# Laoshi: Learn Chinese & HSK — Flashcards, Grammar & Writing

> Mandarin Chinese learning system with flashcards, grammar, writing, and HSK prep. (iPhone/iPad app by Laoshi Inc..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/laoshi-learn-chinese-and-hsk/id1510215770 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Laoshi Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/994924772)
- Category: Education, Reference
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 644 App Store ratings · 166 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: +4
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 255 MB
- Languages: Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Mexican Spanish, Indonesian, American English, Japanese, Russian, Thai, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
- Released: 2020-08-09
- Data updated: 2026-08-29
- Monetization: subscription
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/laoshi-learn-chinese-and-hsk/id1510215770/reviews.md

## What is Laoshi?

Laoshi is a complete Mandarin Chinese learning system: smart flashcards built for characters, tones, and grammar — with real handwriting practice, pronunciation scoring, and ready-made decks for every major textbook.

Join 300,000+ learners who use Laoshi to build vocabulary, master Chinese grammar, prepare for HSK exams (2.0 & 3.0, including the new advanced levels 7–9), and make consistent progress every day.

Laoshi is a Red Dot Design Award 2021 winner and HICOOL 2025 winner.

Chinese is different. Characters require writing practice. Tones require pronunciation training. Grammar requires structured explanations. Laoshi combines all of it in one focused system.

Why learners choose Laoshi:

• Real Handwriting Practice – Don't just read Chinese. Write it. Draw characters with correct stroke order directly on your phone and strengthen recognition through active recall.

• Textbook Decks, Chapter by Chapter – Ready-made word lists for popular Chinese textbooks, so the app matches your class.

• HSK 2.0 & HSK 3.0 Coverage – Vocabulary and grammar aligned with both official exam standards, including the advanced 7–9 band.

• Flashcards Built for Chinese – Tones, meanings, example sentences, and character writing in one integrated learning flow.

• Complete Chinese Grammar Section – Clear explanations with practical examples from beginner to advanced levels.

• Spaced Repetition System (SRS) – Scientifically optimized review intervals help you retain vocabulary up to 3x longer.

• Pronunciation Scoring – Improve your speaking with instant feedback and advanced speech technology.

• 30,000+ Word Lists & Thematic Decks – HSK lists, textbook decks, and topic-based vocabulary — including preparation for the CSCA, China's standardized admission exam for international students.

• Import & Create Decks – Bring lists from Anki, Quizlet, Pleco, or create and share your own.

• Progress Tracking – Monitor your HSK level, daily goals, and long-term growth.

Whether you're preparing for HSK exams, applying to study in China, or learning Mandarin independently, Laoshi gives you structure, clarity, and tools that make vocabulary and grammar stick.

What learners say on the App Store:

“I love the spaced repetition and the tone training as well as the stroke order training.”

“All of the textbook vocabulary for both HSK and Integrated Chinese are premade so I don't need to waste my time doing it myself.”

“Well designed and structured, helping students to build a solid foundation.”

“Handwriting tool is awesome.”

Start learning Chinese today — try your first 10 words now.

To access all features of Laoshi, you will need to start a subscription after the free trial period.

Have ideas for improving Laoshi? Email us at app@laoshi.io

## Key features

- Smart flashcards for characters, tones, and grammar
- Complete Chinese grammar section with explanations
- HSK 2.0 & 3.0 exam preparation
- 30,000+ word lists and thematic decks
- Real handwriting practice for characters
- Pronunciation scoring with speech technology
- Spaced Repetition System (SRS) for retention

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 month with Laoshi Plus | $8.99 | per month |
| 1 year with Laoshi Plus | $44.99 | per year |
| 1 year Plus + Beginner Course | $59.99 | per year |
| 1 month with Laoshi Plus | $12.99 | per month |
| 1 month with Laoshi Plus | $19.99 | per month |
| 1 year with Laoshi Plus | $79.99 | per year |
| Annual Laoshi Plus | $79.99 | per year |
| 1 year with Laoshi Plus | $55.99 | per year |
| 1 week with Laoshi Plus | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Laoshi Plus | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| 3-Month Laoshi Plus | $24.99 | per 3 months |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime purchase 90% discount | $14.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime purchase 70% discount | $44.99 | one-time |
| Beginner course purchase | $9.99 | one-time |
| New Year 2023 Promo Lifetime | $74.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime purchase | $179.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 166)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/laoshi-learn-chinese-and-hsk/id1510215770/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Планируете ли вы выпустить новую версию HSK?

*2026-08-06, version 5.7.10*

Там старая версия на 500 слов за 2021 год, а сейчас вышла недавно новая версия на 300 слов в 1 HSK.

### 1/5 — Promised 3 day trial and instead it charged me

*2026-07-26*

If I don’t get this money back I will be enraged. I have heard so many good things about this app so I wanted to try it out for a bit before making any decisive payments, which is what the trial promised me. Next thing I know £10 is gone from my account. It may not seem like a lot but I’m a teenager so it’s not like I have an income to just buy whatever I like. I’m extremely dissatisfied. I better get my money back.

**Developer response:** Sorry — that's a horrible way to meet an app, and we understand the frustration.

The free trial is granted by the App Store, not by us, and Apple gives it only once per Apple ID. If a trial was used before — even long ago — the purchase goes through at the full price with no trial. That is almost certainly what happened here.

The fastest way to get the money back is Apple's own form: reportaproblem.apple.com — sign in, find the Laoshi purchase, request a refund. They usually decide within a couple of days.

If Apple refuses or anything goes wrong, write to us at app@laoshi.io. We can't process App Store refunds ourselves — that part is Apple's — but we will help you get to the bottom of it. Nobody should pay for something they only wanted to try.

### 1/5 — Full of mistakes

*2026-07-19*

The HSK3 grammar section of the app is absolutely full of mistakes. In many cases the pinyin is incorrect, and in some other cases the pinyin doesn’t correspond to the sentence at all. It’s not just the occasional mistake - it’s systemic. For such an expensive app, this is unacceptable.

**Developer response:** Thank you for this — it's specific, and that makes it fixable.

You're right that pinyin quality in the HSK 3 grammar section is something we need to hold to a higher standard, and a systemic issue is exactly what we'd want to catch. We're reviewing that section now.

If you could send two or three examples of sentences where the pinyin is wrong or mismatched to app@laoshi.io, it would help us confirm we've found the same pattern you're seeing — and we'll write back once it's corrected.

### 5/5 — Great Review

*2026-07-16, version 5.7.10*

Great app!

### 2/5 — Невозможно бесплатно пользоваться

*2026-07-13, version 5.7.10*

Сразу при открытии приложения выскакивает окно покупки тарифа плюс, невозможно его закрыть

### 1/5 — Misleading

*2026-07-03*

The app is not actually free to use. You need  to pay a subscription before doing so + there is some indication it tracks and stores your data. I think the app might be good, but giving it a 1 star to balance seemingly commissioned or fake reviews.

**Developer response:** "Free" on the App Store refers to the download — Laoshi itself runs on a subscription, and we'd rather you try it properly before judging: write to app@laoshi.io and we'll activate a free week — no payment, no obligations.

On data: everything the app collects is listed on our App Store privacy card — nothing beyond it. And the reviews here are from real learners; quite a few of them started as emails to that same support address.

### 5/5 — Очень круто

*2026-06-22, version 5.7.9*

Классное приложение для изучения языка

### 1/5 — Can’t use without subscription

*2026-06-15*

Should be a paid app if you need a subscription to use it - it’s 80 dollars a year to use….. deleted the app right after.

**Developer response:** Fair point — that's real money, and nobody should judge an app blind.

If you're still curious, write to app@laoshi.io and we'll switch on a free week for you — no payment, no obligations. The subscription funds the dictionary, audio and review engine — there's no ad model behind it.

### 2/5 — Dịch sai

*2026-06-04, version 5.7.9*

Tên dịch tào lao

### 1/5 — Лан

*2026-06-02, version 5.7.9*

Через три дня бесплатная версия перестала работать , всплывает баннер об обплате который никак не закрыть

## Frequently asked questions about Laoshi

### What does Laoshi do?

Laoshi is a comprehensive Mandarin Chinese learning system. It utilizes smart flashcards for characters, tones, and grammar, offers detailed grammar explanations, and includes features for character writing practice and pronunciation scoring. It's designed to help learners build vocabulary, master grammar, and prepare for HSK exams.

### What are the key features of Laoshi?

Key features include flashcards tailored for Chinese, a complete grammar section with practical examples, coverage for HSK 2.0 and 3.0 exams, over 30,000 word lists, real handwriting practice, pronunciation scoring, a Spaced Repetition System (SRS) for long-term retention, and the ability to import or create custom decks. Progress tracking is also available.

### How much does Laoshi cost?

Laoshi offers a free trial period. After the trial, access to all features requires a subscription. Specific pricing details for the subscription are not provided in the description but are necessary to unlock the full functionality of the app.

### What is the best way to use Laoshi for HSK preparation?

Laoshi is well-suited for HSK preparation as it covers both HSK 2.0 and 3.0 exam standards for vocabulary and grammar. You can utilize the dedicated HSK word lists and thematic decks, along with the grammar section and flashcards, to systematically study and reinforce the material needed for the exams.

### Can I use my own vocabulary lists with Laoshi?

Yes, Laoshi allows you to import word lists from other popular platforms like Anki, Quizlet, and Pleco. You can also create and share your own custom decks, providing flexibility to tailor your learning experience to specific needs or interests.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 5.8 — 2026-08-27

Small release, steady progress. We smoothed out the rough edges you reported and tuned performance across the app.

Found something off? Write to app@laoshi.io — we read every message, and it gets fixed faster than through a review.

### 5.7.10 — 2026-07-07

Bugfixes and performance improvements

### 5.7.9 — 2026-05-28

Bugfixes and performance imporvements

### 5.7.8 — 2026-04-29

Bugfixes and performance imporvements

### 5.7.7 — 2026-04-20

Bugfixes and peformance improvements

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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 2026-08-29.*