Hanzi Hero app for iPhone and iPad

Having a tough time learning how to read and write Chinese? Get Hanzi Hero - the comic strip that gives you mental superpowers.

Forget rote learning, mindless repetition and nightmare flashcards. Just sit back, get into a great story and learn as you read.

• Learn to read and write the characters as you go – the first lesson is free.

• Remember each character with our short mnemonics: each one hand-crafted by us so they’re consistent and clear.

• Listen to the words so you remember pronunciation. It’s tough to sound right in Mandarin. Listening is the only way to make it easier.

• Learn everyday phrases you can’t do without….

I can’t tell you. It’s top secret.
I’m not doing that. It’s so uncool. And so are you!
The toilets are all occupied. Help!
Yo! Big daddy!

• Check translation, compounds in our dictionary.

• Test yourself with our quiz.

It’s early days for us so we don’t have heaps of characters but give it a go – let the story do the learning for you. We’re focusing on Simplified Chinese characters (the ones they use in mainland China and Singapore).

And we’ll be working on more lessons soon. Write and tell us how you think the story will unfold...