The Hausa app to choose depends on what you want to practice. Use Bubblegum for lessons Poppy writes for you, NKENNE for an audio course, uTalk for recorded words and phrases, Memrise for vocabulary with videos, or HelloTalk to practice with people.
Hausa is used across Nigeria and Niger, so family chats, travel, and work can all give you a reason to learn it. A phrase app helps with a market visit; a reading tool helps you follow a story. These options are grouped by what they help you do, with free Hausa resources to use alongside them.
Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Hausa. You learn from Hausa you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, who you want to speak with and what you like. She writes a Hausa lesson around that. You can read it, hear it, and ask her about a sentence you want to understand.
Hausa is available in Bubblegum on Android 28.2. As of October 11, the iPhone update that adds Hausa is awaiting App Store review.
The trade-off is that Bubblegum is not a person to speak with or a set audio course. Try HelloTalk for a practice partner, or uTalk for phrases recorded by Hausa speakers.
- Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
- Read and listen to Hausa lessons, stories, and news.
- Ask Poppy to explain a word or a grammar point while you read.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, so review happens through reading.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You cannot import your own books or articles.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Follow an Audio Course
NKENNE
NKENNE suits learners who want to follow lessons on their phone, including on a journey without internet access. Read the captions as you listen, then return to a part you want to hear again.
- Hausa audio lessons run for 15 to 30 minutes, with captions that follow the recording.
- Download lessons for offline playback.
- Use flashcards and matching games to review words.
- Flashcards
Mobile
Hear and Practice Useful Phrases
uTalk
uTalk works well when you need phrases for a clear situation. Its games help you hear a phrase and recall it. For longer reading, add one of the story resources below.
- Hear words and phrases recorded by Hausa speakers.
- Record yourself and compare your pronunciation with the recording.
- Choose topics such as family, shopping, travel, and food.
MobileWeb
Connect Words With Videos
Memrise
Memrise lists Hausa in its official Learn, Immerse, and Communicate experience. It connects vocabulary study with hearing words in use. Its separate community-course website holds learner-made courses; those are a different product.
- Learn Hausa words and phrases by topic.
- Watch videos matched to words you have learned.
- Use its AI conversation tool for extra practice.
MobileWeb
Learn With People
HelloTalk
HelloTalk has a Hausa partner page. Offer practice in a language you know, and agree on a short topic for your Hausa time. Ask a partner to help with a greeting, a voice note, or a sentence from your reading.
- Find people whose language is Hausa and who want to practice another language.
- Use text messages and voice notes to practice.
- You arrange practice with a partner; it is not a Hausa course.
Mobile
Tandem
Tandem includes Hausa in its supported-language list. It suits learners who want a person to practice with. Check a partner's profile and agree on a topic before a call.
- Choose Hausa as a language for exchange.
- Practice through messages, voice notes, and calls.
- You find a partner and agree on how to share practice time.
MobileWeb
Free Hausa Reading and Listening
Storybooks Nigeria has six Hausa picture stories, with English versions beside the Hausa. The pictures help you follow the meaning; these Hausa pages do not have audio.
Indiana University's CELT archive has recordings from older Hausa courses, including Basic Hausa and Intensive Hausa materials. It is a recording archive, so find the matching course text before working through it.
For more stories, recordings, and news, see the Hausa comprehensible input comparison.
Bubblegum's row lists its 74 in-app menu languages. Competitor counts come from iPhone App Store metadata, including script variants, checked on October 11: Nigeria for NKENNE and Memrise, and the US for HelloTalk and Tandem. uTalk's count comes from its own Settings-language claim; lesson explanations and other platforms may differ.
| App | Supported Display Languages | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Full list
|
| NKENNE | 1 | Full list |
| uTalk | 140+ | Language support |
| Memrise | 22 | Full list |
| HelloTalk | 16 | Full list |
| Tandem | 14 | Full list |
Other Apps We Looked At (2)
- Bluebird HausaHausa audio lessons and listening practice in a dedicated Android app.
- SOAS Hausa ModulesHausa modules within a university degree for learners who want academic study.
Common Questions
Which Hausa app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Hausa, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with NKENNE if you want an audio course, or uTalk if you want to hear and practice phrases for a trip. Our best-way guide shows how to combine reading, listening, and speaking.
Can I find a Hausa practice partner?
HelloTalk's Hausa page lists people who want a language exchange. Agree on how to share the time, and ask which kind of Hausa they use at home. A partner can help you hear how a phrase sounds in a real chat.
Can I start with free Hausa books?
Yes. Storybooks Nigeria's Hausa shelf includes short picture stories such as Ina San Karatu. Open its English version when a sentence is unclear, then return to the Hausa and read it again.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- uTalk: Hausa words, phrases, recorded audio, and where Hausa is spoken
- NKENNE: Learn Hausa
- Memrise: Official languages in the Learn, Immerse, Communicate experience
- HelloTalk: Hausa language exchange partners
- Storybooks Nigeria: Hausa stories
- Indiana University CELT: Hausa recording archive
- Bubblegum
- Memrise
- HelloTalk
- Tandem
Checked on October 5, 2026 against each app's own pages.
