# Hanly — Chinese characters decoded > Learn Chinese characters through etymology, illustrations, and interactive components. (iPhone/iPad app by Artur Gorokh.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanly/id6741442324 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Artur Gorokh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1794204266) - Category: Education - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.90/5 from 357 App Store ratings · 215 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 9+ - Requires: iOS 15.0 · 241 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2025-02-10 - Data updated: 2026-09-08 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanly/id6741442324/reviews.md ## What is Hanly? Chinese characters are not just random shapes - learn 1000 characters in months by understanding their structure and origin! Through visual breakdowns and engaging stories, Hanly helps you develop an intuitive grasp of Chinese characters and to efficiently remember them. Hanly starts with simple components and quickly builds up to complex characters, while focusing on the most frequently used vocabulary. CARDS THAT MAKE CHARACTERS COME ALIVE Etymology, memorable illustrations, mnemonics: we will provide the most helpful information to get a character to come alive in your imagination and stick in your memory for good. INTUITIVE INTERACTIVE UI Play with characters like they’re Lego blocks! Explore radicals, components, compound words, and character relationships - all just one click away! CAREFULLY OPTIMIZED LEARNING PROGRESSION Start with simple building blocks and naturally progress to complex characters. Our carefully designed levels introduce the most frequent characters early while maintaining coherent, meaningful themes. EXTENSIVE CHARACTER DICTIONARY & SEARCH Search by character, pinyin or meaning to find: - Character meanings and pronunciations - Usage in compound words and characters - Frequency and HSK level - Radical forms - Stroke order animations - Character evolution history SPACED REPETITION ENGINE INTEGRATED WITH THE UI Built-in spaced repetition helps you review characters at the perfect time, with review schedule optimized for how well you know a given character. Character progress is deeply integrated with the UI, so that you can spot the characters you are learning on any page. AND MANY MORE FEATURES! - Detailed learning statistics - Character etymology stories & fun facts - Explore characters & radicals sorted by their frequency - Personal note-taking system - Easily mark characters you already know Terms of use: https://www.hanlyapp.com/terms-of-use Privacy policy: https://www.hanlyapp.com/privacy-policy Contact us: We’d love to hear from your feedback about Hanly! Please send us an email with your thoughts and suggestions at tutu@hanlyapp.com ## Key features - Character etymology and mnemonics - Interactive component exploration - Structured learning progression - Spaced repetition system - Extensive character dictionary - Stroke order animations ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Hanly Premium | $5.99 | per month | ## What do users think of Hanly? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 👍 Intuitive and efficient way to learn characters - 🚀 Effective learning method that builds on prior knowledge - 💡 Helpful mnemonics and stories to aid memorization - 👍 Customizable learning pace and progress tracking - 🚀 Comprehensive coverage of characters and components **Cons** - 🐛 Some AI-generated illustrations could be improved - 💡 Addition of writing practice and example sentences would be helpful **Commonly reported bugs** - No known major bugs reported **Most requested features** - Addition of writing practice for characters - Inclusion of example sentences for each character - Expansion of content to cover more advanced vocabulary ## Recent user reviews (10 of 215) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanly/id6741442324/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Amazing *2026-08-30, version 1.2.7* I hope they never start charging for it, it’s so good! ### 5/5 — Absolutely fantastic! *2026-08-30, version 1.2.7* This is is the first time I’ve managed to stick with learning Chinese characters. The app is incredibly easy to use, very intuitive, and explains things really well. Hands down the best one I’ve found! Kudos to the designers, this app is so good I’m actually leaving a review. Genuinely a beautifully-designed app. ### 5/5 — Best App For Learning Ever! *2026-08-27, version 1.2.7* Often times I don’t have time to learn the specifics of characters during the class because I have to practice speaking/grammar. But this app is perfect! It’s free, there are no adds, and it’s so so good. It uses imagery and stories to help you remember the characters and teaches you not only words but about the culture too! ### 5/5 — Fantastic free resource *2026-08-25, version 1.2.7* This is a super way to learn the Handy in a friendly and informative way. Better than paid apps ### 4/5 — Amazing App!!! *2026-08-24, version 1.2.7* Hanly is an amazing app for beginner Chinese learners. While I'm more of an intermediate-advanced learner, this app still works wonders for my learning. It does not have any ads and does not require payment to learn (which is AMAZING compared to other Chinese-learning programs). I love how there are different modes so I can choose to either focus on writing, reading, or others. Hanly is very customizable and accessible. I also love how it integrates small 'lessons' about Chinese culture, like idioms or dynasties. It has a very organized and clean appearance, which adds to the app's appeal. The only thing that could be improved is the number of available characters and the stroke order charts. Overall, this is a fantastic app! (I would love it if it continues to have all the free features ;) Thank you! ### 5/5 — Best app for learning Chinese characters *2026-08-22, version 1.2.7* Good explanations of the composition of each character, making it very easy to remember. ### 5/5 — Amazing *2026-08-19, version 1.2.7* Gets better as you have gone through more lessons so you spend more time reviewing the flashcard-like repetitions. ### 5/5 — Wow. What a find. *2026-08-16, version 1.2.6* Just download it already!!!! ### 5/5 — Great for ABC literacy *2026-08-14, version 1.2.6* Intuitive teaching methods, my literacy is getting better already ### 5/5 — Mnemonic! *2026-08-10, version 1.2.5* Great hints, nice pictures and a bit of philosophy. Love you ## Frequently asked questions about Hanly ### What does Hanly do? Hanly is an educational app designed to help users learn Chinese characters. It focuses on understanding the structure and origin of characters through visual breakdowns, engaging stories, and interactive elements. The app aims to build an intuitive grasp of characters and improve memorization, particularly for frequently used vocabulary. ### What are the key features of Hanly? Key features include character etymology, memorable illustrations, and mnemonics to aid memory. It offers an intuitive, interactive UI for exploring radicals and components, a carefully optimized learning progression, an extensive character dictionary with search functionality, and an integrated spaced repetition engine for efficient review. ### Is Hanly free to use? Based on the provided information, the application is free to use. There are no mentions of subscription fees, paid downloads, or in-app purchases. ### What kind of characters can I learn with Hanly? Hanly focuses on teaching Chinese characters by starting with simple components and progressing to complex ones. It emphasizes the most frequently used vocabulary and characters relevant to HSK levels, ensuring a practical and coherent learning experience. ### How does Hanly help with memorization? Hanly employs several techniques to aid memorization. It provides etymology, memorable illustrations, and mnemonics to make characters come alive in the user's imagination. The app also integrates a spaced repetition engine that optimizes review schedules based on how well a user knows each character. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.2.7 — 2026-08-16 - few bug fixes ### 1.2.6 — 2026-08-10 - native content in Hanly Reader - search improvements - app sync reliability improvements ### 1.2.5 — 2026-07-20 - Various UI improvements & bug fixes ### 1.2.4 — 2026-07-06 - Updated intro cards - Better progress animations - Various small bug fixes and UI improvements ### 1.2.3 — 2026-07-01 - improved illustrations! - various bugfixes and minor UI improvements ## Apps similar to Hanly | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [TCB \| Read Chinese to Learn](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tcb-read-chinese-to-learn/id1074317405) | 4.6 (546) | Free | Education | | [Literate Chinese: Reading](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/literate-chinese-reading/id6741540532) | 4.8 (50) | Free | Education | | [Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/du-chinese-read-and-learn-chinese/id1052961520) | 4.9 (4,487) | Free | Education | | [Ka: Learn Chinese Tones](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ka-learn-chinese-tones/id6444140899) | 4.8 (615) | Free | Education | | [Read Bean](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/read-bean/id6736993989) | 4.9 (369) | Free | Education | | [Immersi - Learn Chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/immersi-learn-chinese/id6501961705) | 4.8 (26) | Free | Education | ## Related topics [hanly chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hanly-chinese) · [artur gorokh](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/artur-gorokh) · [chinese characters](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/chinese-characters) · [daily hanzi](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/daily-hanzi) · [chinese characters study](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/chinese-characters-study) --- *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 2026-09-08.*