For anyone who wants to actually speak Chinese
Learn Chinese by speaking from day one
Lingrow is an iOS app that teaches Chinese through real voice conversations. You get 200+ scenarios, pinyin above the characters in every transcript, and feedback after every conversation on grammar, vocabulary, fluency and your tones.
Updated 10 September 2026. Features and pricing wording checked this month.
Key facts
- Lingrow gives Chinese learners 200+ conversation scenarios across 3 difficulty levels.
- Turn off pinyin with the "Show Pinyin" setting once you don't need the reading above the characters.
- Chinese has 4 tones plus a neutral tone, and Lingrow's feedback covers all of them plus measure words.
- Lingrow holds a 4.7 App Store rating from 328 ratings in September 2026.
- Lingrow explains and gives feedback in 33 languages, so you don't have to learn through English.
Real Chinese conversations
Lingrow gives you 200+ conversation scenarios in Chinese at beginner, intermediate and advanced difficulty. You order coffee, take the metro, meet friends, get through a job interview and handle the small talk in between. The AI partner listens, replies in Chinese and adapts to your level, so a beginner and someone who already reads characters can work through the same scenario at their own pace.
Feedback on tones and grammar
Lingrow corrects you while you speak, then summarises every conversation across grammar, vocabulary, fluency and pronunciation. Pronunciation matters more in Chinese than in most languages, because a wrong tone is a different word: 妈 (mā) means mother, 麻 (má) means hemp, 马 (mǎ) means horse and 骂 (mà) means to scold. Feedback also covers measure words, the small counting words like 个 that sit between a number and a noun.
Learn in your own language
You don't have to learn through English. Lingrow explains, corrects and translates in any of 33 languages, from Arabic and Hindi to Polish and Vietnamese. You pick your language when you sign up and can change it later in settings. Your corrections, your hints and your end-of-conversation feedback all arrive in the language you actually think in. The tap-a-word dictionary, the flashcards and the guided lessons are in English.
Pinyin, not a character course
Chinese asks English speakers to learn characters and tones at once, though there's no verb conjugation to deal with on top, which genuinely makes the grammar easier than most languages Lingrow teaches. Lingrow doesn't teach characters systematically. Pinyin readings sit above the characters in every conversation transcript, so you can read along and speak without being stopped by a character you haven't learned. Turn pinyin off in settings once you don't need it.
Vocabulary and flashcards
Lingrow ships a small starter set of Chinese flashcards rather than a big curated library, so most of your deck comes from you. Save any word straight from a conversation and it lands in your own deck with audio and an example sentence. A spaced-repetition scheduler brings each word back before you forget it, and daily reminders stop the reviews piling up. The characters and tones you actually stumbled over are the ones you end up reviewing.
Who it suits
Beginners who want to speak before they can read many characters, travellers who want to survive a trip in China or Taiwan, and learners studying characters elsewhere who have nowhere to practise saying tones out loud. Pinyin means you're never blocked by a character you haven't learned yet. If you want a structured character course, pair Lingrow with something built for that; conversation and tone feedback are what Lingrow does.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Lingrow good for Chinese beginners?
- Yes. Beginner scenarios have the AI partner speak slowly and simply, and pinyin above the characters means you can follow the transcript before you can read characters unaided. Hints arrive in your own language. Lingrow doesn't teach characters systematically, so pair it with a character-focused app if you're starting from zero.
- Does Lingrow teach Chinese characters?
- No. Lingrow doesn't have a character course. What it has is pinyin: romanised readings above every character in conversation transcripts, so you can speak and follow along before you can read the character. Turn pinyin off in settings once you know a word. For systematic character study, use a dedicated tool alongside Lingrow.
- Does Lingrow correct my Chinese tones and grammar?
- Yes. You get corrections while you speak, then a written summary covering grammar, vocabulary, fluency and pronunciation. Tones get particular attention, since 妈, 麻, 马 and 骂 are four different words that differ only by tone, and the summary flags which ones you got wrong and what to practise next.
- Can I use Lingrow if English isn't my first language?
- Yes. Lingrow supports 33 languages for explanations and feedback, so you can learn through Arabic, Hindi, Polish, Vietnamese, Russian, Thai and 27 others instead of English. You choose your language when you sign up and can change it in settings. The tap-a-word dictionary, flashcards and guided lessons are still in English.
- How much does Lingrow cost and is there a free trial?
- Lingrow is a subscription and it starts with a free trial, so you can try Chinese conversations before paying anything. Prices vary by country, so check the App Store for yours. Lingrow is iOS only at the moment, so there's no Android or web version to try instead.
- Can Lingrow replace a Chinese tutor?
- For daily speaking practice, yes, and at a fraction of the cost per hour. Lingrow is available any time, never judges you and repeats a scenario as often as you like. A tutor is still worth adding, if you can afford one, for character study, exam coaching and someone holding you accountable.
Start speaking Chinese today
Download Lingrow on iOS and have your first Chinese conversation in a few minutes.
Read more: the best apps to learn Chinese, the best AI language learning apps, an AI tutor versus a human tutor.