Best Easy Chinese Characters Apps

199+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.4 avg rating
20 free apps
Updated May 2026

Easy Chinese Characters is the household name in easy chinese characters, but it's far from the only option. We track 199+ alternatives and competitors on iOS — many free, many higher-rated than you'd expect.

Compare top Easy Chinese Characters Apps (May 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1Easy Chinese CharactersEasy Chinese CharactersFreeNoNoMay 2026
2Du Chinese: Read&Learn ChineseDu Chinese: Read&Learn ChineseFree4.9★ (4.5K)NoYesSep 2026
3iLearn Chinese Characters LiteiLearn Chinese Characters LiteFree4.4★ (42)NoNoAug 2026
4Ginkgo: Learn Chinese MandarinGinkgo: Learn Chinese MandarinFree4.8★ (155)NoYesAug 2026
5Chinese Characters 汉字Chinese Characters 汉字Free4.7★ (286)NoYesSep 2026
6Character Stroke EasyCharacter Stroke EasyFree5.0★ (1)NoYesAug 2026
7Chinese strokes order lookupChinese strokes order lookupFree3.9★ (14)NoNoMay 2026
8Learn Chinese CharactersLearn Chinese CharactersFree1.0★ (1)NoYesMay 2026

Top Picks for Easy Chinese Characters

Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese#2

Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese by Sinamon AB

Read Mandarin at any level
Strong Contender
📚 Education
4.9😊(4.5K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
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Learn Mandarin Chinese through engaging stories with integrated tools for reading and listening comprehension. Access definitions, pinyin, native audio, and translations instantly. Build vocabulary with a built-in dictionary and flashcards.

What We Love

  • 👍 Excellent reading and listening practice
  • 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use interface
  • 💡 Variety of content and levels
  • 👍 Helpful features like pinyin, translations, and flashcards
  • 👍 High quality audio narration
  • 👍 Engaging and interesting stories
  • 👍 Effective for improving reading comprehension
  • 👍 Seamless integration with Pleco dictionary

Room to Improve

  • 💰 Subscription is considered expensive by some
  • 🔒 Limited access to premium content without subscription
  • 💡 Need more advanced or longer-form stories
  • 💡 Desire for more grammar explanations and writing practice
  • 🐛 Some issues with navigation and content organization
iLearn Chinese Characters Lite#3

iLearn Chinese Characters Lite by YOYASOFT LLC

Read and Write Chinese
Worth Considering
📚 Education
4.4😊(42 ratings)
Free
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Learn Chinese characters through their pictographic origins. This app teaches the meaning behind characters and demonstrates correct writing strokes, allowing you to practice on your device. It's a fun and intuitive way for beginners to start reading and writing Chinese.

What We Love

  • 👍 Great for beginners
  • 💡 Explains characters well
  • 💡 Visual breakdowns helpful
  • 💡 Stroke demo useful
  • 💡 History and etymology engaging
  • 💡 Good organization
  • 💡 Progressive study mode effective
  • 💡 Covers basics and advanced usage
  • 💡 Practice writing characters
  • 💡 Informative and detailed
  • 💡 Makes Chinese less intimidating
  • 💡 Useful for reviewing characters
  • 💡 Addictive learning
  • 💡 Good for visual learners
  • 💡 Clear pronunciation
  • 💡 Well presented
  • 💡 Easy to remember
  • 💡 Stable app
  • 💡 Good features

Room to Improve

  • 🎨 App is a little ugly
  • 🎨 Needs a facelift
  • 🐛 Some freezes
  • 🐛 Stroke recognition issues
  • 🐛 Writing practice bugs
  • 🐛 New updates make modes unusable
  • 🐛 Misses plenty of characters
  • 🐛 Animated writing too slow
  • 🐛 Sound does not work on iPad
  • 🐛 Font size too small
  • 🐛 Touch strokes sensitivity can be improved
  • 🐛 Does not teach stroke order (in some reviews)
  • 🐛 Some characters lack explanation/writing demo
  • 🐛 Organization in index mode painful

More Easy Chinese Characters apps to explore

FAQ about Easy Chinese Characters

Are there free easy chinese characters apps for iPhone?
Yes — 20 of the top easy chinese characters apps we rank are free to download, including Easy Chinese Characters and Du Chinese: Read&Learn Chinese.
Easy Chinese Characters has no ads and has no in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of May 2026.
We track 199+ easy chinese characters apps on the iOS App Store as of May 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.