We are lucky to live in 2017. Hundreds of new apps appear on the App Store and Google Play every day, and about one in ten of them are for language learners.

Now it's easier than ever - there are "smart" vocabulary cards, instant speech recognition systems, services that analyze handwritten hieroglyphs.

More than 300 icons of a wide variety of applications are issued for the request “learn Chinese” on Google Play - we were both delighted and confused from such a number. We decided to test the most popular ones and compile a selection of ten effective, interesting and useful apps for Chinese learners for iOS and Android, so it will be easier for you to sort through the inexhaustible choice and install the ones that are right for you.

• HelloChinese

iOS / Android
We started with this app because it is 1) awesome 2) free. Premium account, which can be purchased for 419 rubles. per month, will give access to all training games, but they can be opened gradually, earning gold coins. HelloChinese, with a charming Chinese sage icon, is a startup from the creators of ChinesePod, a super popular Chinese learning platform with millions of users. The application has everything you expect from a gaming environment - earning points, tracking progress, bonuses. All material is divided into micro-lessons, each of which can be completed in 10 minutes, while learning a lot of new words and expressions. There is a speech recognition function and its comparison with the reference pronunciation. If you download all the lessons in advance, you can study offline.

• ChineseSkill

iOS / Android
Another game app similar to HelloChinese in terms of learning sequence, rewards, competition, and progress tracking, so they complement each other perfectly. It is one of the best apps for beginners: it has a logical word repetition system, an automatic speech assessment service, calligraphy practice technology, an interactive pinyin table, pronunciation examples recorded by a native speaker, the ability to study offline, great amount vocabulary and colloquial phrases, which are entered through the context. And very cute pandas that will accompany you during the lessons: at the beginning of each lesson you are given 4 pandas, but for each mistake you lose one. In total, the application has 42 sections, each of which consists of 3-6 mini-lessons. App alerts grab attention with the idiom 熟能生巧 - "mastery comes from experience", "repetition is the mother of learning".

• Skritter

iOS / Android
With the advent of typing apps that convert pinyin to kanji, the need to know how to write the strokes of a character seems to have faded into the background. If 90% of communication takes place online, then why even be able to write hieroglyphs correctly? The creators of Skritter categorically deny this position, so they developed an application in which you can learn to write hieroglyphs directly on the phone screen, using your finger as a calligraphy brush. You can select Simplified or Traditional characters and download lists of characters. While you memorize the outline of the hieroglyph, hints about the correct spelling and order of strokes appear. When you have correctly written the desired character, you can listen to its sound and move on to the next task. In addition, examples of the use of this hieroglyph are hidden under the magnifying glass icon. Chinese learners have been waiting for this app for 3,500 years. The only "but" - only a week of free trial period is given, after which you will have to purchase a subscription for a month or immediately for a year.

• Chinese Writer

iOS / Android
Another application for practicing the correct and fast outline of hieroglyphs. This time everything turns into a game: hieroglyphs on parachutes descend from top to bottom, you need to touch them and manage to write all the features in the correct sequence before the hieroglyph completely disappears. In total, you can work with 5300 characters, which are divided into lists according to the level of difficulty in accordance with the HSK exam standards.

• Brainscape

iOS / Android
Brainscape is one of the best flashcard apps with an excellent collection of flashcards for Chinese. As the creators of the application themselves say about this, “the goal of working with cards is not to name all of them correctly, but to restore them in memory forgotten knowledge". Brainscape offers search, explore, and test modes. In total, there are about 5500 cards in the database, some sets can be downloaded for free, others will have to be paid for, but the uniqueness in another is in the updated spaced repetition system. When you open each card, you will rate on a scale from 1 to 5 how well you know this word or phrase, and Brainscape will independently determine the time after which you will need to repeat the concept. This principle also has a minus - you have to be extremely honest with yourself, because it is always easier to convince yourself that you know something, especially when the correct answer is in front of your eyes.

• Memrise

iOS / Android
It is no coincidence that Memrise was chosen as the best app of 2017 in the Education category. Memrise developers use discoveries in the field of neurolinguistics and teaching methods. Memrise, like Brainscape, includes a spaced repetition feature, because it is important not only to learn words or phrases, but also not to forget them over time. Memrise has modules for all levels, from Basic Grammar and Top 100 Chinese Verbs to HSK1. The whole application is built on the principles of mnemonic memorization and connection of new information with the already known. Each module includes videos of native speakers that allow you to hear natural speech. The flower, which the developers have placed in the upper right corner of the application, is very motivating: after each correct answer, a new leaf grows on it.

• Pleco

iOS / Android
Pleco is an offline Chinese dictionary on steroids that includes 130,000 words, 28,000 correct character animations, 34,000 pronunciation examples, and 20,000 sentences with examples of their use (pinyin of each phrase is given in the dictionary). You can enter a word in the search using hieroglyphs or pinyin. The application recognizes voice and handwriting, that is, you can say an unfamiliar word or draw an unfamiliar character, and Pleco will try to recognize it. For an additional fee, you can download an add-on with which you can translate the inscription in Chinese by simply pointing your phone's camera at it. Pleco works in other applications: you can highlight an unfamiliar word or phrase while chatting on WeChat and get its translation instantly. In the dictionary, you can create your own flash cards from any dictionary entry and regularly repeat compound words. The only downside is that the app only works in English.

• DuChinese

iOS /
Du Chinese can easily be considered the best Chinese reading app at the moment. Every week, the database of materials is updated with new articles about events in China, Chinese culture and world news, while the articles correspond to different levels of complexity: there are texts with simple vocabulary for beginners, there are more serious materials for those who have been learning Chinese for more than a year. Most importantly, in Du Chinese you can see the translation of any word by simply clicking on it, and the translation will match the context. You can also translate the entire sentence. Articles are also accompanied by synchronized audio so that you can listen to the article and follow through the text at the same time. Unfamiliar words can be added to a set of flash cards and repeated regularly. In addition, in the text, you can include pinyin, which appears above the characters, a very convenient feature for beginners.

• The Chairman's Bao

iOS / Android
Another reading app, this time based on news articles written in simplified language, accessible to readers with different levels of Chinese proficiency. It belongs to the creators of the online newspaper of the same name, designed for foreigners learning Chinese. All articles have a mark of their compliance with the HSK level, there is a built-in dictionary and audio versions of the articles. There are already more than 2500 articles in the application database, and materials for different levels are added daily. A good option for getting your dose of Chinese reading on your way to work.

• Hello HSK 1-6

iOS / Android
If you are hard at work preparing for the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK), then this series of applications will definitely come in handy. Hello HSK includes interactive vocabulary, listening, error correction, reading and comprehension tasks, as well as practice and final tests that follow the format of the real exam items. Language material tasks fully corresponds to a specific level and is divided into thematic collections.

We advise: do not download all the applications at once, otherwise you will only lose focus, waste time and not know where to start. Try them one by one, decide which one you like best in terms of interface and presentation of the material. And most importantly - do not ignore notifications from applications that remind you that it's time to take a few minutes to Chinese. 5 minutes a day means more than 30 hours a year, during which you can make good progress in learning Chinese.

Learning Chinese The process is difficult and requires a lot of effort. Previously, you had to spend hours flipping through hieroglyphs in dictionaries and matching the right syllables and tones to come up with the cherished answer. Now, with the development of technology, the method of learning Chinese has changed, everything is becoming much easier and faster. It is enough to have a smartphone and several applications installed on it - and your process of learning Chinese is instantly transformed and becomes more comfortable.

If you are learning Chinese and don't know about these applications, I can say with confidence that you need to download them now!

Incredibly functional dictionary Chinese words , which simply amazes with its fundamental base. The application provides the ability to enter not only words, but also phrases, winged expressions.

It also has the function of voicing the Chinese pronunciation of a word and displaying the order of drawing strokes when writing a character.

In general, the best application among the functional assistants in learning Chinese. In the category " Chinese dictionaries for android” occupies an honorable first place!

2.Pleco

Pleco — Chinese dictionary with character drawing. Those. if you don't know how to read this or that hieroglyph, you redraw it in the application and get an answer to your question.

Very convenient and practical! This application has helped me more than once in extreme Chinese conditions!)

3. Hello HSK

Hello HSK- a unique application for preparing for the exam on Chinese language proficiency (HSK).

The application is a collection of interactive tasks and tests that are similar in appearance to the tasks of the real HSK exam.

You download the application with the number for the HSK level you are preparing for.

Hello HSK consists of three major sections:

• Listening.
• Correction of errors / Drafting of proposals.
• Understanding texts.

To prepare for the exam - this is what you need!

Data three Chinese learning apps are a good base for passing HSK-5, so if you install only them on your phone, this will be quite enough to join the Chinese environment and feel confident when learning the Chinese language!

There are dedicated Chinese learning websites that offer fast track programs, super strategy know-how, but trust me, there is nothing better than practicing with a Chinese native speaker. Do not waste your money on Internet resources, sign up for a language school in your city where a Chinese teaches - and you will understand what I am talking about. You can console yourself with the fact that you have little time, you have better things to spend money on, etc. - but know that these are just excuses that you try to believe! If you do it, then do it with quality, if teach the most Difficult language in the world- so to teach already thorough and basic, so that later there would be a reason for pride!

The programs presented in this article can also be categorized as " programs for learning Chinese on the computer» , i.e. they are also available for download from the site to your PC, which makes their use even more practical and convenient.

I want to repeat myself and say that you don’t have to chase the number of applications on your gadget - the main quality. These three applications are the complete systematic knowledge base that a person who learns Chinese needs! They are used by millions of people around the world, so updates and improvements are made monthly, which is very pleasing! Just as happy as the realization that they are absolutely free!

Chinese is not the easiest language. The learning process takes a lot of effort. Previously, this was helped by courses and homework, which had to be spent a lot of time, because searching for hieroglyphs in dictionaries, matching syllables and tones is not the easiest thing. But with the development of technology and the emergence of language applications, learning has become easier, more comfortable and efficient. What is this miracle of the application, read in our review.

Online Courses has collected a dozen free programs and applications for Iphone or Android that will help you learn Chinese.

Memrise: learn languages

Memrise is one of the most popular language apps in the world. The program equally develops and complements 88 languages ​​​​of the world at once. Among them is Chinese.

Chinese lessons will help you learn grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation. All studies are based on a mnemonic approach. The user is invited to comprehend the language through conceptual pictures.

AnkiApp Flashcards

FROM Japanese language Anki translates as "remembering". The application is focused on memorizing words, expressions, phrases using spaced repetitions. In this case, flash cards are used.

Training is based on the SRS (Spaced Repetition) system. This means that you are invited to evaluate each new word by complexity: easy - I know - I remember - I do not remember. The frequency of occurrence of the word depends on the rating you set. If it is difficult, the program will repeat the card in a few hours, easy - in a few days.

Pinyin Chart

This application will help you learn to perceive Chinese by ear. The language has a limited number of syllables - approximately 400. In free version some sounds are available that will be useful for beginners. You can also take tests here. But for all content, you will need to pay.

Chinese Writer

The application is more like a learning game, the essence of which is to have time to write a hieroglyph while it falls from top to bottom. The principle is somewhat similar to Tetris. It helps to train the order of writing hieroglyphs, memorize them and write them down as quickly and correctly as possible. There are lists of words to choose from. In such an unobtrusive and interesting form, the user learns vocabulary and grammar. The method is effective. The app has a free and paid version.

Pleco

It is not possible to learn languages ​​without dictionaries. Pleco is a Chinese character drawing dictionary. The program offers to draw a character that you do not know and get an instant translation. The only negative is that the translation is given on English language. But this is a great opportunity to practice two languages ​​at once. The basic dictionary is free, but you will have to pay for specialized vocabulary.

FluentU

ChineseSkill

This application is relevant for those who are just starting to learn Chinese. Here you can listen to listening, practice reading, writing and speaking. There is a repetition system, automatic pronunciation assessment and correct spelling hieroglyphs. Lessons are given in the form of games, tests. The program works offline and contains more than 50 methods, 150 grammar rules, 1000 words and phrases, 200 sentence structures.

Hanping Chinese Dictionary Lite

An offline application which is a Chinese dictionary with pinyin support. Learned words can be added to favorites and returned to them for repetition. Words can also be listened to (they are spoken by native speakers), which helps to learn not only vocabulary, but also to set pronunciation.

6,000 Words

The application will help you learn Chinese in an easy way. To do this, there are 7 fun word games: Vocabulary, Find the picture, Choose the word, Listen and choose, Pick up the words, Listen and write, Write the words. There are three levels of difficulty: for beginners, intermediate and advanced learners of Chinese. Choose yours and join the game. The application does not require an internet connection, so you can learn Chinese anytime, anywhere.

Chinese language for beginners. Words run

Lightweight and fast way learn Chinese - install the application "Words running". The program contains 40 audio courses, a Chinese phrase book, 16 sets of words and popular phrases, a pronunciation simulator, a dictionary of learned words. The application is suitable for those who are just starting to learn Chinese, and those who have already advanced enough in this matter. The effectiveness of the program has been tested by more than 100,000 users.

Choose the application you like, or rather download several at once, so you can more productively and effectively involve yourself in learning Chinese. Get things done, listen correct speech, play, test your knowledge - all this will help you master a new language without spending money.

Lately, more and more more people they order phones in China via the Internet, and there is nothing wrong with that, the Chinese are great and have long overtaken the whole world in the Hi-tech industry and even created a lot of their own brands, which are in no way inferior to world leaders. The only problem that a Russian owner of such a smartphone may encounter is the lack of a Russian-language keyboard familiar to him. If we talk about the Chinese, then sometimes you can buy a phone in Russia that does not support the Russian keyboard

If you buy your smartphone or tablet in any company store, even if it is a dubious brand ( ZTE Huawei), then most likely the Russian keyboard will be installed there initially. So why should we fix what isn't broken? There are two reasons:

First reason– expand the functionality of the standard Russian keyboard;

The second reason, as I mentioned earlier, is to install the keyboard on any Chinese tablet or phone type FLYTOUCH, EKEN, APAD etc.

There is simply no Russian layout on these devices by default, but this does not matter, since such devices mainly use the operating system Android, and for Android, a bunch of applications have long been written, which, among other things, allow you to install a Russian keyboard on your smartphone.

So, download Russian keyboard via Play market, it is very easy to find it - you need to search Play market type , then select an application English Keyboard and install it by clicking on the " INSTALL».

Then go to " System settings” -> “Language.. (Locale..)” -> “Activate keyboard“. Then open any window, text editor, the browser where the input field is present. In this field, long press to call up the menu in which you should select the Russian layout as the input method.

So, the Russian keyboard is installed and activated. The layout indicator should appear in the system tray (tray).

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trainchinese

In the Trainchinese dictionary, you can not only find translations, but also use ready-made lists of words by topic, create your own lists and learn vocabulary using flash cards. There is also an animation of writing hieroglyphs: for better memorization of phonetics, each hieroglyph of the same tone has its own color. The dictionary has its own search system, which gives preference to those words that will be really useful. It is possible to enter not only words, but also phrases, winged expressions. The dictionary is suitable for both beginners and advanced. Another feature is the optical recognition system, which helps beginners to cope with the translation of menus, signs or even books.

Pleco

Chinese dictionary with "drawing" characters. For those who do not know how a particular character is read, you can redraw it in the application and get an answer. Suitable for beginners.

Hello HSK

A handy app to prepare for the Chinese Language Proficiency (HSK) exam. The application offers a variety of interactive tasks and tests that are similar in appearance to the tasks of the real HSK exam. You can download the application with the number for which the HSK level is being prepared. The application consists of three large sections: listening; correcting errors and drafting proposals; understanding of texts.

HelloChinese

In the free version of the application, grammar, phonetics, vocabulary, and listening on more than 30 topics are available. Among them: time, numbers, food, transport, shopping, diseases, weather and seasons, animals, realities Everyday life. The application allows you to train pronunciation: you will be asked to pronounce words, phrases and sentences, and the computer will check the correctness and point out errors. The level of vocabulary and grammar corresponds approximately to HSK 1.2.

HSK 1-5, YCT 1-4

A handy application from Around Pixels for preparing for the main international Chinese language proficiency exams. There are free and paid versions, advanced or basic versions. In this application, vocabulary, phonetics and hieroglyphics are selected specifically for each level. The development of expressions and words takes place on various games and interesting tasks. Suitable for all levels of learning Chinese.

The material was prepared by the Chinese language teachers of school No. 1354 Anastasia Kondratieva, Svetlana Berezina, Yana Konovalova, Natalya Bochilo.