to an official scale or exam. |
Why testing and spacing come first
A 2013 review of ten learning techniques, led by John Dunlosky, rated two as high utility: practice testing and distributed practice. Rereading and highlighting were rated low. So an app that makes you produce an answer, and brings items back after a gap, is using your time better than one that lets you tap through and move on.
Test an app in one week
- Day 1: do the first lesson. Did you speak aloud, or only tap?
- Day 2: start a new lesson. Did the app bring back yesterday's material?
- Day 3: check the audio. Is every Chinese sentence recorded, and can you replay it?
- Day 4: look for the level map. Can you see where the course ends?
- Day 5: try to say five sentences from memory. If you cannot, the app is not testing you enough.
- Day 7: decide. Keep the app only if you spoke every day.
Pair it with official material
- The Open University's Beginners' Chinese taster course and Getting started with Chinese 1, 2 and 3: free on OpenLearn.
- Real Chinese, from the BBC: archived video lessons with a tone game and pronunciation guide.
- HSK mock tests and syllabus, from the official Chinese tests website.
Aim at a level
The official Chinese test is the HSK, which is taken level by level: the lower levels test listening and reading, and writing is added from level 3. Choose an app that tells you which HSK level each stage corresponds to.
A note on our own app
Language Lab is our app, so judge it by the same list. Language Lab's Chinese course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor. Use the one-week test above on it as you would on any other.
Frequently asked
What is the best app to learn Chinese?
The one that makes you speak Chinese aloud, tests you before showing the answer, brings old material back for review and shows you clear levels. Try it for a week before paying.
Do I need to learn Chinese characters, or is pinyin enough?
Pinyin is the bridge, not the destination. Roughly 3,000 characters are used for everyday purposes, so choose an app that introduces them steadily, inside words.
How long does it take to learn Chinese?
The US State Department places Chinese in Category IV and allows 88 weeks, or 2,200 class hours. An app does not shorten that; it helps you use the time well.
Are free Chinese apps enough?
Official learning material is a strong start: The Open University's Beginners' Chinese taster course and Getting started with Chinese 1, 2 and 3 is one example. Whatever you use, check that you are speaking and being tested.
What features matter most in a language app?
Practice testing and spaced review, the two techniques a 2013 research review rated as high utility, and spoken practice with a response.
Can an app make me fluent in Chinese?
An app can carry your daily practice. You will also need conversation with people and a structured course or exam target for the higher levels.
Sources: US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; The Open University, OpenLearn, Chinese courses; BBC Languages, Real Chinese (archived); Chinese Tests Service Website, HSK; Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Li River and karst hills near Yangshuo, Guilin, chensiyuan / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
