# BaoBao Talk: Learn Chinese — Hanzi that actually sticks

> Hanzi that actually sticks (iPhone/iPad app by Mahadir Ahmad.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/baobao-talk-learn-chinese/id6779614781 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Mahadir Ahmad](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896769097)
- Category: Education, Reference
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 54 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-08-05
- Data updated: 2026-09-07
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/baobao-talk-learn-chinese/id6779614781/reviews.md

## What is BaoBao Talk?

Chinese characters look arbitrary. They are not, and the difference is why most people quit.

BaoBao Talk gives you a system. Every character becomes a small scene: an actor who carries its sound, a place that carries its ending, and a setting coloured by its tone. Learn those parts once and they work for every character you meet afterwards, so the hundredth costs less effort than the tenth.

THE MEMORY SYSTEM
• 74 building blocks: 55 actors, 14 places, 5 tone settings
• Every character gets a scene made from them, written for you
• Rewrite any of it in your own words, or attach your own picture
• Rename any actor to someone you actually know, and it updates everywhere
• Drill the parts on their own, so the sounds come back instantly

A COMPLETE HSK 1 COURSE
• 28 themed units, from greetings to ordering food
• 300 characters, the full HSK 3.0 Level 1 set
• Each unit builds on the last, so nothing arrives out of nowhere

WRITE EVERY CHARACTER
• Animated stroke order for all 300
• Trace it yourself and get checked, stroke by stroke
• Components broken out, so you see the parts before the whole

TONES AND PINYIN, PROPERLY
• All four tones plus the neutral tone, with human recordings
• Tone colours run through the whole app, so you see the tone before you read it
• Every initial and final as a tappable tile: build any syllable and hear it

SPEAK AND BE UNDERSTOOD
• Speaking exercises score what you actually said
• See your attempt written back in characters and pinyin
• Runs on your device, so nothing is sent anywhere

REVIEWS THAT SCHEDULE THEMSELVES
• FSRS, a modern spaced repetition algorithm, picks what you see each day
• Open the app, clear what is due, and the timing is handled
• Mastery levels show what is solid and what is shaky

LISTEN EVERY DAY
• A new two-minute dialogue each day
• Written to use only the vocabulary you have already learned
• Replay any of the last 30 days

GRAMMAR WITHOUT THE JARGON
• The six sentence patterns HSK 1 is built on
• Colour-coded subject, verb, object and adjective
• Drills built from words already in the course

The memory system is designed to keep working well past HSK 1. The course covers HSK 1 today, and the building blocks are already in place for what comes next.

Free to start. No ads, ever.

BaoBao Plus unlocks the full course and unlimited daily practice, monthly or yearly, with a free trial on both.

Terms of Use: https://baobaolab.tech/chinese-learning-app/legal/terms
Privacy Policy: https://baobaolab.tech/chinese-learning-app/legal/privacy

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BaoBao Plus | $79.99 | per year |
| BaoBao Plus Monthly | $9.99 | per month |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bamboo x100 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Bamboo x550 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Bamboo x1200 | $14.99 | one-time |



## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.0.24 — 2026-08-28

Start learning instantly: no account needed. Create one any time to keep your progress on every device.
Memory Cards: build an AI-illustrated card for any character from its memory scene, equip it as your memory picture, and share it as an image.
Flash Practice: short review rounds that grow through the day, with a daily goal and a lucky bamboo drop.
Speaking practice scores you by sound, and reminders are now strictly opt-in.
Smarter pacing, Send feedback in Profile, and many fixes.

### 1.0.15 — 2026-08-15

- Forgetting a word now brings it straight back so you can get it right before you finish, instead of waiting until tomorrow
- Fixed the daily podcast appearing twice after finishing a unit
- Character components that used to show an empty box now display properly
- Quieter navigation, and a better feel when dragging answers into place

### 1.0.14 — 2026-08-11

MEMORY TRICKS FOR EVERY CHARACTER

Every one of the 300 characters now comes with a memory trick: a short scene built from an actor, a place and a tone setting, so the character has something to hang on instead of being a shape you repeat until it sticks.

• Add your own picture to any memory trick
• Rewrite any story in your own words
• Rename any of the 74 parts to someone you know, and every character using it updates
• Drill the parts on their own, in either direction

ALSO IN THIS RELEASE
• Tone colours throughout, so you see the tone before you read the pinyin
• A pitch contour on every character, showing where the tone actually goes
• A redesigned character screen
• Sign in with Google or Apple, one tap

### 1.0.12 — 2026-08-05

No release notes.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-07.*