Life & fun · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to Kaishu
Delightful Chinese reader for learners. Tap any word.
Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.
- 1
Toku Reader▲111Read & listen to native Japanese and Chinese, tap any word
Jul 2026 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
- 2
Laoshi▲239Learn new words with flashcards to master Chinese faster
2021 · laoshi.io · its alternatives →
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Read Bean▲310Learn Chinese with real-world content, at your level
2025 · readbean.app · its alternatives →
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Hi HN, Just wanted to share a tool i've been working on to help with my own study routine. It’s a browser extension called Lingoku. The idea is simple: we spend hours browsing the web in English every day. This tool replaces some of the english words with Japanese vocabulary based on your japanese level (Similar to Toucan, but with a better user experience). It’s basically an attempt to make the "i+1" method actually passive, you understand the sentence because it's mostly english, but you pick up Japanese words naturally from the context. It uses an LLM in the backend to make sure the…
Dec 2025 · lingoku.ai · its alternatives →
- 6IB
Hey HN! I’m Alex, and one of my favorite ways to learn languages is by reading novels. Currently I’m reading 三体 (3 body problem), but one problem I've always had is it takes ages to look up words, and add them to Anki flashcards so I can remember them. 三体 is especially brutal with so much sci-fi vocab. That’s why I built Readly. I snap a pic of the page I’m reading, it loads the text in-app and lets me lookup words, add to Anki-style flashcards, or ask AI questions about the text, all in a single tap. It's a huge time saver. My specific learning strategy, if anyone wants to replicate it: 1.…
2025 · readly.ink · its alternatives →
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Chinese dictionary and training tool with AI
2021 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
- 8
The simple, effective way to grow your Chinese vocabulary
2019 · dailychinese.app · its alternatives →
- 9
Built with Nuxt & MongoDB – a way to preserve language with personal audio, anecdotes and stories. Hope to make a version open source one day so others can preserve their native languages.
2024 · nomenclature.ctang.art · its alternatives →
- 10
Hey HN, it’s been 8 years since I posted on here about the launch of my Japanese dictionary app Nihongo [0] and I’m finally back with a new app: Nihongo Lessons! Think of Nihongo Lessons as the textbook to Nihongo’s dictionary. It’s an app for learning Japanese, specifically made for learners who are serious about becoming fluent, and want a guided set of content that will help them efficiently acquire vocabulary and grammar. The project came about when Adam Shapiro of Japanese Level Up (Jalup) [1] announced last April that he was shutting Jalup down. As a fan of Adam’s work I was bummed to…
2022 · lessons.nihongo-app.com · its alternatives →
- 11
Mainichi▲133Learn Japanese, one prefecture at a time.
Jul 2026 · mainichiapp.com · its alternatives →
- 12
yuyin.io▲136Master Chinese pronunciation with AI-powered feedback
2025 · yuyin.io · its alternatives →
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Actually, it is yet another tool to learn a language through immersion (classic set of features, watch on youtube/netflix, read a website or book). It has a popup dictionary so you can click on a word and it will show the definition. Nothing new in that regard, except that it has been made with only Korean in mind and does not plan to extends to other languages. I was learning and still am learning Korean (now using my own tool to learn!). I initially made the tool for myself because none of the tools out there could correctly figure out what a word was in the text. And that's where the…
2023 · kimchi-reader.app · its alternatives →
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Wordwise▲114Hey HN, While learning Danish, I kept translating the same words over and over. I’d take notes, highlight books, save things in random places… then lose track of it all. I wanted something simple. Translate a word, save it with context, and review it later so it actually sticks. Nothing I found really did that. So I built my own app. It lets you: - Translate and save words instantly - Add notes, tags, example sentences, gender, even emojis - Review everything with flashcards using spaced repetition - Track how many words you’ve really learned - Use it fully offline with on-device ML Kit…
2025 · getwordwise.app · its alternatives →
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2014 · getchicory.com · its alternatives →
- 17
Hi HN! In trying to improve my Chinese skills, I built this tool that lets me write a mix of Chinese and English, then recommends a proper Chinese expression. This is super helpful when I want to write something in Chinese but I don't know all the vocab/grammar - I can enter my best effort and use English for the parts I don't know. Really, the fundamental benefit of the tool is that it encourages me to exercise the writing muscle, rather than defaulting to translating from English. My goal was to build something that is fast, relatively inexpensive, and not prone to misleading people.…
2024 · unscrambler.dpw.me · its alternatives →
- 18
Master Chinese idioms (成语) with AI-powered practice.
2025 · meitian-chengyu.com · its alternatives →
- 19
Chinese vocab, drilled into long-term memory. Free, offline.
May 2026 · wordbrushchinese.com · its alternatives →
- 20MW
I've built mandoBot, a web app that segments and translates Mandarin Chinese text. This is a Django API (using Django-Ninja and PostgreSQL) and a NextJS front-end (with Typescript and Chakra). For a sample of what this app does, head to https://mandobot.netlify.app/?share_id=e8PZ8KFE5Y. This is my presentation of the first chapter of a classic story from the Republican era of Chinese fiction, Diary of a Madman by Lu Xun. Other chapters are located in the "Reading Room" section of the app. This app exists because reading Mandarin is very hard for learners (like me), since…
2025 · mandobot.netlify.app · its alternatives →
- 21
Fun way to learn Chinese characters (writing and reading)
2016 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →
- 22
Make Chinese learning fun and easy
2017 · play.google.com · its alternatives →
- 23
Master Chinese reading through AIpowered interactive drawing
Dec 2025 · sketchhanyu.aigility.digital · its alternatives →
- 24
Snap a photo and help kids learn Pinyin in real life
Jun 2026 · pinyin.qibanhub.com · its alternatives →
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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →