CHAC

CHAC teaches you to read Chinese characters from a standing start. No prior study, no wall of vocabulary on day one. Five characters at a time, each one anchored to a picture you will not forget.

BUILT AROUND HOW CHARACTERS ACTUALLY WORK

Most Chinese characters are not random strokes. Many are pictures that got simplified over three thousand years. Others are two parts joined together, where one part points at the meaning and the other carries the sound. CHAC shows you which is which, in plain language.

Where a character has a documented history in the oracle bone, bronze or seal scripts, its memory cue is built on that real origin instead of an invented story.

TWELVE CHAMBERS, 327 CHARACTERS

Learning is grouped into twelve themed chambers, from the Chamber of Foundations to the Chamber of Questions. Each chamber runs a set of guided character lessons, then closes with two things.

Forging. You weld characters you already know into real words and sentences. No new characters appear here, it is purely the moment the pieces click. 我 plus 们 becomes 我们, "we". 你, 叫, 什, 么, 名 and 字 become 你叫什么名字, "What is your name?".

The trial. A quiz that stamps the chamber's seal once you clear it.

Between them the chambers teach all 246 current HSK 1 recognition characters, selected HSK 2 additions, and retained 2021 curriculum cards including the foundation characters 木 and 土. Every chamber feeds the Jade Hall, a final exam drawn from everything you have learned. This is a character-learning course, not a complete HSK exam-preparation course.

WRITE THEM, DO NOT JUST READ THEM

Every character comes with animated stroke order. Watch it once, then trace it yourself on screen, stroke by stroke, in the correct sequence. Pinyin and spoken pronunciation are one tap away.

REVIEW THAT RESPECTS YOUR TIME

CHAC schedules every character separately. The ones you recall easily come back rarely. The ones you fumble come back soon. A daily streak keeps the habit visible without nagging you.

WORKS OFFLINE, WORKS WITHOUT AN ACCOUNT

Everything runs on your device. Your progress is stored locally, so the app works on a plane, underground, or anywhere with no signal at all.

Signing in with Google is entirely optional and exists for one reason: carrying your progress to a second device. It merges your two sets of progress rather than overwriting either, and you can delete the account and everything synced with it from inside the app.

CHAC is free and supported by ads.