Literate Chinese: Reading

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/