What is Hanzi Roast used for?

Hanzi Roast is an iPhone and iPad app that teaches writing Chinese characters in HSK sentences, with stroke scoring and an AI tutor that critiques your handwriting. It is a good fit for learning to handwrite Chinese for HSK exams and practicing stroke order with instant feedback.

How much does Hanzi Roast cost?

Paid plans for Hanzi Roast start at $14.99 per month, and there is no free plan.

Is Hanzi Roast open source?

No. Hanzi Roast is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. In the Education & LMS category, open-source options include freeCodeCamp, Anki and AnkiDroid.

What are some alternatives to Hanzi Roast?

Hanzi Roast competes with Duolingo, Memrise and italki.

Hanzi Roast: features, pricing and alternatives

About Hanzi Roast

Hanzi Roast is an app for learning to write Chinese characters by hand, published by Khang Duy Vo for iPhone and iPad. Instead of isolated flashcards, you write characters inside HSK-aligned sentences about travel, food, work and daily life, so you learn how words are used as well as how they are drawn.

A handwriting engine scores stroke order, shape accuracy, direction and proportion in real time, and an AI tutor called Shifu reviews your writing in a personality you choose: brutal, sarcastic or supportive. The curriculum covers HSK 1 to 6 with over 2,600 standard characters, a spaced repetition schedule brings back characters you struggle with, and stats track mastery percentage and daily streak.

The app is free to download with in-app purchases, rated 13+ and filed under Education. Higher tiers unlock as you prove mastery of earlier levels, which suits learners who want structured progress from beginner to advanced.

Key features

Writing practice inside HSK sentences
Real-time stroke order and shape scoring
AI tutor with brutal, sarcastic or supportive modes
HSK 1 to 6 curriculum of 2,600 characters
Spaced repetition review
Mastery stats and daily streaks

Good fit for

Learning to handwrite Chinese for HSK exams
Practicing stroke order with instant feedback

Tags: chinese; hsk; handwriting; language-learning; ios; ai-tutor; stroke-order

Hanzi Roast: questions and answers

What is Hanzi Roast used for?: Hanzi Roast is an iPhone and iPad app that teaches writing Chinese characters in HSK sentences, with stroke scoring and an AI tutor that critiques your handwriting. It is a good fit for learning to handwrite Chinese for HSK exams and practicing stroke order with instant feedback.
How much does Hanzi Roast cost?: Paid plans for Hanzi Roast start at $14.99 per month, and there is no free plan.
Is Hanzi Roast open source?: No. Hanzi Roast is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. In the Education & LMS category, open-source options include freeCodeCamp, Anki and AnkiDroid.
What are some alternatives to Hanzi Roast?: Hanzi Roast competes with Duolingo, Memrise and italki.