Chenel Morrison
April 18, 2018
As a an avid language learner (or at least someone who is interested in learning languages and spends a lot of time considering which language to start learning instead of actually learning it), I have a lot of experience with language apps. There are the popularly used apps like Duolingo, Memrise, and Babbel. However, with apps like Duolingo only recently adding Korean, I was forced to look into other apps. I found apps that actually worked, and they were even more impressive than some of the mainstream apps. The following are apps that you might have not heard about but are great resources in learning Chinese, Japanese and Korean on the move or in your free time:
1. Mango Languages (for Chinese, Japanese and Korean, and other languages)
The first “underrated” app that I used and was truly impressed. It focuses on speaking and listening, and it is completely free (no annoying in-app purchase deals or ads). Each chapter is based on practical real-world conversations, and it is the type of app you can start using in the airport or on the plane (there is even an offline option) and be ready to say “This is nice weather” in the target language when you land. Also, they offer Culture Notes, so you know that the proper greeting in China is a handshake and not a bow.
2. ChineseSkill (for Mandarin)
This app does not deserve to be free, but it is, and it is superb. It has no ads, no in-purchase subscription requirement, but it has offline learning, SRS flashcards, pop quizzes, character writing, speaking practice, tonal practice, games, and above all the graphics are out of this world. No matter your level of Mandarin, I am sure this app is all you need to get start or improve your Mandarin.
3. Lingo Deer (for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean)
If you are looking for a standard app which only focuses on East Asian languages, this is it. I feel that the platform is really similar to ChineseSkill, and for that reason it is equally as great. It has as many features as ChineseSkill, but in addition to Mandarin, there is Japanese and Korean, and it is easy to switch from one to the others. Plus, the main screen keeps the percentage level of each language that you completed, and that’s a motivation (at least for me) to get all of them to the same level.
4. Rieul Korean (for Korean) only on Google App Store
This is the only language app I currently have on my phone, and it is there for a reason. It is a dictionary (it combines Daum and Naver dictionary search), conjugation checker, vocabulary builder, pronunciation giver, along with a myriad of other things. It’s great and free.
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