Free at the Apple App Store
Allset Learning Pinyin App
The Allset Learning Pinyin app is a wonderful tool for people on the go. If you are standing in line, traveling on mass transit or just want to improve your Chinese pronunciation, Allset Learning’s pinyin app is a great tool to use.
Veteran Chinese educator John Pasden has once more done a great job of making Chinese learning enjoyable. (See my articles on the Chinese Grammar Wiki and Mandarin Companion Chinese readers.)
Available on iPhone and iPad
The basic app, which for most people is all you need, is available for free from the iTunes store for iPhone and iPads. From what I can tell, it is not on the Android platform. Since I’m an iPhone owner, I’m fine, but I believe it would be a plus if Allset Learning had an Android version.
App’s Main features
Zoom in on the ‘zhuang’ syllable
Every combination of Chinese initials and finals form a chart which you can easily pan on your iPad or iPhone to the specific syllable you wish to hear. Allset Learning did a great job of creating a simple and clean interface!
You can hear each tone individually or hear all four tones according to your preference. The syllables are pronounced by a native Chinese speaker. The more you hear these syllables and intonations, the better your pronunciation will be! Practice! Practice! Practice!
Oh yes, one one thing. The app is available in other languages other than English: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Japanese, Thai, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.
Addon Features
I’m partial to the Hanyu Pinyin since that was what I learned in my first Chinese course, but the Allset Learning pinyin app has several addons for other major pronunciation systems. These include Zhuyin (Taiwan’s “bo po mo fo” system), Wade Giles, Yale, and a few others. These addons are available from the App Store for a nominal price. If you’re an advanced Chinese student, you may benefit from them.
How to get the Allset Learning Pinyin App
To get this app for free, click here to go to the Apple App Store.
