SmartHanzi vs Hanyu Wave
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SmartHanzi
This app helps users read Chinese texts by providing instant definitions for unknown words. It includes comprehensive dictionaries and etymological information to deepen understanding of characters and their variants. Progress can be tracked through HSK-based tests.
- Read Chinese web pages and PDFs
- Instant lookup for unknown words
- General and specialized Chinese dictionaries
- Etymological information and character series
- Simplified and traditional variant recognition
- HSK level progress tests
- Text-to-speech for Chinese words
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SmartHanzi is a free yet professional grade app for students and anyone wishing to read real Chinese texts (web, PDF), even with a limited level in Chinese. It includes general Chinese dictionaries for English, French and German as well as the short definitions for DDB (Digital Dictionary of Buddhism) and CJKV-E (Dictionary of Confucian, Daoist and Intellectual Historical Terms). For scholars, it contains a demo (WIP) of Séraphin Couvreur's "Dictionnaire classique de la langue chinoise" which supports most of its translations with example sentences and their sources. SEARCH Search dictionaries by Chinese, pinyin or translation. PARSE AND LOOKUP After copying a full text, SmartHanzi provides immediate access to unknown words. Although it is not a learning tool, it shows links to related words (also in, contained) and character details: stroke order, character series (Kangxi, etymology). With this perspective beyond immediate usage, one gets naturally familiar with words and characters. Besides recognizing the correspondence between simplified and traditional variants, SmartHanzi also recognizes multiple traditional variants. For instance, searching 真 (or finding 真 in a text) will show both 真 and 眞, according to what is present in selected dictionaries. Or it will recognize equally well 為 / 爲 or 眾 / 衆. Texts or individual words can be read aloud with Apple voices. TESTS SmartHanzi includes tests based on HSK levels as a way to check one’s progress. Progress is shown on a monthly basis. Tests are short and errors reviewed first. One can choose longer tests, or to review unsure words or check supposedly known words. ETYMOLOGY Etymology is not only for scholars. Along centuries, Chinese writing has developed a number of reference points, reasonable or simply traditional, well known by most Chinese: "Se non è vero, è ben trovato". Trying to “learn” Chinese without leveraging this invaluable assistance would be an unreasonable challenge. Etymological indications and character series emphasize these reference points. All character series available for the current character are easily accessible. USER INTERFACE Lookup is easily customizable to just show preferred details and keep presentation clear. On iPad, landscape orientation, the app can show either in full screen (with both parse and lookup parts visible) or multiple applications: smartphone-like format side by side with the original text. MAC VERSION A dedicated Mac version is on Mac App Store.
Hanyu Wave
Learn and practice Chinese vocabulary and characters with daily lessons and AI-powered quizzes. Covers all HSK levels, from beginner to advanced. Master your Chinese word knowledge anywhere, anytime.
- Learn words and characters daily
- Practice with shuffle quizzes
- AI-based quiz generation
- Comprehension management
- Covers all HSK levels (1-6)
- Offline practice
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Anyone who studies Chinese has a hard time learning vocabulary. Hanyu Wave is the simplest way to learn and practice Chinese words and characters. Learn words and characters every day, and practice them with quizzes. You can learn all of the vocabulary for your target level. In 'Learn' tab, you can learn all the words and characters of the entire HSK course. Learn them and take Learn Quizzes to complete each part. Words/characters for all HSK levels are ready. -HSK1: 151 new words / 174 new characters -HSK2: 151 new words / 173 new characters -HSK3: 302 new words / 270 new characters -HSK4: 605 new words / 447 new characters -HSK5: 1,308 new words / 621 new characters -HSK6: 2,510 new words / 978 new characters In 'Practice' tab, you can practice all of the vocabulary you learned with shuffle quizzes. Based on the AI-based quiz generation and comprehension management, Hanyu Wave helps learners to clearly understand confusing words and characters. Practice at home, on the subway, anywhere. With Hanyu Wave, your Chinese vocabulary will be mastered. ––––––– If you subscribe to the Hanyu Wave Pass (Premium), you can access all features and courses. Once you subscribe, your subscription is automatically renewed. If you want to cancel your subscription, you can turn off auto-renew option in your 'Apple ID' in 'Settings' 24 hours before the end of the subscription period. Privacy https://hanyuwave.com/en/privacy Terms and Conditions https://hanyuwave.com/en/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SmartHanzi at none against Hanyu Wave's 4. SmartHanzi also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%). Hanyu Wave's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and rating (4.0 vs 3.7). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Hanyu Wave sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. SmartHanzi asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hanyu Wave holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of SmartHanzi's written reviews are positive against 75% of Hanyu Wave's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SmartHanzi ships an update every 2 months, Hanyu Wave weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmartHanzi | Hanyu Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (3 ratings) | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 75.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 287 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jean SOULAT | Kyungil Choi |
Customer experience
SmartHanzi
Hanyu Wave
In-app purchases
SmartHanzi
No in-app purchases
Hanyu Wave
- Monthly Pass$1.991 Month
- Quarterly Pass$4.493 Months
- Yearly Pass$14.491 Year
- HSK Vocabulary$16.99









