Apps & Websites for Learning Chinese Characters

★ Combines character lookup, stroke order, native audio, and customizable practice tools in one place. Arch Chinese is a comprehensive Mandarin learning and teaching platform with a Chinese-English dictionary, stroke-order animations, native-speaker audio, handwriting practice, Pinyin and Zhuyin tools, character decomposition, tone practice, vocabulary lists, and worksheet generators for simplified and traditional Chinese. Many reference and learning tools are free to use, while paid memberships unlock additional worksheet, game, quiz, and classroom features.

★ Learn characters in context with etymology, handwriting practice, and level-matched media. Dong Chinese teaches Mandarin through real example sentences while combining character origins, handwriting practice, vocabulary tracking, videos, songs, and a dictionary with stroke order and frequency data. It offers a free plan with limited lessons after the initial seven days, along with paid subscriptions for unlimited access. Available on the web and Android.

★ Visually maps character families to show how phonetic components connect related Chinese characters. Hanzi Constellation is an interactive map of traditional Chinese characters that groups characters by phonetic families and components, with pinyin and zhuyin, vocabulary, progress tracking, and custom study sets. It offers both free and paid features, with the full version available for a one-time fixed price rather than a subscription. Available on the web and iOS.

★ See how components within Chinese characters can provide clues to their pronunciation. HanziCraft Phonetic Sets shows how many Chinese characters share components that hint at how they are pronounced. A phonetic set groups characters in which the same component provides the same or a closely related pronunciation clue, making it easier to notice pronunciation patterns across characters. The lists include simplified and traditional characters and organize sets by matching pronunciation and tone or by the same syllable with different tones. The online lists are free to use, with an optional paid printout available.

★ Interactive graphs show how Chinese characters connect through components, pronunciation and the words they form. HanziGraph is a free, open-source Chinese learning tool that lets learners search Simplified or Traditional characters and visualize relationships between characters, components and vocabulary. It includes definitions, pinyin, example sentences, frequency data, collocation diagrams, flashcard study mode, progress statistics and Anki syncing.

★ Explains why Chinese characters look and work the way they do. The Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters is a paid Pleco add-on created by linguists for learners who want more than basic definitions. It covers thousands of simplified and traditional characters with form explanations, component breakdowns, meaning trees, stroke order diagrams, ancient forms, and information showing sound and meaning connections between characters. Different editions are available, with the more advanced option providing additional detail about character origins, evolution and history. Purchase details are available on their website and through Pleco, with Pleco available on Android and iOS.

★ Combines a powerful Chinese dictionary with handwriting, OCR, flashcards, and reading tools. Pleco is a Chinese-English dictionary and study app with simplified and traditional characters, Pinyin and Zhuyin support, example sentences, audio, character lookups and stroke-order tools. The free app includes core dictionaries and useful basic features, while additional dictionaries and advanced features such as OCR, enhanced handwriting, document reading, flashcards and expanded stroke-order diagrams are available through paid add-ons. Learn more on their website. Available on Android and iOS.