# Chinese Stroke Challenge — A Character Recognition Game > Educational game for learning Chinese character stroke order through guessing. (iPhone/iPad app by Middlemost Systems.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-stroke-challenge/id1164219531 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Middlemost Systems](https://appshunter.io/developer/1164219530) - Category: Education, Games, Word - Price: Free - Rating: 5.00/5 from 3 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 12.4 · 7 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2018-07-25 - Data updated: 2026-06-01 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-stroke-challenge/id1164219531/reviews.md ## What is Chinese Stroke Challenge? When writing Chinese characters, it is important that strokes be drawn in the correct order. Mastering the correct stroke order requires countless hours of tediously drawing and redrawing the character. Chinese Stroke Challenge turns tedium into fun. Whether you are just starting to learn Chinese or are fluent, you will not want to put this game down. Use in moderation, Chinese Stroke Challenge can become addictive. The object of the Chinese Stroke Challenge game is to identify the hidden word in as few strokes as possible by guessing which strokes may be hidden. Players are given clues before they even begin: how many characters make up the word, how many strokes are in each character, and the category (for example (fruit, transportation, occupations). All this information is in English, Chinese, and pinyin. The how-to-play instructions and help options that you can access while playing are in both English and Chinese. Essentially Chinese Stroke Challenge is similar to a popular pencil-and-paper game in the US called Hangman except strokes instead of letters are used. There are two ways to play Chinese Stroke Challenge: • Practice mode is when there is a single player and the goal is to gain as many points as possible. Players try to increase their series points as they improve over time. • Battle mode is when there are two players opposing each other and the goal is to score more points than your opponent. Challenge your friends, family members, colleagues, teammates to see who best knows their stroke. Playing a stroke is a two-step process. First, choose a stroke, and then play the stroke. If you choose a stroke by mistake, no problem. It will not be used until you click on Play Stroke. If you correctly identified a stroke in the word, it will be drawn in the correct position everywhere it occurs and the key will turn green. If the guess was wrong, the key turns red. A Round ends when a hidden word is correctly identified. A Series is five consecutive rounds. Scoring is based on the frequency that strokes are used in written Chinese. • Strokes that are used often are worth few points. • Strokes that are rarely used are worth many points. • The number of times the stroke appears (in all of the characters that make up the hidden word) multiplied by the number of points that stroke is worth gives the result of that play. • If that stroke was not used in the hidden word, 20 points are subtracted from the player’s total, (a negative total may result). • 500 bonus points are added at the completion of a game in the Practice mode (1-player) and to the winner of a game in the Battle mode (2-players). So even if you are behind, by a lot of points near the end, you could still come back and win. • In the Battle mode, the iOS device (iPhone or iPad) is passed back and forth between Player 1 and Player 2 depending on whose turn it is. His or her scores are in the green bar at the top of the screen. When Player 1 or Player 2 is displayed in white letters, it is that person’s turn to play. • In the Battle mode, when a player correctly guesses a stroke, he gets to play again. And again, and again, so long as she correctly guesses the strokes. If the player makes a mistake, it becomes the other person’s turn. • If you tap “Re-start this round”, the screen goes to the Home page. The accumulated points goes back to where it was when you started this round. • If you tap "Start a new series” the Screen goes to the Home page. The accumulated points goes to zero. • Stroke order is not important while you are guessing strokes. For instance, if you guess "hénggōu" then every "hénggōu" will appear in its correct position as many times as it is used in all the characters that make up the word. After you identify the hidden word, each of the characters will be written for you in the correct stroke order. If you do not know the correct stroke order, you can click on the “See it again” bar as many times as you want. ## Key features - Stroke order guessing game - Single-player practice mode - Two-player battle mode - Scoring based on stroke frequency - Clues in English, Chinese, and Pinyin - Instructions in English and Chinese ## Recent user reviews (1 of 1) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-stroke-challenge/id1164219531/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Great app! *2018-12-04* This is a nice app to play with Chinese strokes and a great way to learn Chinese characters. Easy to play! Have so much fun! ## Frequently asked questions about Chinese Stroke Challenge ### What is the main goal of Chinese Stroke Challenge? The primary goal is to identify a hidden Chinese word by guessing the correct stroke order for its characters. Players aim to do this in as few strokes as possible to earn points and progress. ### How does the scoring system work in Chinese Stroke Challenge? Scoring is based on the frequency of strokes in written Chinese. Commonly used strokes are worth fewer points, while rare strokes are worth more. Correctly guessing a stroke earns points, while an incorrect guess results in a penalty. ### What are the different game modes available in Chinese Stroke Challenge? Chinese Stroke Challenge offers two modes: Practice mode for single-player high scores and Battle mode for two players to compete against each other. ### Can I play Chinese Stroke Challenge offline? The provided information does not specify offline play capabilities. However, typical educational games of this nature often require an internet connection for features like multiplayer or leaderboards. ### What devices is Chinese Stroke Challenge compatible with? Chinese Stroke Challenge is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices, indicating compatibility with Apple's iOS ecosystem. ### How often is Chinese Stroke Challenge updated? The app was last updated on July 10, 2023, with version 2.8.4. This suggests a relatively consistent update schedule, though specific frequencies are not detailed. ### What is the age rating for Chinese Stroke Challenge? Chinese Stroke Challenge has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for young learners and children interested in educational games. ### Does Chinese Stroke Challenge have ads? No, Chinese Stroke Challenge does not contain advertisements, as indicated by the 'hasAds' flag being false in the application data. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.8.4 — 2023-07-10 Several bugs have been fixed and new content added. ### 2.8.0 — 2022-11-20 Fixed bugs, added more content ### 1.2 — 2019-04-16 New name, acknowledgements screen, FAQ. ### 1.1 — 2018-08-22 This version includes a fix to disable text scaling. ### 1.0 — 2018-06-29 No release notes. ## Apps similar to Chinese Stroke Challenge | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [TOKA: Korean Essentials](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/toka-korean-essentials/id1622789268) | — | Free | Education | | [Learn French Vocabulary HH](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-french-vocabulary-hh/id409317199) | 3.6 (10) | Free | Education | | [Polish - Word of the Day](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polish-word-of-the-day/id1543645177) | 4.4 (18) | Free | Education | | [Game to learn Chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/game-to-learn-chinese/id1400216522) | 2.7 (3) | Free | Education | | [Simple Chinese strokes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-chinese-strokes/id6473723109) | — | Free | Education | | [Chinese Spelling Buddy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-spelling-buddy/id1564725887) | 3.7 (3) | Free | Education | --- *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 2026-06-01.*