HanziBen

About HanziBen

HanziBen — Learn Chinese by writing, not by tapping.

Other Chinese apps make you guess. You tap multiple choice. You match flashcards. You feel like you're learning — until you pick up a pen and your hand has no idea what to do.

HanziBen flips that around. You write every character with your finger, stroke by stroke, on a generous practice canvas with elegant guides. That single change — moving from passive recognition to active production — is what turns short-term memory into permanent knowledge. The science is well established: motor memory cements characters in a way tapping never will.

Why HanziBen is different
🖊️ Handwriting-first, always. The canvas isn't a feature — it's the whole point. Every card is a chance to actually write the character.

📚 Four curricula, one app. Hanzi Ben (Radicals → Foundation → Everyday Life → Advanced), HSK 2012 (HSK 1–6), New-HSK 3.0 (Elementary → Intermediate → Advanced), and Mandarin House (Books 1–4 with rich textbook context). Switch any time. Your progress is tracked separately in each.

✏️ My Hanzi — your own list. Drop in any characters you want to focus on and practise them like any other deck.

🔍 Find any character three ways. Type Pinyin, type English, or — when you don't even know the reading — just draw the character and let the app find it for you. The recent searches list keeps your last 10 lookups one tap away.

📖 Memory tips that actually help. Every character ships with a short, hand-curated mnemonic explaining its components and origin — so each one becomes a small story instead of a random shape.

🎯 Built-in progress, streaks and milestones. See exactly what you've mastered, what needs review, and keep your daily writing streak alive. Celebrate the small wins.

🎨 Made to live with. Paper-and-ink aesthetic, beautiful Chinese typography, light and dark themes, and five interface languages: English, 中文, Deutsch, Español, Français.

🔐 Your progress, your data. Everything lives on your device. Export a full backup to a JSON file any time, restore it on a new phone, no account required.

Free version — generous, not crippled
Try HanziBen with the first 2 chapters of every curriculum (Hanzi Ben, HSK 2012, New-HSK 3.0 and Mandarin House) plus a 10-character My Hanzi list. No timers, no ads, no nagging — just a real chance to feel how the app works before you decide.

Pro — one-time purchase, no subscription
Unlock every chapter of every curriculum, an unlimited My Hanzi list, and full lifetime access. Pay once. Own it.

Who HanziBen is for
Beginners who want to start the right way — by writing from day one. Intermediate learners who recognise characters but can't reproduce them. HSK candidates who need the writing component locked in. Heritage learners reconnecting with the script. Anyone who has ever closed a flashcard app feeling like they didn't really learn anything.
If you've tried "the big ones" and walked away frustrated that you still can't write 你好 without looking it up — HanziBen is built for you.

Start writing today. The first stroke is always the hardest. After that, it gets surprisingly addictive.

汉字本 — your hanzi notebook.