Have you always intended to learn Chinese one day? Now you don’t have to put it off anymore. With these handy apps you can learn to read and write Chinese in no time
1. Chineasy
With Chineasy you learn the meaning of Chinese characters through pictures. The Chinese character is processed in a picture that shows the meaning. For example, a puppet is made of the character for ‘person’. The sounds are also pronounced and written.
Because you link the signs to a picture and sound, you learn the words very quickly. You get short tests in between so that you stay sharp. Also handy: you can also use this app on your Apple Watch. There are over 1000 words and characters to learn, but only the first eight levels are free. One drawback: the app is in English. So you can’t see the Dutch translations.
2. Memrise
Memrise is also a great app for learning a new language, because of its simple interface. Here you can see at a glance the Chinese character, the translation and Chinese sound that belongs to the character. You also immediately hear how the sound is pronounced. Another cool feature: under the ‘explore’ tab you can point your camera at an object and see the translation.
In addition, after learning a word and sound, you get a short quiz with all the words you have learned so far. That way you keep repeating them all. Meanwhile you see a flower growing in the top right corner; the further the flower has grown, the further your progress. Memrise doesn’t just have Chinese: you can also learn Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Japanese and Korean in this app. The application can be downloaded for free in the App Store, but if you want access to all courses you pay 59.99 per year.
3. Drops
In Drops you learn Chinese words by category. Think of food and drink, travel, animals, and so on. Here you learn a sign and sound, which you then have to drag to the correct picture. It works easily and quickly, but there is less repetition. As a result, you remember it less well than, for example, with Memrise.
The app is free, but then you have to wait ten hours after a few words before you can continue. For unlimited time you pay 69.99 euros per year. It doesn’t only allow you to learn Chinese: Drops has 35 languages ​​and is regularly updated with more languages.
4. LinGo
In this app you will learn a new language but also compete against other players from all over the world. First you can take some lessons. Then you challenge someone and you have to answer quiz questions. The one with the most correct answers wins. The lessons are divided into different categories. The first lesson is divided into fruit and vegetables, clothing, furniture and education.
Playing against another player also allows you to rank. In addition, you can participate in a weekly tournament and prizes will be awarded at the end of the month. Besides Chinese, you can learn 32 other languages ​​with LinGo. The app is free for the first lesson, but if you want to continue you need to subscribe. You can try it out for free for a month.
5. Duolingo
Duolingo has been one of the best apps for learning a new language for a few years now. You can also easily learn different languages ​​at the same time. If you choose the Chinese course, you will hear sounds and you will be challenged to form sentences. You also get quiz questions about what signs look like and which sound belongs to which sign.
Unlike many apps designed to teach a language, Duolingo is free. You can learn more than 30 languages. You start with the basics and it gets progressively more difficult. Per level you have a number of categories that you have to pass until you go to the next level.
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