About SayHanzi

What is SayHanzi?

SayHanzi is about the stories hiding inside Chinese characters. Every character carries a story that goes back thousands of years — and we're here to tell those stories in English, with the sound, the meaning, and the context you need to truly understand them.

Whether you're learning Chinese, preparing for HSK, or just curious about the culture — start with any character, and see where its story leads.

Why free?

Most Chinese learning apps lock basic features behind signup walls or subscriptions. Every tool and every guide on SayHanzi is free to use, with no signup and no ads. A few larger study packs are sold separately for learners who want a structured course — but nothing you need to start is behind a paywall.

This project is built by someone who grew up with this language and culture, and wants to share it with the world. The goal is simple: help people outside China understand it — one character at a time.

Tools

🀄️ HSK 1 & HSK 2 — 301 words, each with pinyin, native audio, example sentences, the story behind every character, and links to related words
📖 Graded Reading — 21 short stories written entirely within HSK 1 and HSK 2 vocabulary, with pinyin above every character and toggles to hide the aids
🔤 Chinese Name Generator — Get your name in Chinese with meaning and pronunciation, or browse 40 common English names
🐉 Chinese Zodiac — Find your animal by birth date, worked out the traditional lunar way, then explore all twelve animals
🗣️ Essential Phrases — 34 everyday phrases, each with its own page: meaning, how Chinese people actually say it, and example sentences
🔢 Chinese Numbers — Count 0–100 with tap-to-hear audio + listening quiz
🔍 Homophone Explorer — Type any pinyin and see every character that shares the sound
📊 Pinyin Chart — Complete syllable chart with all tone combinations
🎵 Tone Quiz — Train your ear to distinguish the four tones

Guides

Short reads on the language and the culture behind it — why the character for "home" contains a pig, how Chinese measure words actually work, what makes one character mean a dozen different things, and plenty more.

Printables

Two things worth putting on your desk: a printable pinyin chart with every initial, final, and tone, and HSK 1 flashcards covering all 150 words.

Contact

Questions, feedback, or just want to say hi? Use the 💬 feedback button on any page, or email us at feedback@sayhanzi.com.

We reply to every message — your input shapes what we build next.