The Top 3 Best Mandarin Chinese Learning apps for beginners

There are many ways you can learn a new language. Attending physical classes from a qualified native speaker, for example, is a very beneficial way to start for feedback purposes. I learned English, my second language, by watching movies and tv-shows from a very young age. It was a passive way of learning. You can also decide to teach yourself, meaning active learning, using resources such as books, apps, and videos. Whatever method you choose, make sure it is something you enjoy doing. Learning another language is a process that takes effort and dedication.

This article is for those wanting to learn Mandarin Chinese. By sharing the following learning apps, I hope these can become your stepping stone to fluency in the Mandarin Chinese language.

They are my personal top 3 favorite mandarin Chinese learning apps and for different reasons. One teaches you basic vocabulary, sentences, and pronunciation. The other is a great way to read beginner to advanced text in mandarin to practice your Chinese language skills. And the last is a Mandarin Chinese dictionary. Below I will describe why they are my favorites and how I use them. I highly recommend all three apps.

Hello Chinese

The pros of using the Hello Chinese app:

• You can learn over a thousand words with their upgraded course (the old version had around 500 words), and learn up to HSK level 4 (HSK, the Chinese proficiency test, stands for Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi exam).
• They have audio of different native speakers so you can get used to the way people speak in varying ways.
• It has background information on their culture.
• The lessons are easy to follow and a great way to study new vocabulary, sentence structure, pronunciation, etc.
• You can record your voice during a lesson to practice your pronunciation. The words you speak incorrectly get emphasized.
• You can disable pinyin, which is the standard system of romanized spelling for transliterating Chinese. I recommend disabling pinyin because it is easier to remember the Chinese characters when you don't rely on pinyin for the pronunciation (usually with learning apps, the pinyin is below every Chinese character)
• But when you just learned a new word, it is good to check out the pinyin once in a while for the pronunciation of the Chinese characters (After knowing the pronunciation it is recommended to only focus on the Chinese characters as previously mentioned). You can click the new words during a lesson for the pinyin version. And in case of certain words, examples on how to use them in a sentence.
• There is a review option of all of the words you have learned combined, of which they generate lessons they think you need to review the most.
• If you already know a bit of Mandarin Chinese, the app allows you to take a shortcut so that you do not have to start from the beginning.

The cons of using the Hello Chinese app:

• I usually skip character exercises in the app. The writing process isn't smooth, and it can take a bit of time, more than I like, to write a character. I prefer writing characters using a pencil and paper. Furthermore, the app only allows writing exercises for a couple of the characters. Even though the character exercises (along with speaking and listening exercises) can be disabled in the settings, I choose not to do so. The introduction to every character exercise has little tips on how to interpret a character. This feature can help you get a better understanding of these characters, ensuing better memorization.
• Some useful features are only available with a premium account. And eventually, you will have to purchase one. The first half of the courses are available for free, a lengthy trial of the app essentially. By the time you have studied the first half, you will know if a premium account is worth the purchase for you.

Hello Chinese is the first app I tried that helped me learn the Chinese language. The app has more learning opportunities, in my opinion, then Duolingo. It is specialized just for learners of the Chinese language, which is why the courses are so detailed. I would recommend you to use this app if you are starting from scratch and want to learn the Mandarin Chinese language. If you know a little Mandarin, this app would be great for you as well because you do not have to start from the beginning, as mentioned in the pros.

After finishing the whole course, you will know up to HSK level 4 and will have learned over a thousand words according to the app (On average, Chinese people are recognized as fluent speakers when they know between 1.500-2000 words). HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) is the standard Chinese Proficiency test used for non-native Chinese speakers. The HSK levels range from 1-6. 

Another useful feature of the app is that you can review the learned content with regular Chinese speakers (if you have a premium account). The people hired to lend their voice to similar apps usually are the ones who pronounce their words clearly, which is a good thing. But in everyday life, people do not tend to speak like that with one another. The Hello Chinese app films locals (besides using professional speakers), so we get used to the native way of speaking. Although you can only review with regular Chinese people if you have a premium account, you do get a taste of those speakers in the free lessons.

I used the app before the upgrade. The new course has features such as 'teacher talk' so you can learn more about the Chinese culture, but you will need to purchase their premium account to access it. It is worth it. 

Now, why is learning their culture important? For us, it is (or may) be normal to greet each other with the phrase, good morning. Older Chinese natives may greet each other with the phrase 'have you eaten?'. As a non-native, it could be confusing if someone asks if you have eaten or not every time they see you, but when you learn a bit about their culture, you will understand that because of their history of poverty, it became a common greeting. Therefore, understanding the culture can help one understand the language itself.

I highly recommend you remove the pinyin option from Hello Chinese if you want to learn Chinese characters. Right from the start if you ask me or as soon as possible. It is in the upper right corner when you open the lesson. You can easily switch back and forward, but try to keep it disabled.

I used the app, along with taking physical classes. Like previously mentioned, that is not a requirement. But for me, it did help me to learn the language faster. I had attended classes at a set time and date. It motivated me to keep using the app to stay ahead. I also learned additional words with the app that I didn't learn during class. Everyone's journey is different it just depends on what works for you. If you do not enjoy the learning process, there is a huge chance you will stop halfway.

Du Chinese

The pros of using Du Chinese:

• The app has interesting articles. There are informational articles, text with humor, stories, and pieces on the history of China.
• The articles range from a beginner level to advanced. 
• The layout is easy to understand. 
• Every word in an article has a definition you can see when you press on it.
• Every article has an audio version of the text built within spoken by native Chinese people.
• All the articles also have an English translation.
• You can save new words and review them later.
• HSK words are highlighted in different colors. This feature can be disabled.
• The pinyin of the Chinese characters is above the words in the article. It is a feature that can be easily disabled.
• New articles are added frequently.
• Increase your vocabulary with the immersive text they provide.

The cons of using Du Chinese:

• The articles are free for a short while before only premium users can access it.
• It has a small pool of free articles available at once.

Du Chinese is a great app when you have already started learning the Chinese language. It ranges from elementary to advanced content. I enjoyed reading the articles. They are a great way to immerse yourself in the language. With Hello Chinese, you can learn up to a thousand words, and by frequently using the Du Chinese app, you can continue expanding your vocabulary.

All the apps mentioned in this blog have premium content, but the free content is beneficial as well. The downside of this app is that its content is available for a short period (a couple of days) before it is hidden behind a paywall. The good news is that they post new stories regularly, and they have good writers. You will always have something to read.

The audio version of the articles can be sped up or slowed down if you are having any difficulties. The spoken words are highlighted in the text so you can read along. And the English translation is played at the same time in the section above. The interface of the app is clean and easy to understand.

Hanping Chinese Dictionary Lite

The pros of using Hanping Lite:

• It has HSK words categorized.
• Chinese idioms are within the dictionary.
• Below most definitions are examples of sentences with the words in them for context. The translation of the sentences, however, are only available in the pro version.
• They show the stroke order of simple Chinese characters in the app.
• There are multiple ways you can look up words by writing in English, writing pinyin, writing Chinese characters, and drawing the Chinese characters. (There is also the option to take pictures of Chinese characters or voice input, but I have not used those features)
• When you look up a character, you will get suggestions of all the character pairs containing that one character. For example, 考(= to take an exam) pronounced 'kăo', and the character pair 考试（=exam) pronounced 'kăoshì'.
• You can save words by adding a star in the bottom left corner or categorize them by adding custom tags when you click on the three dots on the bottom right of the screen.

The cons of using Hanping Lite:

• Only premium members have access to the English translation of the sample sentences given for most words.

Hanping Lite is a Chinese dictionary. I recommend you use it if you want to look up words. And you will want to look up words if you are learning the Chinese language. Although Google translate is a good app that is improving, Hanping Lite is more accurate when you search for individual words.

You can use it to make lists. Add tags to words to categorize them. The tag section has listed HSK words, top idioms, top characters, etc.

Off-topic - You may have noticed that I have written that some content is only available for premium members, as a negative trait for all three apps. I struggled to come up with cons for these apps because I genuinely really like them. They all have good content available for free. And people do have to eat. So I don't consider those 'negatives' I listed as actual negatives. 

That being said, you can learn a lot from the free content without having to purchase a premium account. If you are serious about studying the language, it is needless to say that investing in the premium accounts is beneficial later down the line.

Bottom line 

All three apps are beneficial if you want to learn the Mandarin Chinese language (pŭtōnghuà). They are equally important for different reasons. Use Hello Chinese to learn the language, use Du Chinese to immerse yourself within the language, and Hanping Lite to look up the meaning of words you have forgotten or have seen in another medium.


My Chinese language skills aren't on a native level yet, but I offer Dutch translation services.