Graded Reading Apps & Websites
Build your Chinese reading skills with graded readers designed for your level. These apps and websites offer stories, articles, and other reading material with learner-friendly features such as Pīnyīn, translations, vocabulary help and audio.
Resources Available: 8
This is one of the best apps available for advanced students. The Chairman’s Bao offers 9,500+ graded news lessons for Mandarin learners across all HSK levels, with new articles added regularly. Each lesson includes clickable word translations and native Chinese audio. Additional features include flashcards, character-writing practice, idiom explanations, and other tools to build reading and vocabulary skills. Available Platforms: Web, iOS and Android
Paid App
Short original stories designed for HSK 1–4 learners. Each story includes full Pīnyīn, key vocabulary, and comprehension questions. A great choice for learners who can already read basic Chinese characters.
Free
This subscription-based reading app highly recommended by many Chinese teachers. Its stories are written and recorded by native speakers, include professional translations, and are available in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Content is organized by difficulty and HSK level, ranging from simple beginner texts to longer stories for intermediate learners and classical Chinese, including Tang Dynasty poetry, for advanced readers. Available Platforms: Android and iOS.
Free Limited Access / Paid App
LingQ’s approach focuses on immersing learners in native content like books and news articles, turning unfamiliar words into flashcards for periodic review. Its strength lies in a vast library of Chinese content with audio from native speakers, which is continually updated by users. You can also import your own content, such as blog posts and webpages. Available Platforms: Web, Android and iOS.
Paid App
Learn Chinese naturally with a daily engaging story that offers a smooth learning experience. Tap on characters for instant definitions, take comprehension quizzes, and practice writing—all while learning how native speakers use words in context. Simplified and Traditional Chinese are both available. Forget rote memorization; research shows context is key to mastering characters. Available Platforms: Web, Android and iOS.
Free / Paid App
Mylingua is a personalized reading platform for intermediate and advanced Mandarin learners. It gathers thousands of articles from China and Taiwan and recommends content based on your Chinese level and interests. Each article receives a Mylingua Score to help you find authentic content at the right difficulty level, with recommendations adapting as your skills improve.
Paid Web-Based
Pandaist is a graded reader app for Chinese learners, offering news, stories, and quizzes to improve reading skills. It tracks your progress, updates content regularly, and includes a built-in dictionary. Available Platforms: iOS and Android
Paid
Todaii (also called Easy Chinese) helps Mandarin learners build reading, listening, and vocabulary skills through real-world content, including current news. It offers materials for different proficiency levels and includes tools to support HSK preparation. Available Platforms: Web, Andriod and iOS
Free / Paid