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About Learn Chinese (Mandarin) by MindSnacks
*** One of the best educational apps of the year - Apple (iTunes Rewind) ***
Now you can learn Mandarin Chinese just by playing games on the go. With 8 addictive games designed for essential vocabulary & conversation skills, our Mandarin app is perfect for students and travelers of all ages who want to learn, speak and read Mandarin the easy way.
Instead of snooze-worthy flashcards, our apps are packed with rich games that teach important aspects of Mandarin such as the Pinyin and character writing systems. And with our new game, Galactic, you’ll master the ever-important usage of tones within the Mandarin dialect. Plus, lessons like “Yes or no questions,” and “Chinese foods” will have you conversing like a local in no time.
“Learn Chinese (Mandarin)” includes one free level and if that’s not enough, upgrade to get a whopping 50 additional levels and 40+ hours of content. With so many bite-sized portions of knowledge, MindSnacks is like the dim sum of language learning. Mmmmmmm...dim sum.
* PRESS *
App Safari
“This app is not just your average, run-of-the-mill crash course... It includes complex exercises, challenges, and lessons that make the learning process fun and effective."
Edukwest
“...Galactic truly takes advantage of the touchscreen in a unique game mechanic. The space theme is also visually and auditorily appealing, creating an all around fun (and educational!) multisensory experience.”
* FEATURES *
-- 8 addictive and unique games
-- 1000+ Chinese words & phrases to study and master
-- Unique “Galactic” game to help master the tones required to speak Mandarin
-- Spoken audio clips provided by a native Chinese speaker to help with pronunciation
-- Hand-illustrated image library to help memorize words
-- 50 Chinese lessons designed by Ivy League instructors (upgrade required)
-- Personalized learning algorithms to maximize memorization, retention & contextual usage
-- Enhanced review mode lets you replay previously mastered lessons
-- Additional quests & challenges will keep you motivated
-- Thoughtful curriculum may induce smiles and the occasional “booyah!!!” when achieving new high scores
* WHAT OUR (SUPER AWESOME) FANS HAVE TO SAY *
“I’ve been waiting for a fun app that teaches Chinese and this one is awesome! It teaches characters and pinyin, so it’s great for beginners. They even have a game that teaches tones!”
“The Mindsnacks Apps are colourful, fun and perfect for learning. The games are heart-racing and enjoyable. My favourite game for the Chinese app was 'Galactic' because it really helped me with pronunciation.”
* THE SCIENCE BEHIND MINDSNACKS *
At MindSnacks we like to keep it fun, but we’re serious about learning. That’s why our Mandarin app includes 8 challenging games designed by Ivy League professors. Each game teaches a specific skill for speaking Mandarin and helps create a well-rounded learning experience for both kids and adults that goes well beyond basic flashcards.
Of course studying is only worth it if it works, so our unique algorithm reinforces the learning process using proven methods from the field of memory studies. Over time, the games adapt to your individual performance, selectively repeating Chinese words, phrases and grammatical points with which you’ve previously struggled. In other words, as you learn Mandarin, the app learns about you for a more effective learning experience.
Perfect for beginning and intermediate learners of Mandarin, MindSnacks is like your own personal Chinese teacher you can take just about anywhere. You’ll quickly become less reliant on that Chinese dictionary and learn the grammar and vocab you need for traveling in China.
* SUPPORT *
For more information or support, please contact us at [email protected]. Or if you’re feeling social, come on over and like, follow or tweet us.
VISIT US: mindsnacks.com
FOLLOW US: twitter.com/mindsnacks
LIKE US: facebook.com/mindsnacks
Version
Version: 3.3.8
App Information
| Official website | http://www.mindsnacks.com |
|---|---|
| Languages | N/A |
| Category | Games, Education, Word |
| Age Rating | 4+ |
Remember when learning apps were actually fun instead of guilt-tripping you with streaks? I stumbled across MindSnacks Chinese while desperately searching for alternatives to Duolingo's passive-aggressive owl. This little app is from 2011 - ancient by App Store standards - but Apple once called it one of their best educational apps.
Thirteen years later, does it still deliver? After three weeks of daily testing, I'm genuinely surprised by what this "vintage" language app gets right.
What MindSnacks Chinese Actually Does
Forget traditional flashcards or boring grammar drills. MindSnacks turns Mandarin learning into eight different mini-games, each targeting specific skills. Think of it as a Chinese learning arcade rather than a classroom.
Vocab Ninja has you slicing flying characters while hearing pronunciations. Sounds gimmicky, but muscle memory kicked in faster than I expected. After a week, I was recognizing 你好 (hello) and 谢谢 (thank you) without conscious thought.
Spelling Bee scrambles Chinese characters that you reconstruct by tapping components in order. This actually taught me stroke order better than any textbook ever did.
Freefall drops characters from the sky - you catch correct translations while avoiding wrong ones. My 8-year-old nephew grabbed my phone during this game and kept playing for twenty minutes straight.
Memory Palace creates spatial associations between characters and meanings. You walk through virtual rooms linking objects to Chinese words. Weirdly effective for visual learners.
The other four games (Match Game, Color Sensei, Word Bricks, and Grammar Zombies) focus on reading comprehension, tones, sentence construction, and listening skills respectively.
Each game tracks your progress through 50 difficulty levels. No subscriptions, no premium tiers - just one-time purchase and you get everything. Revolutionary concept, right?
Three Weeks of Daily Practice
Week 1: Skeptical Curiosity Downloaded expecting outdated graphics and broken mechanics. Instead found surprisingly polished mini-games that actually made me want to practice. The retro aesthetic (think iPhone 4 era) felt charming rather than dated.
Started with 15 minutes daily during coffee breaks. The games are genuinely addictive - I'd tell myself "just one more level" and suddenly 30 minutes had passed.
Week 2: Building Momentum Characters I learned in Vocab Ninja started appearing in other games, creating natural reinforcement. This interconnected approach beat isolated flashcard drilling hands down.
The pronunciation audio (recorded by native speakers) helped with tones, though my attempts still sounded like a confused robot. My Chinese colleague laughed at my 马 (horse) vs 妈 (mother) confusion - apparently I kept asking about her horse instead of her mom.
Week 3: Real Progress Could recognize about 100 basic characters and understood simple phrases. Not fluent obviously, but more progress than six months of sporadic Duolingo use.
Most importantly, I actually looked forward to practice sessions instead of dreading them. That's huge for language learning sustainability.
What Works Surprisingly Well
Game Design: These aren't educational games that happen to be fun - they're genuinely fun games that happen to teach Chinese. The difference matters enormously for motivation.
No Pressure: No streaks to maintain, no guilt notifications, no social pressure. You learn at your own pace without artificial urgency.
Character Recognition: The visual approach works better than romanization (pinyin) for building actual reading skills. You learn to see characters as complete units rather than letter combinations.
Affordable: $4.99 one-time purchase. Compare that to Duolingo Plus ($7/month) or Babbel ($14/month). The value proposition is insane.
Offline Mode: Everything downloads locally. Perfect for subway commutes or airplane practice without data anxiety.
Where Age Shows
Limited Vocabulary: Covers maybe 400-500 words total across all levels. Great foundation, but you'll need additional resources for intermediate learning.
No Conversation Practice: Games teach recognition and basic comprehension but don't develop speaking skills. You'll sound like a tourist reading from a phrasebook.
Grammar Gaps: Character recognition is solid, but complex sentence structures require supplementary learning.
Interface Feels Dated: Works perfectly fine, but looks distinctly like iPhone 4 era design. Some younger users might find it off-putting.
No Updates: Last major update was 2019. Not broken, but missing modern features like speech recognition or AI tutoring.
Honest Comparison with Modern Alternatives
vs Duolingo: MindSnacks is way more fun and less manipulative, but Duolingo has vastly more content and active development. For beginners, MindSnacks might actually be better for building initial enthusiasm.
vs HelloChinese: HelloChinese has better conversation practice and modern features, but costs $8/month subscription. MindSnacks gives you everything upfront for $5 total.
vs Pleco: Pleco is the gold standard Chinese dictionary app, but it's purely reference. MindSnacks actually teaches through interaction.
vs Traditional Classes: Obviously more limited than human instruction, but perfect for testing whether you actually enjoy Chinese learning before investing serious money.
Who Should Download This
Perfect for: Complete beginners who want to test Chinese learning without subscription commitments. Parents looking for genuinely educational games for kids. Anyone who found Duolingo boring or stressful.
Skip if: You need intermediate/advanced content, want modern app design, or require conversation practice features.
Ideal Age Range: Kids love the games, adults appreciate the efficiency. Probably less appealing for teenagers who expect Instagram-level polish.
Bottom Line After Three Weeks
MindSnacks Chinese is a delightful anachronism - an app that prioritizes learning over engagement metrics. Yes, it's from 2011. Yes, the graphics look vintage. But the core game design remains brilliant for building character recognition and basic vocabulary.
At $4.99, it's cheaper than a single coffee shop visit and might give you months of productive practice. I'm genuinely planning to continue using it alongside other resources.
The real test? My 8-year-old nephew keeps asking to "play Chinese games" on my phone. If MindSnacks can make Mandarin learning feel like playtime instead of work, they've accomplished something remarkable.
Download if: You want affordable, pressure-free Chinese learning that actually feels fun.
Skip if: You need comprehensive language courses, modern app design, or intermediate content.
Reality check: This won't make you fluent, but it might make you excited about Chinese learning. Sometimes that's exactly what you need to get started.
For what it promises - making Chinese characters less intimidating through clever games - MindSnacks absolutely delivers. Thirteen years later, that's still pretty impressive.
