# Hanzi Pen — Learn Chinese by Writing

> Learn and write Chinese characters with stroke feedback and spaced repetition. (iPhone/iPad app by Alexander Knue.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanzi-pen/id6769551367 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Alexander Knue](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896517402)
- Category: Education, Reference
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 26.2 · 54 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2026-05-20
- Data updated: 2026-06-25
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanzi-pen/id6769551367/reviews.md

## What is Hanzi Pen?

Hanzi Pen turns the slow, deliberate work of learning Chinese characters into a guided practice loop. Every character you encounter becomes something you can read, recognise, and, most importantly, write from memory.

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT

• Writing comes first. Trace each stroke on screen, get per-stroke feedback on length, position, and missing hooks, and graduate to writing from memory. The app coaches you toward the actual mechanics of each stroke type (横, 竖, 撇, 捺, hooks, turns).
• Spaced repetition built in. Every character you practice joins your SRS deck with independent mastery for writing, reading, and translation — track each skill on its own, mark the ones you already know, and let cards resurface exactly when forgetting starts.
• Etymology that actually helps. Each character's detail page shows its phono-semantic / pictogram / compound-ideogram structure, the meaning and sound role of each component, and a prose origin story sourced from Dong Chinese.
• Across Asia. Chinese shares thousands of characters with Japanese, so a character's page can show the Japanese on'yomi and kun'yomi readings, and even which hiragana and katakana the character became (安 → あ / ア). A quiet bridge for anyone who already knows some Japanese or is curious how the writing systems connect.
• Real example sentences. Over 64,000 Tatoeba sentences indexed by character with mixed-difficulty selection, so you see the word used in short, medium, and longer real-world contexts.
• Measure-word coaching. Every noun's detail page shows which 量词 to pair it with (个, 位, 名, 只, 条, 部 …) and explains the nuance — polite vs. formal vs. casual.

CORE FEATURES

• HSK 1–6 vocabulary with official-list filtering
• 3,000+ characters from HSK 3.0 with stroke-order graphics, etymology, and decomposition
• 110,000-entry CC-CEDICT dictionary for words and compounds
• 10,800 learner-friendly single-character definitions
• Multi-character word breakdown — tap any word to drill into its sub-words and individual characters, with pinyin grouped word-by-word over example sentences
• "Don't mix these up" guidance — side-by-side notes on easily-confused look-alikes (重 / 垂, 土 / 士, 未 / 末, 天 / 夭 …)
• Tone sandhi (一 / 不) applied to example-sentence pinyin
• Multi-pinyin readings shown for every character (得 → dé / děi / de)
• Handwriting search — draw a character you saw somewhere with no stroke timeout and no auto-clear, then tap a candidate
• Vocabulary lists with paste-import, shuffle, and per-list practice sessions
• Quiz modes: writing, reading (pinyin), translation, and combined — each skill tracked independently, and settable by hand when you already know it
• Component questions: "which is the meaning component? which is the sound?"
• Per-stroke coaching after each writing attempt
• Live canvas resize via pinch + drag handle
• Practice history with one-tap undo for accidental "I know this"
• Switchable Simplified / Traditional display
• Dictionary searchable by hanzi, pinyin, or English
• iCloud sync across iPhone and iPad
• Profile customization (avatar glyph, name, and a selectable accent theme colour)

WHO IT'S FOR

• HSK 1 / HSKK beginners drilling the first 600 characters
• Heritage learners filling in writing gaps
• University and high-school Mandarin students preparing for proficiency exams
• Anyone serious about character recall! Writing, not just recognition

PRIVACY

All learning data lives in your private iCloud space. No accounts, no ads, no analytics, no server-side tracking. Nothing leaves your device except the iCloud-synced records that only you can read.

OPEN-DATA ATTRIBUTION

Built on CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0), Tatoeba (CC-BY 2.0 FR), Make-Me-a-Hanzi (LGPL / Arphic Public License), chinese-lexicon (ISC), and Dong Chinese wiki etymology (CC BY-SA 4.0).

## Key features

- Guided stroke-order writing practice
- Per-stroke feedback on writing
- Spaced repetition system (SRS)
- Character etymology and decomposition
- Real-world example sentences
- Measure-word coaching
- Handwriting search

## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanzi-pen/id6769551367/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Character quiz is helpful

*2026-05-22*

Very helpful for columbia first year Chinese character quiz 😭needed the last minute practice

## Frequently asked questions about Hanzi Pen

### What is Hanzi Pen's learning methodology?

Hanzi Pen focuses on guided writing practice with detailed per-stroke feedback. It incorporates a spaced repetition system (SRS) for memorization and offers etymology to deepen understanding of character structure.

### How does Hanzi Pen track progress?

Progress is tracked independently for writing, reading, and translation skills. Users can mark characters they already know, and the app will resurface them as forgetting begins.

### Does Hanzi Pen offer certifications?

The app focuses on learning Chinese characters and vocabulary, including HSK levels 1-6. It does not currently offer formal certifications.

### Is Hanzi Pen suitable for beginners?

Yes, Hanzi Pen is designed for learners of all levels, starting with HSK 1-6 vocabulary and over 3,000 characters with stroke-order graphics. The guided writing practice is beneficial for new learners.

### Can Hanzi Pen be used offline?

The provided data does not specify offline functionality. However, its focus on guided practice and SRS suggests it may require an internet connection for full features.

### What is the update frequency for Hanzi Pen?

The app was last updated on June 4, 2026, indicating recent development activity. Further update frequency details are not available.

### Does Hanzi Pen have ads?

No, Hanzi Pen is ad-free, as indicated by the 'hasAds' flag being false in the provided data.

### What devices does Hanzi Pen support?

Hanzi Pen is available for iPhone and iPad, as stated in the supported devices list.

## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.1 — 2026-06-04

This is a big practice-focused update.

NEW

• Track every skill separately. Reading, writing, and meaning now each have their own mastery on a character's page. Mark "I know this" for one skill without touching the others, so your progress reflects exactly what you can do.
• Combined quiz mode. Recall the pinyin and the meaning together, the classic in-class vocab test, alongside the existing reading-only and translation-only drills. Each mode reveals only what it tests.
• "Don't mix these up" guides. Easily-confused characters now show a visually-similar section with notes on what sets them apart (重 / 垂, 人 / 入, 未 / 末, 土 / 士, 天 / 夭, 便 / 使 / 更 / 吏, 头 / 买 / 卖 / 读 / 实, and more).
• Across-Asia readings. See which characters became Japanese kana (安 → あ / ア), plus the on'yomi and kun'yomi for characters Chinese shares with Japanese.
• Word breakdown. Multi-character words split into tappable sub-words and individual characters, and example sentences group the pinyin over each word.
• Selectable themes. Pick your accent color — with a new light-blue default that matches the app icon.
• Smarter cross-references. "See X" and "variant of X" definitions now resolve inline and are tappable, so you never hit a dead-end gloss.

IMPROVED

• "I already know this" now counts toward every skill, and writing practice automatically credits reading and meaning (active recall covers passive recall).
• "Last practiced" now shown in plain language ("3 days ago") on character and review pages.
• Your practice mode is remembered across sessions and launches, and syncs via iCloud.
• 3-pass drills always run trace → trace → memory, independent of your adaptive single-pass setting.
• The quiz "redo this pass" button is now green, not red.
• Grading sheet: grade buttons stay reachable while it's minimized, with a lighter backdrop.
• Rare characters like the biáng noodle character now show a graceful info page.

As always: no accounts, no ads, no tracking. Everything syncs privately through your own iCloud.

### 1.0 — 2026-05-20

No release notes.

## More apps by Alexander Knue

- [Dig a Pig Too](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dig-a-pig-too/id6767885090)

All apps by Alexander Knue: https://appshunter.io/developer/1896517402

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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 2026-06-25.*