# Chinese Medical Characters — Learn Core Terms and Concepts

> Learn and test Chinese medical characters, Pinyin, and translations. (iPhone/iPad app by Toby Daly.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-medical-characters/id1558509629 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Toby Daly](https://appshunter.io/developer/636888029)
- Category: Medical, Education
- Price: $8.99
- Rating: 4.13/5 from 8 App Store ratings · 6 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 17 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2021-04-28
- Data updated: 2026-07-01
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-medical-characters/id1558509629/reviews.md

## What is Chinese Medical Characters?

"Learning Chinese is very probably the most rewarding single investment that a student of East Asian medicine can make." - Nigel Wiseman and Zhang YuHuan

The Chinese Medical Characters app is a tool to learn the foundational terms and concepts of Chinese medicine. 

The app allows users to search the dataset by translation, Pīnyīn, or Chinese character. This feature enables the user to quickly understand the different translations of common Chinese characters they encounter in medical textbooks or other references. For example, a user can easily determine that the Chinese medical term translated variously as "deficiency" or "vacuity" or "emptiness" is actually a single Chinese medical term: 虛Xū. This knowledge allows the user to avoid confusion when referencing texts from different translators.

In order to increase fluency in Chinese medical terms, the app has a built-in character test. The test allows users to practice recognizing traditional or simplified characters and matching them with their correct Pīnyīn and English translations. Correct answers on the test reveal the common acupuncture points, herbs, formulas, and concepts in Chinese medicine that include this character. The user can select from different categories to test, such as Theory, Anatomy, Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Vital Substances and others to focus on, or the user can access the whole dataset at once. All progress made in mastering each category is recorded and displayed. 

Finally, users can test their character retention by writing each character. To help with this challenging section, the user can temporarily display the character and review its proper stroke order before proceeding. Like the reading section, the user can select from different categories, such as Theory, Anatomy, Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Vital Substances and others to focus on or the user can access the whole dataset at once. All progress made in mastering each category is recorded and displayed.

## Key features

- Search by translation, Pinyin, or character
- Built-in character recognition tests
- Character writing practice with stroke order
- Progress tracking by category
- Test focus on Theory, Anatomy, Acupuncture, Herbs, and more
- Supports traditional and simplified characters

## Chart rankings

- #198 in Top Paid · Medical (US App Store)

## Recent user reviews (6 of 6)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-medical-characters/id1558509629/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Love this app

*2023-02-05*

Love it! Thank you so much.

### 5/5 — A must have

*2023-02-03*

In a word- Amazing! So glad to have this incredible resource at my fingertips.

### 2/5 — Okay

*2023-01-19*

I gotta say I’m a little disappointed in this paid app. It’s very basic and elementary, and while I do appreciate the consolidation of characters in reference to Chinese medicine, I would love to see the history of the characters, the pictograph meaning, the significance behind the characters. THATs when it gets really interesting.

### 1/5 — Brutal

*2022-01-31*

Super basic. Don’t purchase if you have any knowledge of TCM whatsoever.

### 5/5 — Essential

*2021-05-14*

This app is great for anyone wanting to learn Chinese Medicine on Chinese Medicine’s terms. Beginners will learn terminology and characters that will benefit them during their whole career.

### 5/5 — Outstanding app to learn medical Chinese.

*2021-04-29*

A must have for Chinese medicine practitioners.

## Frequently asked questions about Chinese Medical Characters

### What is Chinese Medical Characters?

Chinese Medical Characters is a paid app designed to help users learn the foundational terms and concepts of Chinese medicine. It allows searching by translation, Pinyin, or character and includes reading and writing tests.

### How does Chinese Medical Characters help with learning?

The app aids learning through a searchable database of terms, a character recognition test matching characters with Pinyin and English translations, and a writing practice feature that includes stroke order guidance.

### Can I focus my learning with Chinese Medical Characters?

Yes, you can select specific categories to focus your learning, such as Theory, Anatomy, Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, and Vital Substances, or test your knowledge across the entire dataset.

### What devices support Chinese Medical Characters?

Chinese Medical Characters is available for iPhone and iPod devices. It was last updated on July 31, 2025, with version 1.0.3.

### What is the price of Chinese Medical Characters?

Chinese Medical Characters is a paid application priced at $8.99. It does not feature in-app purchases or advertisements.

### Does Chinese Medical Characters have ads?

No, Chinese Medical Characters does not contain advertisements. It is a paid application that offers an ad-free learning experience.

### How often is Chinese Medical Characters updated?

The latest version of Chinese Medical Characters is 1.0.3, which was released on July 31, 2025. Specific update frequency details are not provided, but it is actively maintained.

### What is the age rating for Chinese Medical Characters?

Chinese Medical Characters has an age rating of 4+. This indicates it is suitable for a wide range of users, including younger learners interested in medical terminology.

## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.0.3 — 2025-07-31

• Updated the Show and Guide buttons on the writing practice page to hide the character if you click again while it is still showing.
• Updated for the latest Apple SDKs.

### 1.0.2 — 2021-09-26

- Fixed a problem that prevented scrolling the home page on phones with the text size overridden in the iOS Accessibility settings.

- Fixed some incorrect sizing on the writing quiz page on phones with the interface zoomed in the iOS Display settings.

### 1.0.1 — 2021-05-23

- Added new characters and compounds.

- Fixed a problem that cut off some translations in the Common Compounds list.

- Dismissed the keyboard when clicking outside the search field, to allow more space to view the search results.

- Hid the search icon from behind the search results.

### 1.0 — 2021-04-28

No release notes.

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## More apps by Toby Daly

- [Chinese Nutritional Strategies](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-nutritional-strategies/id636888026)

All apps by Toby Daly: https://appshunter.io/developer/636888029

## Related topics

[chinese medicine classics](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/chinese-medicine-classics)

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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 2026-07-01.*