Read & Learn Chinese - DuShu
DuShu adds tone colors, underlines that show which characters are part of a word, and pinyin. However, Pinyin is not simply added to every character, but only where you need it - the app keeps track of the characters you know. Pinyin can be turned on or off for a character simply by tapping it.
You can read sentence by sentence, with a vocabulary list below the text, or Chinese text only with the vocabulary on a separate page. The vocabulary list shows only relevant vocab according to your skill level. Words you already know can be removed from the list, the app also keeps track of your known words and will not show known words in vocab lists again.
A translation is available for each sentence - manual translations for our integrated texts, Google Translations for everything else. If your system language isn't English, you can easily switch between English translations and translations into your system language. (Sentence translations are a premium feature - however, as an introductory trial we offer them for free until the end of February 2018).
You can also listen to any text, high quality audio will be created via Google text-to-speech. You'll always be shown only the sentence that is currently being read, plus relevant vocabulary items.
Of course there's an integrated dictionary, which beyond usual dictionary-information also shows the frequency, HSK level and a breakdown into constituent components for characters.
You can save your texts & resume where you left off later, and also get lots of information about your text - like difficulty, how many unique Hanzi (=characters) there are in the text etc.
Everything's highly configurable - which words are be shown in the vocab list, which tone color scheme (or none), pinyin always, never or for unknown characters only, text and pinyin size etc. can all be selected b the user. As it will adapt to your skill level, this Mandarin Chinese Reader can be useful for everybody from beginners to advanced learners.
Statistical and grammar-based analysis makes sure the segmentation into words and annotation with tone colors and pinyin is as accurate as possible.
Texts in traditonal characters are automatically converted to simplified characters. Displaying traditional characters is currently not supported.
In case you don't know what to read, Du Shu features extensive lists of sample sentences for all HSK-levels.
Category : Education
Reviews (24)
Most apps don't really reach the threshold of 2500 characters which means that if you are learning Chinese by yourself, you might struggle with finding new characters to learn. I love apps such as Duolingo, but in the end you will new challenges and Du Shu is exactly what you need to go from lower intermediate to higher intermediate (or from intermediate to a lower pro-tier). The free version in itself is already awesome and the features given in the paid edition are great.
Great idea, but with lots of room for improvement. The audio function is almost useless, with only a play button that changes to a non-functional stop button when the robotic reading starts. The interface is stodgy and not intuitive - for example, you can't swipe to go to the next page. That said, as a reader it works well.
The audio function seems to lack occasionally. It plays the first sentence, but not the next. After quitting the app, the first sentence gets audio played again, but the same problem continues to exist. Also, either i can't find the option, or there is none (if there is, please lead me to it): i would like to change the character set from simplified mandarin to the traditional characters. All in all it's good though. Great help in learning.
Exactly what I was looking for. The import function (which is why I bought the app) is robust and extremely useful. The ability to mark up the characters you know, review flash cards and complete exercises just takes it to another level. The UI could do with an overhaul and there are a few small frustrations (being unable to access the chapter list for an imported doc, so you have to import multiple times, once for chapter one, again for chapter two etc.). But these are all minor issues.
A fantastic app that really helps me to learn Mandarin. Reading and listening. The biggest frustration is that the sound simply does not work on an extremely frequent basis. This is an important aspect for my learning. But overall quite an amazing and comprehensive as an app. Update. Many months in I still have very frequent problems getting audio. Probably 50-70% of the time. Even using the 'alternative method of playing audio' option. Still one of the best apps.
This app didn't meet my expectations... it exceeded them. I wasn't expecting much, but downloaded it after I saw that it started supporting traditional characters. The ability to read text from the clipboard and note/star words is exceptional. This takes reading practice to a whole new level as you can look up words conveniently and mark them as you go. Along with Pleco, the best Chinese learning app I've encountered.
the only app for learning chinese that is really useful and has all the features that I needed. I already lost hope that I will finally find something suitable. Would be 5 if not problems with payment and audio. Also the UI could be more friendly but Im already used to it. Bought the full version despite these issues (minor to me). Keep up the good work!
The premium version of this app is too expensive. However the concept behind this app is brilliant. It's a very useful tool for practicing your Chinese reading. It's a simple app in the way Linux is simple, so people expecting something more user friendly might be disappointed but it's almost exactly what I'm looking for. I would like a way of organising the texts I load into it, like folders or tag view.
Tried dozens of Chinese learning apps, and this one is just the best. The functionality is to the point and intuitive. The audio part leaves much to be desired, but if you're learning to read, the app is unrivaled. Bought the subscription right away, and now I'm very puzzled by people who complain about lack of free material. If you're actually serious about learning a language, I'm sure you can spare two dollars.
By far the best app I've used for chinese learning!!! However I started to notice many problems with opening txt files - I tried uninstalling & reinstalling the application but nothing has changed -- at this point I'm unable to open any txt files nor am I able to open clipboard text that contains a large number of characters. Please fix these issues soon.
Very good app. Highly efficient either to learn the characters or as a supplement for improving reading skills. Nicely customisable although I wished the colors of the tones would be completely customisable. The only real grip with this app is it's inability to sync the progress over devices. I use it on my Tab S4 mostly but sometimes I have some time in between and would like to grab my phone and just continue during commuting etc. I would love sync support across devices. That's why 4 stars.
Edit: Thanks! I figured out the audio part. But the app's slow response and glitching still happens. Even though I bought the premium, the app is still not well-designed and worth the money. Audio usually does not play, and app tends to freeze and responds slowly until I have to force it to stop.
I've been using the full version for a while. The ability to be able to paste in text and then have the app provide colour coded characters with the option to show readings and meanings is a very useful function for those learning to read mandarin. Review cards creation is also excellent. I've tried many apps to study mandarin and this is one of the best.
Nice and useful app. I would love to see following features: Some definitions refer to different entries, e.g. "see X", would be useful to show definition for X as well. Any option to disable navigation by tapping empty area? I keep accidentally navigate to the next sentence. Code efficiency when browsing text files and loading between sentences could be improved.
I really like this app. It has both traditional and simplified characters and common phrases. You can play the sound and the pin yin helps you to pronounce without the sound. Each character and phrase in the sentence is also defined. You can also create your own vocabulary list to use to practice later. This app makes learning fun.
I was just trying to casually learn to read Chinese. I just wanted to see how far I would be able to go. This app is quite good and I am able to progress at a decent pace and more importantly the app keeps me interested. Instead of wasting time on games I come to this app and have fun trying to guess and learn Chinese sentences. One request is to add one section which contains small stories based on different HSK levels. Being able to read multiple related sentences would be a great motivator! Update: Still going strong. Half way through HSK2 now. Bought the premium version. Strongly recommend.
Hands down best interface for learning Chinese. I tried many apps but none are as useful. App is clearly desinged to encourage learming. Symbols are coloured in one of 4 colours for the tones, you can hide and unhide pinyin, translations were done by competent people and therefore accurate, you can have definitions for words and for individual symbols within words. There are many more features useful for all HSK levels. Most competent app around. Had to buy the full version.
This is app is really good and convinient for learnig chinese because it gives you a wide range of exposure but it would be better if it has an audio button for pronunciation. I know am not in the position to say this but I think this app would be better if it uses mobile data because its not easy for some of us to purchase the premium version. And in that way I think you will get more people who like chinese language just like me to download this app.
i have quite a few Chinese apps, this one is essential. i have learned quite a bit however my ability to read full chinese sentences wasnt there. This allowed me to build the confidence of going through gears at each level which no other app allows. it also focuses a lot on what you do and don't know so you can pinpoint it. amazing app.
I can only recommend this app. It does everything you need to master your language skills. The only feature I am missing is some sort of an embedded text editor which would allow to type pinyin directly while being in the app and get the characters and a translation (when needed). Great job guys!
Using DuShu has greatly improved my comprehension and retention of mandarin. The combination of sentences and vocabulary to provide context and definition in the same place is great! Most language apps focus on one or the other, but DuShu has both. The voice option does a decent job of replicating speech so that users can practice pronouncing words. I wish that DuShu also had grammar lessons and a dictionary, but at the current price this app is very worth it.
This app is really helpful. It allows me to learn new texts imported from anywhere, and since it learns quickly which vocab you already know, it's so good at creating a list of vocab that you probably do not know yet, then I focus specifically on those and can easily master any text, really cool and helps me a lot with my Mandarin! Thanks! :)
It says I got 10 free translations each day but the number drops by one each time I go to another sentence, even if I don't turn check the translation. That could be confusing for many people so you probably need to change the way that's expressed if it's not a bug. But nevertheless this is the greatest app I seen so far so I couldn't thank you enough for this 👍👍 Just don't mind all the haters here, they will never learn mandarin without this app.
Exactly what I was looking for. The core of this app is to read and read and read Chinese, the flow is great and you keep discovering new words as well as getting reminded of the previous ones. You also learn grammar points with the flow. The free version is really fair, no add and no limitation in the number of sentences to read. NO ADD and I love you for this. Gladly pay for the premium as vitam eternam. Four stars because there is a bug when trying to play audio automatically. It just stops.