Du Chinese review
A focused Chinese reading and listening app with structured lessons and study tools.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Du Chinese is a Chinese reading and listening app for learners from beginner through advanced levels, including students working toward HSK levels. It combines graded stories, articles, and courses with native-speaker audio and tools for following text closely. The narrow language focus suits learners who want structured Chinese practice; it is not a fit for someone seeking a multilingual learning app.
Its strongest feature is the reading workflow. Learners can view pinyin, tone colors, simplified or traditional characters, sentence translations, and context-based word translations in a pop-up dictionary. Grammar explanations and highlighted grammar points add support within readings, while spaced-repetition flashcards provide a way to review vocabulary. Audio is synchronized with text, and audiobook mode gives premium subscribers another way to work through lessons. The web, iOS, and Android versions support study across those platforms, and integrations include Pleco, Hack Chinese, Hanping, and Skritter.
The Basic plan is limited to free lessons. According to the published plans, premium lesson access costs $14.99 for 1 Month, $89.94 for 6 Months, or $179.88 for 12 Months; each renews automatically until cancelled. Premium also includes offline reading. This makes the free tier a practical starting point, while learners who want the full lesson library should weigh recurring premium costs against their need for graded material and listening support. Choose Du Chinese for focused Chinese reading and listening practice with in-context tools; choose another app if you need a wider range of languages or broader language-learning coverage.
Du Chinese pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Graded readings span beginner to advanced levels, with grammar explanations.
- Synchronized native audio pairs with pinyin, tone colors, and translations.
- Premium adds the full lesson library, offline reading, and audiobook mode.
- Where it doesn't
- It focuses on Chinese rather than offering multiple target languages.
- The Basic plan is limited to free lessons.
- Premium renews automatically until cancelled, and monthly access costs $14.99.
Du Chinese fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update