CHN 111 (Beginning Chinese): Supplementary Mobile Resources Fall 2013 (Wong)

1


Learning Chinese, like other aspects of postmodern life, is going digital. Indeed, mobile learning is a
great way to incorporate Chinese language into your daily routine and keep the language with you even
when you are away from class or your teachers. There are many apps or online resources available,
whether free or paid. The following apps are just a sampling of what one can easily find in the iTunes
app store and Android Market. Five star programs are especially recommended for beginners like
Chinese 111 & 112 students.


There are many Chinese-English dictionary apps available; all of them function adequately. Listed below
are just three dictionaries, which are free and great. There is no need to download add-ons or paid
features for beginning students. Which dictionary is best comes down to personal preference.


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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android
Pleco
Chinese
Dictionary




Free
(varying prices for
upgrades)




Description: Has neat add-on features like full-screen handwriting, flashcard system, and stroke order
diagram for varying prices. Very intuitive and easy to use.



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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

KTdict C-E





Free
$3.99 KTdict C-E+




Description: Great at providing a variety of translations and highlighting their differences. The $3.99
upgrade unlocks trainer mode and is worthwhile because it is easy to create lists of flash cards for self-
quizzing and even keeps a log of your statistics.



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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android
iCED
Chinese
Dictionary



Free
$3.99 iCED+
$29.99 ABC Ed.





Description: Being able to search with pinyin and tones is a nice touch. Much better English look-up with
the free version than with the Pleco free version. For $3.99, you can create unlimited word lists. This
would be more helpful for advanced students looking up words from authentic materials like
newspapers and novels and not as helpful for new students.

Assignment Guidelines 4: Supplementary Mobile Resources
1) Dictionary
CHN 111 (Beginning Chinese): Supplementary Mobile Resources Fall 2013 (Wong)
2


The first two programs are free; so it is highly recommended that you download both of them.


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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

Pinyin Chart






Free




Description: Provides a comprehensive chart of all possible pinyin syllables with pronunciations of all
four tones. Simple to use and a great reference tool during the early stages of learning. If you want to
download just one pinyin app, this is the one! An equivalent version is called Pocket Pinyin for Android.



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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

Pinyin
Trainer by
trainchinese





Free




Description: A great way to quiz yourself about pinyin sounds, spellings, and tones. Very easy to use. It
has two question types: listen to the sounds and either pick the correct spelling or draw the tone mark.
Very similar to the quizzes for the Introduction unit.



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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

Chinese
Pinyin
Teacher





Free (limited)
$9.99 upgrade for
full version



Description: Another program to check pinyin sounds. Similar in use to Pinyin chart (above), just
presented in a different format. The provided pinyin combination is limited in the free version.



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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

Laokang
Pinyin Test






Free


Description: A timed diagnostic test of pinyin proficiency. You hear a three-syllable word and then type
in the corresponding pinyin as your answer.

2) Pinyin and Pronouciation
CHN 111 (Beginning Chinese): Supplementary Mobile Resources Fall 2013 (Wong)
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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

Chinese
Number
Trainer





Free
$2.99 to expand
range of numbers




Description: Provides a timed quiz on numbers 1-100. You hear the pronunciation of random numbers
and have to select the correct number from a list of 5 choices. Also, you can select any combination of
numbers from 1-999 and the translation in characters, pinyin, and audio is given. Eventually, the range
of numbers for the quiz and translation can be expanded for $2.99, but the free version is sufficient.




There are quite a few free programs for writing Chinese characters, but unfortunately all of them are not
that helpful or free. You can practice writing characters with Skritter, with which St Olaf has an
institutional account. eStroke Animated Chinese Characters is another pretty good paid program.


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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

Skritter





Free
(with St Olaf ID)




Description: Half Chinese flashcard tool and half character writing exercise (with audio and English
translation), you can use Skritter to practice writing with your finger. All the vocabulary lists from our
textbook Integrated Chinese are available. The display for the iPad version is rather small, however.



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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

eStroke
Animated
Chinese
Characters





$6.99 iPhone
$8.99 iPad
Free Android



Description: Animates the stroke order for more than 20,000 characters (both traditional & simplified).
Allows you to write characters with touch-screen with or without corrections (a buzzer will sound if the
wrong stroke order is used). Easy to switch between traditional and simplified characters. The only gripe
is that this program has a bit of a learning curve.

3) Numbers
4) Chinese Characters
CHN 111 (Beginning Chinese): Supplementary Mobile Resources Fall 2013 (Wong)
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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

Shi Zi





$ 1.99




Description This program features animated explanations of many ancient pictographic characters. The
interface is well-explained and user friendly. But the featured characters are limited to pictographs,
which are only a small percentage of modern characters. It also allows you to record your voice and
compare to native-speaker pronunciation. Good for supplemental knowledge and learning about those
important radicals.



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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

Chinese
Writer by
trainchinese





Free
$0.99 for upgrade



Description: A fun game for practicing correct stroke order. Characters fall from the top of the screen
and as you click on them they enlarge and you must trace the correct stroke order before they hit the
bottom of the screen. Because the character packs cost extra, it is impossible to compile a list of only
characters from class, but for just stroke order practice, it is great (and free).



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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

Chinese
Writer by
Popup
Chinese





Free



Description: Presents random characters in traditional or simplified versions that must be traced using
the proper stroke order. Does well to reinforce stroke order, but you cannot select which characters to
practice, so it is totally random. Also, you need to sign up for a free Popup Chinese account to use.



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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

iLearn
Chinese Lite






Free
$4.99 for full
version


Description: Provides information about basic strokes, numbers, & characters with audio from various
topics. The free version is helpful to practice writing numbers, but the paid version is unnecessary.

CHN 111 (Beginning Chinese): Supplementary Mobile Resources Fall 2013 (Wong)
5


Besides Skritter, the challenge with finding vocabulary programs for beginning Chinese is that they all
feature words that are not from class and will never be tested. All of the following apps are paid
programs for supplemental vocabulary reference or practice, with the exception of uTalk HD Chinese,
which can be useful for certain topics.


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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

uTalk HD
Chinese
uTalk
Mandarin





$7.99





Description: An effective and fun way to practice vocabulary (simplified characters only) from certain
topics and learn more supplementary words that will not be covered in class. The program offers
practice mode as well as quizzes for each topic in the form of Easy Game, Easy Game+, and Hard
Game. Useful topics for Chinese 111 students are numbers, time, and common phrases.



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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

Play &
Learn
Chinese





$2.99


Description: This program features a variety of maps and picture scenes that can be explored in two
modes: Learn Mode and Game Mode. In Learn Mode, you click on objects to learn their names. In Game
Mode, you hear a word and have to find it by touching the screen. This program is fun, but doesnt show
Chinese characters, only pinyin and English. Also, some of the correlations between pictures and
definitions are a stretch. It would be more beneficial for Intermediate level students.



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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

Language
Master
Mandarin





$0.99


Description: This program presents new vocabulary in sets of three words which are repeated several
times. Next the order is mixed up and you have to match pictures with the pronunciation. This continues
until there are 12 pictures visible. Once you have learned all 12 words, two types of games are unlocked.
This program is fun and useful to learn a few words, but it wont be that helpful for Chinese 111.


5) Vocabulary & Flashcards
CHN 111 (Beginning Chinese): Supplementary Mobile Resources Fall 2013 (Wong)
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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android



5000
Chinese
Audio
Flashcards





$2.99



Description: The name says it all. This is a typical flashcard program with 5000 Chinese characters
(divided into 200 decks), providing audio, pinyin, and English translation.







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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

Taiwan
Apple News





Free





Description: Apple News () is the news agency (Chinese tabloid) that is infamous for using
computer animations to recreate the most ridiculous news stories each day. This app provides access to
written, video, and animated news stories and is updated daily. Its a great way to increase your
exposure to native Chinese language and culture. Make sure that you download the Taiwanese
version as there is a regular version that is in Cantonese! Only shows traditional characters, however.



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Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android

DeDoTV




Free
$1.99




Description: DedoTV (TV) features episodes of current variety shows and talk shows from both
Mainland China and Taiwan. Such variety shows are extremely popular and a TV mainstay in East Asia.
The conversations and contents will be difficult to follow as beginners, but it is a great way to get used
to authentic Chinese speaking and pick up on slang expressions!




6) News, Media, Games, & Others
CHN 111 (Beginning Chinese): Supplementary Mobile Resources Fall 2013 (Wong)
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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android



E
LITE





Free
$0.99 to unlock
higher levels



Description: In this game, you are a buyer with a shopping list. You will hear the Chinese name of a
grocery item and have to scroll through around 60 items to find the right one. While the game is a real
challenge and doesnt have a learning mode, it is fun. More appropriate for Intermediate learners.




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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android



Learn
Chinese
Easily





Free
some paid lessons



Description: This program teaches vocabulary by connecting words with images. However, not all
lessons are free. For beginners, the free lessons on numbers, animals, apparel, and the body can be
useful.



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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android



WordUP
Chinese Lite






Free
$4.99 for full
version


Description: This program is a bilingual dictionary and vocabulary-building app with audio for Chinese
language learners of all levels with flashcards, quizzes, and recordings (you can compare you own
recording with a native speakers). It includes 300 phrases in the free version.



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Name

Recommendation

Price

iPhone

iPad

Android



Chinese
Learning
Express
Module 1





Free



Description: This program functions like a textbook with lessons (with text and audio). While the
vocabulary lists are not that helpful (no touch-screen writing), it does have videos for the scenarios.