# Literate Chinese: Reading — Graded Stories & Flashcards > Immersive Chinese learning app with flashcards, leveled reading, and audio. (iPhone/iPad app by Ray Banks.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/literate-chinese-reading/id6741540532 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Ray Banks](https://appshunter.io/developer/1794639699) - Category: Education, Reference - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.80/5 from 50 App Store ratings · 48 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 131 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2025-02-06 - Data updated: 2026-09-02 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/literate-chinese-reading/id6741540532/reviews.md ## What is Literate Chinese? Learn to read, hear, and actually use Chinese. Literate Chinese pairs a serious spaced-repetition flashcard system with 650+ graded stories, so every word you learn shows up in real sentences and sticks. It works in both Mainland and Taiwan Mandarin, in Simplified or Traditional, from your very first character all the way to advanced reading. READ FROM DAY ONE • Graded stories, dialogs, news, and articles matched to your personal vocabulary. The app knows which characters you know and shows you how much of each story you can already read • Tap any word for instant pinyin or zhuyin, a clear definition, and native-quality audio • Read the news in easy Chinese, or turn any text into a tap-to-read exercise with custom stories • Video lessons with synced, tappable subtitles • A built-in grammar guide, with every grammar point linked to real stories that use it THE BEST CHINESE FLASHCARD APP • True spaced repetition (SRS) built on your personal vocabulary bank, not just card decks • Complete HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0 lists, TOCFL lists, AP Chinese, and themed vocabulary • Capture new words from photos or audio and turn them into cards in seconds • Drill any list on demand, practice writing characters, and get example sentences with audio on every card • An AI word helper explains usage and nuance and gives you more example sentences REVIEW THAT FEELS LIKE PLAY • A vocabulary arcade built on the words you're actually learning • Speed rounds, listening sprints, sentence scrambles, falling-character battles, and write-from-memory challenges • Every round counts as real review, so playing moves your streak and your spaced repetition forward BUILT FOR TAIWAN LEARNERS TOO • Full Traditional character and zhuyin (bopomofo) support throughout the app • Taiwan Mandarin audio with authentic Taiwan pronunciations • Taiwan-specific vocabulary lists: everyday terms, slang, and words that differ from Mainland usage • Stories automatically adapt their vocabulary to Taiwan or Mainland Chinese based on your settings • AI tells you whether a word is actually used in Taiwan (and vice versa for Mainland China) EVERYTHING ELSE YOU'D EXPECT • Simplified and Traditional, pinyin and zhuyin, switch anytime • Detailed progress stats, streaks, and a reading level that grows with you • Dark mode, offline review, no ads Start free with the core study tools and a generous set of stories. Upgrade to Premium when you're ready to unlock the full library. Whether you're on your first 50 characters or reading full stories, Literate Chinese is the graded reader and flashcard app that grows with you. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ ## Key features - Adaptive spaced-repetition flashcards - Leveled reading materials with instant translations - Studio-quality audio with multiple accents - Custom flashcard creation and import - Progress tracking and motivation stats - Traditional and Simplified character support ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Literate Early User Monthly | $8.99 | per month | | Literate Early User Annual | $69.99 | per year | | Literate Monthly | $12.99 | per month | | Literate Annual | $89.99 | per year | **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Literate Lifetime | $139.99 | one-time | | Literate Lifetime | $199.00 | one-time | ## What do users think of Literate Chinese? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 👍 Simplicity and ease of use - 👍 Great language learning app - 👍 Amazing tool and app - 👍 Convenient and practical - 👍 Straightforward and clean - 👍 Very useful and fun - 👍 Super useful app - 👍 Love the options and customization - 👍 Easy for illiterate readers - 👍 Loving the app - 👍 Great Chinese learning app - 👍 Perfect and simple - 👍 Great app - 👍 Best Chinese flashcard app - 👍 Great way to build Chinese vocabulary - 👍 Great way to learn - 👍 Nice structure - 👍 Great app with frequent improvements **Most requested features** - Add audio for words - Allow creating custom flashcard decks ## Recent user reviews (10 of 48) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/literate-chinese-reading/id6741540532/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Love this app! *2025-10-07, version 1.4.9* It makes learning Chinese so fun and easy to understand. I really enjoy how it teaches characters through stories and culture. The visuals are clean and engaging, and I actually look forward to opening it every day. ### 5/5 — Wow *2025-07-06, version 1.4.1* Very sleek style, and easy to navigate. I can’t wait for it to start expanding into other languages, like Japanese! ### 5/5 — Best way to learn Chinese! *2025-07-04, version 1.4.1* If you want to read Chinese or learn Chinese characters this app is the way to go. It combines really great flashcards with reading practice. Highly recommended. ### 5/5 — Great app! *2025-06-29, version 1.4.1* Awesome app to learn Chinese! ### 5/5 — Best way to learn Chinese characters! *2025-06-29* Love the flash cards and the reading practice. My favorite part is that you can actually practice reading and it looks like they just added videos, too! 10/10 recommend! ### 5/5 — Interesting! *2025-06-24, version 1.4.1* Interesting and easy to use!! ### 5/5 — Amazing app! *2025-06-16* I’ve been using the app for a few weeks now. It has been so helpful in teaching me how to read mandarin characters. I also really enjoy the story library. It breaks down Chinese characters in an easy to understand way. ### 5/5 — Absolutely Game Changing *2025-06-16* This app had 0 bugs, 0 problems, and over the past few weeks it has helped me learn so much more than any other platform. It does a really good job at making the learning process simple and comprehensive. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to learn Mandarin. ### 5/5 — JimmyTW *2025-05-30, version 1.3.9* This is a great app for learning Chinese! I recommend it to everyone I know! ### 5/5 — Great app! *2025-05-28* It’s different from others because It teaches you while you read, which makes learning feel natural and fun. it’s also super intuitive and user friendly ## Frequently asked questions about Literate Chinese ### What does Literate Chinese do? Literate Chinese is an immersive language learning application designed to help users learn to read, listen, and understand Chinese. It combines smart flashcards with leveled reading materials and stories, ensuring new characters are learned within context for better retention. ### What are the key features of Literate Chinese? Key features include adaptive flashcards using spaced repetition, graded reading articles and stories with instant pinyin/zhuyin and translations, studio-quality audio for words and sentences, the ability to create custom flashcards or import texts, and detailed progress tracking. ### Is Literate Chinese free to use? Yes, the app is completely free for all users. It offers all its features without any advertisements or clutter, focusing solely on user progress. ### What levels of Chinese does Literate Chinese support? The app is suitable for learners from beginner levels up to HSK 9 and beyond. It supports full HSK 2.0 and the new HSK 3.0 word lists, making it a comprehensive tool for exam preparation. ### Can I use Literate Chinese offline? Yes, the app offers offline review capabilities, allowing you to continue your learning even without an internet connection. It also supports dark mode for a comfortable viewing experience. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.7.2 — 2026-08-15 Improved onboarding, new stories and better grammar integration ### 1.7.1 — 2026-07-21 Best app for learning Chinese characters: - Added arcade mode so you can play games while learning characters - Improved vocab estimate and recommendations ### 1.7.0 — 2026-07-16 New feature: Advanced Chinese grammar and all grammar points connected to stories, saved words connect to the sentence they came from and back to the story they are from. Minor bug fixes. ### 1.6.2 — 2026-07-11 The fastest way to become literate in Chinese: -New stories -Improved recommendation engine -Stronger flashcard-story integration ### 1.6.1 — 2026-07-09 New: grammar points, expanded reading library, dictionary improvements and bugs based on learner feedback. ## Apps similar to Literate Chinese | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Dot Languages](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dot-languages/id1547286120) | 4.2 (55) | Free | Education | | [+1 Chinese \| Mandarin Input](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plus-1-chinese-mandarin-input/id6503324319) | 4.5 (12) | Free | Education | | [Hanly](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hanly/id6741442324) | 4.9 (357) | Free | Education | | [Karacter: chinese widgets](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/karacter-chinese-widgets/id6747664971) | 4.6 (14) | Free | Education | | [Immersi - Learn Chinese](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/immersi-learn-chinese/id6501961705) | 4.8 (26) | Free | Education | | [Bopomofo Studio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bopomofo-studio/id1594060552) | 4.6 (27) | Free | Education | ## More apps by Ray Banks - [Where I've Been - Inclusive](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/where-ive-been-inclusive/id6755447292) All apps by Ray Banks: https://appshunter.io/developer/1794639699 ## Related topics [chinese reading](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/chinese-reading) · [chinese stories](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/chinese-stories) · [grade one chinese reading a](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/grade-one-chinese-reading-a) --- *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 2026-09-02.*