Free on iPhone and iPad
Zishu checks every stroke as you draw it, using authentic stroke order data. Free forever: no ads, no accounts, and it works completely offline.
笔 The brush
The calligraphy ink brush is now the default way to write in Zishu. The stroke's width and nib rotation follow the speed and direction of your hand, with a tapered entry and a pressed finish, so your writing looks like ink, not marker.
Prefer a clean line? The Classic style is one tap away. Want a real challenge? The Invisible style hides your strokes as you write from memory.
写 Practice
Learning mode stages each character through three steps, and grades your writing automatically so you can stay in flow. Already know one? Skip it with a tap.
Follow the animated direction hints: a traveling arrow rides the stroke path and turns with it.
Write inside the character's outline, training wheels on, hints off.
A blank square, your hand, and the character in your head.
Stroke detection was rebuilt to be lenient about where you draw and how big, and strict about direction. Hooks are mandatory: write 亅 without its hook and it fails.
Strokes that physically connect can be written in one flowing movement, like 了 in a single flow, or the cover radical of 学.
Every time you complete a character, Zishu shows what its components mean, with coverage for essentially every component in the dictionary.
学 Study
Zishu schedules your reviews and picks your practice, so you spend time where it counts.
Every character you practice is scheduled on expanding intervals. Miss one and its ladder resets. A card on the home screen shows exactly what's due today.
Practice features the characters you actually struggle with, instead of serving you 一 and 你 for the hundredth time.
An open-ended mode over everything you've learned, for when you just want to keep writing.
Daily goals, progress statistics, and a most-missed list so you know exactly which characters need work.
书 Library
Pre-built sets for every HSK level, plus radicals and frequency lists.
Create sets from any text, organize them in folders, merge and edit them, or auto-create review sets from your mistakes.
Definitions, pinyin, and example words from CC-CEDICT, and you can add your own definitions.
Hear each character with the best Mandarin voice available on your device.
A comfortable, adjustable writing area sized for single-character writing.
The full interface is available in both languages.
Everything is stored on your device. No analytics, no tracking, no account, no internet required.
Export your progress to a file and import it whenever you need it.
新 What's new
This update is the biggest one yet. If your custom sets ever disappeared, they're recovered automatically the first time you open the app.
评 Reviews
"After downloading Zishu, I find myself opening it and passively learning while bored. I can easily learn new characters, and improve weak ones."
"Quite nifty, clean, and you can add your own characters, truly a gentlemen's app"
"I learned ~25 characters in a week."
Rated 5 stars on the French App Store, with over 2,350 learners worldwide.
你好 A note from Archer
I'm a student, and Zishu started because I wanted a writing app that felt fair, beautiful, and actually free. I plan on keeping Zishu free: every feature, forever, with no ads and no accounts. If you have ideas, find a bug, or just want to say hi, shoot me an email at archer@cre8d.com :)
Follow along on Instagram at @zishu.app for updates and new features. 加油!
Free forever. No ads, no subscriptions, no accounts. Requires iOS 15 or later on iPhone and iPad.
