Best 9 Hanping Chinese Alternatives in 2026: Apps That Go Beyond

Chinese Phrasebook – Speak is the best hanping chinese alternative if you want spoken Mandarin phrases you’ll actually use. No grammar drills, just real-world talk. This list covers 8 other tested apps that replace Hanping’s dictionary, character writing, flashcards, and gamified learning. We picked only tools that install cleanly, work right now, and solve a real problem for anyone searching “hanping chinese alternatives.”

Quick overview of all nine apps:

App	Best for	Price	Platform
Chinese Phrasebook – Speak	Travelers needing spoken phrases	Free (phrase packs)	iOS
Pleco Chinese Dictionary	Comprehensive dictionary & flashcards	Freemium	iOS, Android
HelloChinese	Gamified beginner course	Freemium	iOS, Android
Skritter	Character writing mastery	Paid (subscription)	iOS, Android
trainchinese	Vocabulary via dictionary & flashcards	Freemium	iOS, Android
ChineseSkill	Game-style basics	Freemium	iOS, Android
TOFU Learn	Spaced repetition & handwriting	Free	iOS, Android
Dong Chinese	Character origins & media context	Freemium	iOS, Android
Written Chinese Dictionary	Dictionary with reading/writing tutor	Freemium	iOS, Android

1. Chinese Phrasebook – Speak

Best for: travelers and absolute beginners who need practical Mandarin phrases, not grammar study.

This app ditches textbooks and puts over 30 real-world categories at your fingertips: Transport, Food, Hotel, Shopping, Nightlife, and more. It’s designed to get you speaking in seconds, not after lesson five.

• Tap any phrase to hear crisp native audio at full or slow speed.
• Every phrase shows Pinyin with tone marks, so you never guess how to say it.
• Word-by-word breakdowns with teaching notes explain the nuance, so you actually understand what you’re saying.
• Heart your favorites to build a personal cheat sheet you can pull up offline, anytime.
• No accounts, no logins. Everything runs on your device, even without a connection.

It’s iOS-only for now, free to download, and you unlock full access with affordable phrase packs. No subscription nagging. If your goal is speaking useful Chinese today, this is the clear first pick. Get Chinese Phrasebook or download it directly as Chinese Phrasebook on the App Store.

2. Pleco Chinese Dictionary

Best for: anyone who needs a comprehensive, offline Chinese dictionary and flashcard system.

Pleco is the longtime gold standard dictionary app, and it works on both iOS and Android. That makes it a direct replacement for Hanping’s Android-only dictionary. You get handwriting input, optical character recognition that reads Chinese text through your camera, and deeply detailed definitions. A built-in spaced-repetition flashcard tool sits at the core, with optional paid modules for document reading or stroke order diagrams. If you want one powerhouse dictionary, Pleco is the answer.

3. HelloChinese: Learn Chinese

Best for: beginners who want a gamified, structured course from zero to conversational Mandarin.

HelloChinese organizes its teaching around bite-sized, game-like lessons that cover speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Real-time speech recognition corrects your tones on the spot, and handwriting practice is built in. Lessons align with HSK levels, so you can track progress in a structured way. The standout is the speaking-focused curriculum that pushes you to form whole sentences, not just memorize isolated words. It feels playful but gets serious about fluency.

4. Skritter: Write Chinese

Best for: learners determined to master character writing and stroke order.

Skritter isn’t a dictionary or phrasebook. It’s a laser-focused character writing tool. The interactive canvas forces proper stroke order and gives instant feedback, while spaced repetition flashcards drill tones, meanings, and character recall. The writing recognition feels nearly like paper and ink, making muscle memory stick. It’s a premium subscription app, and worth it only if character writing is a genuine priority.

5. trainchinese

Best for: building vocabulary through dictionary-driven flashcard lists with native audio.

trainchinese pairs a deep Chinese-English dictionary with curated word lists and a progress-tracking flashcard system. Every audio clip is recorded by a native speaker, and the app includes character writing practice. Its biggest strength is the enormous library of pre-made vocabulary lists sorted by topic, HSK level, or popular textbooks. All your progress syncs across devices, so you can pick up studying wherever you left off.

6. ChineseSkill - Learn Chinese

Best for: learning Chinese basics through game-style mini-lessons and automatic speech evaluation.

ChineseSkill delivers vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation in quick, playful exercises that never feel like work. Animated stroke demonstrations and speech assessment run through every lesson, so you get writing and speaking practice side by side. It’s a gentle entry point if structured courses feel heavy. The mix of light game mechanics and solid foundational coverage makes it a reliable Hanping alternative for casual learners.

7. TOFU Learn

Best for: serious flashcard learners who want sophisticated spaced repetition and handwriting practice.

TOFU Learn comes loaded with pre-built HSK decks and uses advanced handwriting recognition that grades your strokes for accuracy and order. The interface is clean and distraction-free, and the algorithm homes in on the characters you struggle with most. It works offline, so you can drill writing and recall anywhere without burning data. If you’re after a no-nonsense flashcard tool that respects stroke-by-stroke detail, this is it.

8. Dong Chinese

Best for: visual learners who want to understand character origins and see words in media context.

Dong Chinese breaks characters down by components and shows how they evolved, turning abstract shapes into logical stories. An adaptive system tracks what you know and serves video clips, audio snippets, and sentences that use your target vocabulary. This context-heavy approach helps memory stick. The character history and decomposition view is the standout feature. It’s one of the best ways to make hanzi feel less random.

9. Written Chinese Dictionary

Best for: learners who want a dictionary that doubles as a reading and writing tutor.

This app combines stroke animations, character breakdowns, and example sentences into one clean screen. Integrated flashcards let you drill reading and writing immediately after looking up a word. Built-in reading materials and vocabulary lists push you from isolated words toward short texts. The detailed character pages that show sound, meaning, stroke order, and related words all at once make it a practical study companion.

How we picked these apps

We asked one question: “Which apps make the best hanping chinese alternatives for English-speaking Mandarin learners right now?” Every candidate had to deliver solid offline dictionary features, beginner-friendly learning tools, or character writing support. Often all three. We prioritized apps actively maintained on both iOS and Android, unlike Hanping’s Android-only scope. Clear, plain-English interfaces earned strong preference, and we rejected any app whose free tier felt like a hollow demo. The result is a list of tools that work honestly and help you learn, not just upsell.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hanping and why do people look for alternatives?

Hanping is a popular Android-only Chinese dictionary with handwriting recognition and flashcards. People search for alternatives when they need iOS support, built-in lesson courses, or a stronger focus on speaking and character writing. All areas where Hanping is limited.

Which alternative is best if I only want a free dictionary?

Pleco’s free core dictionary is the strongest all-round choice, with handwriting input and detailed definitions. Trainchinese is another excellent free option, especially if you like learning through organized word lists with native audio.

Can any of these apps actually teach me to speak and write?

Yes. Chinese Phrasebook focuses entirely on speaking practical phrases. For character writing, Skritter, TOFU Learn, and Written Chinese Dictionary each offer stroke-by-stroke practice, spaced repetition, and instant feedback that build real writing skills.

The verdict

Chinese Phrasebook – Speak is the best hanping chinese alternative for travelers and anyone who needs spoken Mandarin without grammar overhead. It won’t replace a full dictionary like Pleco, but it excels at fast, real-world communication. Get Chinese Phrasebook from the App Store for free and start speaking practical Mandarin today. The other eight apps fill distinct roles: dictionary depth, character writing, gamified learning. Mixing two or three often works even better than relying on just one.