ReadNative

🇨🇳 Mandarin Chinese · checked 21 October 2026

Best apps to learn Mandarin Chinese by reading (2026)

6 apps whose own sites list Mandarin Chinese, and what each is good for.

We make ReadNative, so it’s listed first and labelled. Statements about other apps come from their own websites, checked 21 October 2026 (sources); ratings, user numbers and prices are left out. Readlang is included because it says it covers 100+ languages without listing them.

At a glance

AppTypeMandarin ChineseAudioFree optionBest for
ReadNative (ours)Graded booksYes — 6 booksNarrated booksFree first bookBeginners who want whole stories from A1/HSK 1
LingQLibrary + importYesYesYesimporting and reading lots of varied content, with audio
Du ChineseCurated libraryYesYesYesa large library of graded Chinese readings with native audio
The Chairman's BaoCurated libraryYesYesYesnews-based graded reading in Chinese
BeelinguappCurated libraryYesYesYesside-by-side translation and audiobooks
ReadlangRead anything (web, uploads)Not listed by name — checkVoices for words and phrasesYesreading real web pages with click-to-translate and flashcards
ClozemasterSentence drillsYes (depends on your base language)—Yesfill-in-the-blank vocabulary drills (not a reading app)

The apps

ReadNative (ours)

Graded retellings of real stories that start at absolute beginner and get harder chapter by chapter. Tap a word for an English gloss with pinyin, tap a sentence for its translation; words you meet are counted automatically. Mandarin Chinese books:

Try it: the first lines of Journey to the West

这是一座山。
This is a mountain.

山很高，很绿。
The mountain is very tall and very green.

山的名字叫花果山。
The mountain's name is Flower-Fruit Mountain.

山上有很多树。
On the mountain there are many trees.

树上有很多果子。
On the trees there is a lot of fruit.

山上也有很多猴子。
There are also many monkeys on the mountain.

Mandarin ChinesePinyinGloss in the reader
这zhèthis
是shìis
一座yí zuòa
山shānmountain
很hěnis very
高gāotall
绿lǜgreen
的de's
名字míngziname
叫jiàois called
花果山huā guǒ shānFlower-Fruit Mountain
山上shān shangon the mountain
有yǒuthere are
很多hěn duōmany

Read the whole of chapter 1 free →

Strong at: whole stories written for beginners. Weaker at: variety beyond its 6 Mandarin Chinese books. Price model: first book free; Pro unlocks the rest and EPUB imports.

Your Mandarin Chinese reading path in ReadNative

Journey to the West 西游记: ch. 1–17 ≈HSK 1 (from 第一章：石猴 — Chapter 1: The Stone Monkey); ch. 18–34 ≈HSK 2 (from 第十八章：地府 — Chapter 18: The Land of the Dead); ch. 35–50 ≈HSK 3 (from 第三十五章：猪八戒 — Chapter 35: Pigsy).

The Twelve Zodiac Animals 十二生肖: ch. 1–15 ≈HSK 1 (from 第一章：玉帝的比赛 — Chapter 1: The Jade Emperor's Race); ch. 16–30 ≈HSK 2 (from 第十六章：老鼠嫁女（下） — Chapter 16: The Rat Marries Off His Daughter (Part 2)).

Stories of Afanti 阿凡提的故事: ch. 1–19 ≈HSK 2 (from 第一章：阿凡提和他的毛驴 — Chapter 1: Effendi and His Donkey); ch. 20–38 ≈HSK 3 (from 第二十章：月亮掉进井里（上） — Chapter 20: The Moon Fell into the Well (Part 1)).

The Legend of the White Snake 白蛇传: ch. 1–20 ≈HSK 2 (from 第一章：山里的白蛇 — Chapter 1: The White Snake in the Mountains); ch. 21–40 ≈HSK 3 (from 第二十一章：水漫金山（下） — Chapter 21: Flooding Jinshan Temple (Part 2)).

Other apps that list Mandarin Chinese

LingQ — importing and reading lots of varied content, with audio. Mandarin Chinese is listed (lingq.com/en/learn-chinese-online). ReadNative vs LingQ →

Du Chinese — a large library of graded Chinese readings with native audio. Mandarin Chinese only. ReadNative vs Du Chinese →

The Chairman's Bao — news-based graded reading in Chinese. Mandarin Chinese only. ReadNative vs The Chairman's Bao →

Beelinguapp — side-by-side translation and audiobooks. Mandarin Chinese is listed (beelinguapp.com). ReadNative vs Beelinguapp →

Readlang — reading real web pages with click-to-translate and flashcards. Says it covers 100+ languages; check yours. ReadNative vs Readlang →

Not a reading app, but useful alongside

Clozemaster — fill-in-the-blank vocabulary drills (not a reading app). Mandarin Chinese is listed (clozemaster.com). ReadNative vs Clozemaster →

What matters in a Mandarin Chinese reading app

Chinese characters don't show their pronunciation, words aren't separated by spaces, and tones carry meaning. A reading app helps most when it segments words, shows pinyin and meaning on tap, and grades text by HSK level so new characters arrive a few at a time; narration helps link characters to tones.

Questions

What is the best app to learn Mandarin Chinese by reading?

It depends on your level and what you want to read. For a complete beginner who wants a story written for their level, ReadNative’s Journey to the West starts at HSK 1 and is free. To import and read your own Mandarin Chinese content with audio, LingQ supports Mandarin Chinese. For a large library of short graded readings, Du Chinese and The Chairman’s Bao are Chinese specialists. If audio on everything matters most, look at LingQ, Du Chinese, The Chairman's Bao.

Is there a free app to read Mandarin Chinese?

Yes: Journey to the West is free in ReadNative and readable here in your browser (55 chapters online); LingQ, Du Chinese, The Chairman's Bao, Beelinguapp, Clozemaster also start free.

Should I read with pinyin or characters?

Characters, with pinyin on demand. Reading pinyin alone won't teach you the characters you need. Check pinyin for words you can't recall, and reread chapters later without it.

Sources

Every statement about another app on this page comes from that app’s own website, checked on 21 October 2026. Features and plans change; check their sites for the latest.

ReadNative facts: about ReadNative and the book catalog. We make ReadNative.

More Mandarin Chinese: learn Mandarin Chinese by reading · Mandarin Chinese graded readers · Mandarin Chinese short stories · HSK 1 reading · HSK 2 reading · HSK 3 reading · HSK 4 reading · HSK 5 reading · how long it takes to learn Mandarin Chinese