Mandarin Chinese has more native speakers than any other language, and more than a billion people speak it in all. Mainland China and Singapore write it in Simplified characters, which is the Chinese this page covers. Many apps teach Chinese, and each one covers a different part, so you can combine a few of them.
Here are the apps and services that teach Chinese, grouped by what they help you do. You can start with one and add another when you need it. For Traditional characters and the Mandarin used in Taiwan, see our Taiwan Mandarin app comparison.
Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
Bubblegum suits learners who want Mandarin Chinese built around their own lives. Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, what you want to learn. She writes lessons for your level and helps you understand the words and grammar. You can read and listen, and ask her about anything that is unclear. News and stories give you more Mandarin to read about music, food, family, and other things you care about.
The trade-off is that Bubblegum does not replace real Mandarin voices. For recorded speakers, Pimsleur and Glossika are the better fit. For a set course, try HelloChinese or SuperChinese, and for conversation, try the apps in Learn With People.
- The Pinyin course teaches pinyin from the first letter.
- Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
- Read and listen to news and stories in Mandarin Chinese about things you care about.
- Ask Poppy about a sentence while you read.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, so you review them by reading instead of using flashcards.
- Lesson audio uses AI voices, not recordings of Mandarin speakers.
- You cannot import your own books or articles.
- The free plan includes one new custom lesson each day.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Pinyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
Mobile
Follow a Chinese Course
If you want someone to choose what comes next, start here. These apps give you an ordered path through Chinese sounds, words, and sentences.
HelloChinese
HelloChinese is a step-by-step course made for Chinese, with speaking and handwriting practice. It also has more than 1,000 graded stories, so you can read alongside the lessons.
- Lessons follow the HSK levels.
- Speech recognition checks your pronunciation.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Pinyin
- Traditional characters
Mobile
ChineseSkill
ChineseSkill has a Mandarin course for mainland China. It suits learners who want lessons in order, from first words to short stories.
- Videos and extra vocabulary come with the mainland course.
- Graded stories and listening practice fit your level.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Pinyin
- Traditional characters (partly)
- Zhuyin
MobileWeb
SuperChinese
SuperChinese is a course app where native-speaking teachers write every lesson. In a dialogue, story, or topic lesson, you shadow the speaker and then say the lines yourself. AI explains your mistakes and gives you someone to practice speaking with.
- The main course covers HSK 1 to 5 in 8 levels.
- More than 1,000 lessons of about 10 minutes each.
- Teaches Pinyin
- Traditional characters (partly)
Mobile
Duolingo
Duolingo suits learners who enjoy small goals and game-like exercises. It introduces pinyin alongside characters. The Pinyin label is partial because we could not confirm a full beginner course in its sounds. Add speaking or reading practice when you want longer sessions.
- A free course in Mandarin with Simplified characters.
- Pinyin appears above the characters as you learn them.
- Teaches Pinyin (partly)
MobileWeb
Busuu
Busuu suits learners who want a course with some feedback from other people. Its lessons include reading and writing Chinese characters, and end-of-level tests give you a certificate.
- The Chinese course has more than 210 lessons.
- Community members give feedback on your writing and speaking.
MobileWeb
Memrise
Memrise has an official Chinese course. It suits learners who want to hear how a phrase sounds as they learn it.
- Short videos show native speakers using the words you just learned.
- Practice words with pinyin and characters side by side.
MobileWeb
Speak Chinese With an AI
These apps let you speak aloud and get a reply from an AI. They help when you know some Chinese and want time to practice before talking with someone.
Talkpal
Talkpal has Chinese voice conversations with an AI tutor. It suits learners who want to rehearse a situation or discuss an idea before they talk with a person.
- Practice spoken replies in AI chats and role-plays.
- An audio-only Call Mode lets you focus on speaking and listening.
MobileWeb
Praktika
Praktika uses on-screen AI characters as conversation partners, and Chinese is one of its learning languages. It is worth a look if a face on the screen helps you feel ready to talk.
- Speak with an AI avatar in Chinese.
- Get feedback as you practice conversations and role-plays.
Mobile
AI feedback can be wrong. If an explanation seems odd, check it with a teacher or a trusted reference.
Practice Speaking and Listening With Guidance
These apps guide your listening and speaking with recordings of Chinese speakers.
Pimsleur
Pimsleur suits learners who want to start speaking before they read much. You hear a prompt, pause to answer, and then hear the answer.
- Five levels with 30 audio lessons each.
- You answer out loud and then hear the answer.
- Teaches Pinyin (partly)
MobileWeb
Glossika
Glossika's Mandarin Chinese (China) course gives you sentences to listen to and repeat. You can take a placement test or start from the beginning.
- Courses run from A1 to C1.
- Every sentence is reviewed and recorded by a native speaker.
MobileWeb
Learn With People
Choose a tutor if you want teaching and correction. Choose a language exchange if you want a practice partner and are happy to help with your language in return.
italki
italki connects you with Chinese teachers for online lessons. It suits learners who want personal feedback, whether that means help with pronunciation or a conversation about work.
- Choose a Chinese teacher for conversation, HSK preparation, business Chinese, or pronunciation.
- Get live practice and feedback from a person.
MobileWeb
Preply
Preply has a page of Chinese tutors. Read their profiles to find someone who fits your level, goals, and schedule.
- Compare Chinese tutors by their profiles and lesson focus.
- Lesson Insights give you feedback after each class.
MobileWeb
HelloTalk
HelloTalk says its Chinese community is one of its largest. You can start with messages and voice notes, and join live voice rooms for speaking practice. Leave room to help your partner learn, too.
- Meet native Chinese speakers who want to practice your language.
- Pinyin and translation tools help you read your partner's messages.
- Your partner is a fellow learner, not necessarily a trained teacher.
Mobile
Tandem
Tandem lists Chinese (Simplified) among its languages, with partners in cities such as Shanghai and Tianjin. Agree on how to share the time between both languages.
- Practice through messages, voice notes, and calls.
- Partners can help correct each other's writing.
- You arrange practice with a partner; it is not a guided course.
MobileWeb
Build Vocabulary and Characters
Anki
Anki suits learners who like control over their review. Cards can include sound and pictures as well as text. Use the links on Anki's official site to find AnkiMobile for iPhone or AnkiDroid for Android, since similarly named apps are different products.
- Make cards for the words and characters you want to remember.
- Reviews are scheduled so you return to cards over time.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Pinyin
MobileWeb
Drops
Drops suits visual learners who enjoy quick word games. It also has a separate Hanzi course for learning characters.
- Pictures help connect Chinese words with meanings.
- More than 2,000 Chinese words in short games.
Mobile
Skritter
Skritter suits learners who want to write characters by hand. You can study Simplified or Traditional characters, or both.
- Write characters on your screen and get feedback on each stroke.
- Reviews come back on a schedule, so you remember how to write each word.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Look Up Words and Characters
Pleco
Pleco is the dictionary many Chinese learners keep on their phone. It is useful beside any course, whenever a word or a character puzzles you.
- Look up a word by typing it, drawing it, or pointing your camera at it.
- Paste in any text and tap words to see what they mean.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Pinyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
Mobile
Read More Chinese
These apps give you Chinese to read at your level, or Chinese you choose yourself. Our Chinese comprehensible input app comparison covers reading, listening, and watching in more detail.
Du Chinese
Du Chinese has graded stories with translations and grammar notes. It is one of the apps that inspired Bubblegum.
- Thousands of readings are sorted into six levels.
- Native speakers record the audio.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Pinyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
MobileWeb
The Chairman's Bao
The Chairman's Bao turns the news into short lessons, each with grammar notes and a pop-up dictionary. It suits learners who want to read about what is happening in China and around the world.
- News stories are written for learners at six levels.
- People record the audio.
- Flashcards
- Doesn't teach Pinyin
- Traditional characters
MobileWeb
LingQ
LingQ lets you read and listen to Chinese from its library or bring in your own material. It suits learners who already know what they want to read.
- Bring in books, videos, and articles you want to read.
- See which words you know and which are new.
- Flashcards
- Traditional characters
- No Zhuyin
MobileWeb
More Chinese Resources
Mandarin Corner is a YouTube channel that films real street conversations, with subtitles in characters and pinyin, and in English on beginner videos. MDBG is an online dictionary where you can search by characters, pinyin, or English.
Hack Chinese has spaced repetition made for Chinese, with word lists for HSK levels and textbooks. Outlier Linguistics explains how the parts of a character work.
Learn Chinese in Your Language
These counts cover menu-language choices, including script variants. Other apps’ counts and full lists come from their iPhone listings. Lesson explanations and other platforms may differ.
| App | Supported Display Languages | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Full list
|
| HelloChinese | 13 | Full list |
| ChineseSkill | 17 | Full list |
| SuperChinese | 16 | Full list |
| Duolingo | 32 | Full list |
| Busuu | 15 | Full list |
| Memrise | 22 | Full list |
| Talkpal | 39 | Full list |
| Praktika | 15 | Full list |
| Pimsleur | 3 | Full list |
| Glossika | 2 | Full list |
| italki | 19 | Full list |
| Preply | 19 | Full list |
| HelloTalk | 16 | Full list |
| Tandem | 14 | Full list |
| AnkiMobile (iPhone) | 25 | Full list |
| Drops | 16 | Full list |
| Skritter | 1 | Full list |
| Pleco | 1 | Full list |
| Du Chinese | 1 | Full list |
| The Chairman's Bao | 1 | Full list |
| LingQ | 17 | Full list |
Other Apps We Looked At (10)
- LingoDeerA course app with a pinyin chart that plays audio for initials, finals, and tones, plus a section for writing characters.
- Mango LanguagesA Mandarin course with 559 lessons in 5 units, native speaker dialogues, grammar notes, and a voice comparison tool.
- LingLessons on characters, tones, vocabulary, and grammar, with an AI chatbot for conversation practice.
- ClozemasterFill-in-the-blank practice with Mandarin sentences, audio, and English translations, in more than 80 topic lists. It suits learners who already know some Chinese.
- uTalkMore than 2,500 Mandarin words and phrases in over 60 topics, voiced by native speakers and practiced through games.
- UniverbalSpeak or type with an AI tutor about everyday scenes you choose, and get corrections with explanations. It offers a Chinese tutor.
- HanpingA dictionary app that searches characters, pinyin, or English, with handwriting search, over 7,500 example sentences, and a choice of Simplified or Traditional characters.
- ChinesePodMore than 4,000 audio and video lessons in six levels, from Newbie to Advanced, with dialogues shown in characters, pinyin, and English.
- Mandarin BlueprintA video course that teaches the reading, writing, and pronunciation of each character together, using a memory method.
- Yoyo ChineseVideo courses on Chinese sentence structure, word order, and grammar, with spaced repetition flashcards.
Common Questions
Which Chinese app should a beginner choose?
Choose HelloChinese or SuperChinese if you want a course that starts with the sounds. Try Pimsleur if you want to speak from the first lesson. Bubblegum suits learners who want lessons around their own interests. Each syllable has one of four tones, or the neutral tone, and pinyin spells the sounds with letters, so learn pinyin early. Bubblegum's free Pinyin course teaches it in your browser.
What is the HSK test?
HSK is the official Chinese proficiency test. Its new system has nine levels in three stages: elementary, intermediate, and advanced. You can read the syllabus and find a test at chinesetest.cn.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. You can read the free lesson library and ask Poppy for one new custom lesson each day on iPhone and Android. Become a Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons and to support our team.
Sources
- Ethnologue: What is the most spoken language?
- Simplified Chinese characters (Wikipedia)
- Hacking Chinese: The Mandarin tones
- HSK: Three Stages, Nine Levels (chinesetest.cn)
- SuperChinese FAQ
- Preply: online Chinese tutors
- Duolingo: pinyin in Chinese lessons
- Bubblegum
- HelloChinese
- ChineseSkill
- SuperChinese
- Duolingo
- Busuu
- Memrise
- Talkpal
- Praktika
- Pimsleur
- Glossika
- italki
- HelloTalk
- Tandem
- Anki
- Drops
- Skritter
- Pleco
- Du Chinese
- The Chairman's Bao
- LingQ
Checked on October 5, 2026 against each app's own pages.
