Learn Chinese for free, one word a day
Lingava teaches Chinese little by little. Each day you flip one letter card and learn one useful word in a real sentence, with a translation in English, with romanization so you know how to say it.
Free on iPhone and Android. No in-app purchases.
Apple Watch and Wear OS apps are coming soon.
Learn pinyin and the tones, one card at a time
You get cards for the four tones, the sounds of pinyin and the Chinese numerals. Each card shows the letter, its sound and an example word with its meaning in English.
- ā妈 māmother
- á麻 máhemp
- ǎ马 mǎhorse
- à骂 màto scold
A new Chinese word every day
The word of the day comes with its meaning in English. Then you see it highlighted in an example sentence, so you learn how it is really used.
Tones that change the meaning
In Mandarin, mā, má, mǎ and mà are different words. Lingava shows the tone mark on every word, so you see the difference and learn to hear it.
Related words come on days in a row, so a set like greetings, question words or the days of the week is learned together. Here are a few you will meet:
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | hello |
| 再见 | zàijiàn | goodbye |
| 谢谢 | xièxie | thank you |
| 请 | qǐng | please |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | sorry |
| 欢迎 | huānyíng | welcome |
| 什么 | shénme | what |
| 谁 | shéi | who |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where |
| 什么时候 | shénme shíhou | when |
| 为什么 | wèishénme | why |
- 1
Pick a course
Choose the language you want to learn and the one you already speak.
- 2
One letter and one word
Flip today’s letter card and read the word of the day in its sentence. Each is worth 10 points.
- 3
Come back tomorrow
Finish both to keep your streak. A daily reminder helps you remember. Miss a day and you simply continue where you left off.
Free for everyone
Lingava has no subscriptions, no in-app purchases and no ads. Everyone gets the full app. We keep it running with voluntary donations from people who like what we do. Donate
Questions
Is Lingava really free?
Yes. Every course, every letter and every word is free. There are no subscriptions, no in-app purchases and no ads.
Do I need to know pinyin and the tones first?
No. Every word comes with romanization, so you can start from day one while you learn the letters on the side.
How much time does it take?
A few minutes a day: one letter card and one word. Steady steps add up.
Can I learn Chinese from another language?
Yes. Lingava teaches Chinese from every language in the app. See Lär dig kinesiska.
Which phones does it work on?
Lingava is an app for iPhone and Android.
Start your first day.
Lingava is free on the App Store and Google Play.