Laoshi: Learn Chinese & HSK

Laoshi is a complete app for learning Mandarin Chinese: smart flashcards built for characters, tones and grammar, with real handwriting practice, pronunciation scored for sound and tone separately, and ready-made decks for every major Chinese textbook.

Join 300,000+ learners who use Laoshi to build vocabulary, master grammar, prepare for the HSK exam and make progress every day.

Laoshi is a Red Dot Design Award 2021 winner and a HICOOL 2025 winner.

Chinese works differently. Understanding a character isn't enough — you have to memorise it and write it by hand, and it fades fast. That's why spaced repetition sits at the core of Laoshi: it brings a word back exactly when it starts slipping, and locks it in through writing. Tones need pronunciation training, grammar needs clear explanations. Laoshi brings all of it together in one focused app.

Why learners choose Laoshi:

• Real handwriting practice — Don't just read Chinese. Write it. Draw characters with correct stroke order on your phone and strengthen recognition through active recall.

• Pronunciation and tone scoring, character by character — Say a whole sentence and every character comes back with two scores: one for pronunciation, one for the tone. The slip is named in words — a syllable you dropped, a tone that shifts before the next word. Listen to the reference, then play back your own take.

• Textbook decks, chapter by chapter — 4,300+ ready-made word lists covering 66 Chinese textbook series, including Standard Course HSK, Integrated Chinese, Developing Chinese, Boya Chinese, New Practical Chinese Textbook and Road to Success. Open your book, pick your chapter, start learning.

• HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0 coverage — Vocabulary and grammar aligned with both official exam standards, including the advanced 7–9 band.

• Flashcards built for Chinese — Tones, pinyin, meanings, example sentences and character writing in one learning flow.

• Complete Chinese grammar section — 756 grammar points with clear explanations and practical examples, from beginner to advanced.

• Spaced repetition system (SRS) — Scientifically optimised review intervals help you retain vocabulary up to 3x longer.

• 30,000+ word lists and thematic decks — HSK lists, textbook decks and topic-based vocabulary, including preparation for the CSCA, China's standardised admission exam for international students.

• Import and create decks — Bring lists from Anki, Quizlet or Pleco, or create and share your own.

• Stroke order worksheets — Print any deck as a handwriting worksheet in one click.

• Progress tracking — Monitor your HSK level, daily goals and long-term growth.

Whether you are preparing for the HSK exam, applying to study in China, or simply learning Chinese for yourself, Laoshi gives you structure, clarity and tools that make vocabulary, characters and grammar stick.

What learners say in the App Store:

"I find Chinese challenging and fascinating at the same time... The structure of presenting knowledge and the method applied are just great. If you're serious about learning, look no further than Laoshi." - Playfull Orca

"Well designed and structured, helping students to build a solid foundation for later on write and speak Mandarin correctly... You can also practice pronunciation, which is a plus!" - estafada por rtve

"I always struggled with learning how to write Chinese characters, this app helps so good, and u learn pronunciation and tones as well. I love the word lists by topic." - lisu-ka

Start learning Chinese today — try your first 10 words now.

To access all features of Laoshi, you will need to start a subscription after the free trial period.

Questions or ideas? Email us at app@laoshi.io