Best Chinese Reading Apps

First of all, thank you to everyone who filled out my questionnaire last week! I got some really helpful feedback on the kind of content you'd like to see in future newsletters, and even some great topic ideas I hadn’t thought of yet.

If you haven’t filled it out yet but would still like to share your thoughts, you can do that here:

👉 Newsletter Questionnaire

Now, onto today’s topic—also inspired by your suggestions! A bunch of you mentioned you're looking for new reading materials, especially at the beginner level. So today, I’m recommending some apps that can help you improve your Chinese reading.

But before we dive in, a quick reminder: I’ve already shared a few reading resources in previous newsletters, so if you missed those, you can check them out:

📌 Chinese Reading Practice Website
📌 Graded Chinese Reader Recommendations

Alright, now let’s look at some apps you might not have tried yet:

1. Du Chinese

• Free access to a limited number of stories

• Full access available with monthly or yearly plans

Why it’s great:
Du Chinese offers a large library of bite-sized reading lessons, all written specifically for different levels—from absolute beginner to advanced. Each story includes native audio, optional pinyin, and one-tap word translations, so you’re never stuck guessing. You can follow along with the text while listening, save vocabulary to review later, and even adjust the reading speed. New lessons are added regularly, and topics range from everyday conversations and cultural tips to travel and short fiction.

2. The Chairman’s Bao

• Free access to a limited number of stories

• Full access available with monthly or yearly plans

Why it’s great:
The Chairman’s Bao takes real news stories and rewrites them using vocabulary from specific HSK levels, from HSK 1 all the way up to HSK 6+. That means you can explore topics like current events, pop culture, tech, and more—written in a way that matches your level. Each article comes with audio, vocabulary lists, grammar points, and built-in flashcards, so you can read, listen, and review all in one place.

Recently, they’ve also added a podcast series, perfect for improving your listening on the go, and there are video lessons included as part of the paid version too—great extras if you want more variety in your study routine.

And that’s it—these are the two apps I can confidently recommend. Recently, there’s been a flood of new AI-powered Chinese learning apps, and I tried out a few more while putting this list together. Honestly though, none of them really stood out to me. They didn’t feel much better—or that different—from each other, and more importantly, they didn’t hold my attention for long.

That said, I know many students do enjoy using these newer apps, and if one of them catches your interest, it might end up working well for you too. So just in case you want to give them a try, here are a few names to check out (some new, some a bit older): LingQ, Beelinguapp, Read Bean, and M Mandarin.

At the end of the day, I still believe sometimes less is more. If you’re just getting started, the Chinese Reading Practice website I mentioned above is a great place to begin—everything is free and nothing’s hidden behind a paywall. If you prefer something physical, take a look at the graded readers I recommended—you can often find them in local language bookstores or on Amazon. And if you want to build your reading skills with an app, I’d stick with Du Chinese and The Chairman’s Bao—they’re solid, well-designed, and they’ve stood the test of time.

Sandy

🏯The June Beginner Chinese Group Class is now full! You can sign up to the waitlist to get a 48-hour early access when the next round opens (in roughly one month): BEGINNER GROUP CLASS