Why limit yourself to your small screen on the phone? Run Chinese YCT 4, an app by Chinesimple, best experienced on your PC or Mac with BlueStacks, the world’s #1 Android emulator.
Chinese YCT 4 feels like a study app that actually wants to be used every day. It bundles the YCT Level 4 stuff into quick tasks and little games, so practice does not drag. Running it on PC through BlueStacks is nice, since the bigger screen makes stroke order and picturecards easier to see, and the mouse is fine for tracing. The mic picks up voice practice without fuss, so speaking checks do not feel awkward either.
The content is straight to the point. There is a clean dictionary with the 300 YCT 4 words, plus picturecards, simplified and traditional characters, and tone colors so the pronunciation sticks. Words can be starred, and everything is searchable by meaning, hanzi, or pinyin. Sentences are grouped into 12 everyday topics, around 139 of them, so it is clear what to review. Audio comes from a native speaker, and there is a record-your-voice option. Voice search and recognition work, but they need an internet connection.
The game side is what keeps it moving. There are 15 different mini games and a big pile of challenges, more than 2700, with 24 small achievements that nudge along progress. Stats update in real time, mistakes are logged, and it is easy to spot weak spots before the next round. Interface languages include English, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish, which helps if someone prefers translations. The lite version trims content, but the structure stays the same. On a laptop, typing pinyin with a keyboard feels faster, and dragging strokes with a mouse is oddly satisfying, even if it is not perfect handwriting practice.
Eager to take your app experience to the next level? Start right away by downloading BlueStacks on your PC or Mac.
