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What is trainchinese?
Trainchinese is a Chinese–English dictionary and vocabulary-training service. It combines a searchable dictionary of simplified and traditional Chinese with audio, example sentences, and character/word details, then lets you turn those words into flashcard lists you can drill online or in apps for iOS, Android, and desktop.
What you can do with it
- Look up words and characters: Search a Chinese–English dictionary that covers both simplified and traditional forms, with example sentences and audio recordings.
- Build or borrow vocabulary lists: Create your own lists from dictionary entries, or copy from a library of more than 1,000 ready-made lists organized by topic and difficulty. These come from both staff and other users.
- Train in four modes: Practice reading, writing, recognizing spoken words, and translating into your native language. The flashcard presentation changes per mode — for example, seeing Chinese and giving the translation, or hearing a word and identifying it.
- Use spaced repetition: The system tracks your "know" and "don't know" answers and removes words you've passed from the training cycle, bringing them back later for review.
- Study on multiple devices: Use it in a browser or through apps for iOS, Android, and desktop PC/Mac.
Who it suits
It's aimed at individual learners who want dictionary lookup and structured vocabulary drilling in one place. The page also signals a separate offering for teachers and schools running private or classroom Chinese courses.
A practical next step
If you're deciding whether it fits your routine, pick one real goal first — say, 20 words for a specific topic — and test whether the dictionary-to-flashcard workflow and the four training modes feel faster than your current method. The spaced-repetition removal of "passed" words is the feature most worth checking against how you like to review.
How does trainchinese's spaced repetition system work to help me memorize Chinese vocabulary?
Trainchinese uses spaced repetition to decide when a vocabulary word should reappear in your training cycle. In practice, you review a flash card, mark whether you "know" or "don't know" it, and the system counts those responses. A word you pass is removed from the current training cycle and scheduled to come back later; a word you struggle with stays in rotation and returns sooner. The goal is to spend more time on weak items and less on words you already recognize.
What makes its approach distinctive
Trainchinese trains each word in four modes: reading, writing, recognizing spoken words, and translating into your native language. The same vocabulary item is presented differently depending on the mode—for example, you might see Chinese characters and produce a translation in one mode, or hear only the audio and identify the word in another. Because the spaced-repetition scheduling responds to your "know" / "don't know" answers, each mode can surface a different kind of weakness. You might pass a word easily when reading it but keep failing it when you only hear it, which is useful if your goal is listening comprehension rather than just recognition.
A practical way to use it
- Build or copy a vocabulary list from the dictionary, or choose from the ready-made lists covering different topics and difficulty levels.
- Train that list in all four modes rather than only the one you find easiest.
- Answer honestly when marking a card. If you guess correctly but were unsure, marking it as "don't know" keeps it in rotation longer, which is usually the better learning choice.
- Let the system handle the timing instead of cramming a list repeatedly in one sitting. The value of spaced repetition comes from the gaps between reviews.
Who benefits most
This setup suits learners who want vocabulary drilling tied directly to a dictionary, with audio and both simplified and traditional characters, and who study across devices—the site notes apps for iOS, Android, and desktop. If you prefer a purely conversational course with minimal flash-card work, the spaced-repetition core may feel like extra overhead.
Next step
Pick one small list—ten to twenty words on a topic you actually need—and train it in all four modes for a week. Watch which words keep returning and which mode trips you up most; that tells you whether to adjust your list or focus your practice. You can explore the dictionary and list options at Trainchinese.
Can I use trainchinese to teach Chinese to a class or school, and how does it support teachers?
Yes. Trainchinese is built for individual learners, but it also has a classroom/school angle: its own site invites teachers who teach Chinese privately or at school to "see how trainchinese can work for your class or school." The teacher support you can count on from the site itself is vocabulary-centred: you assemble word lists from the dictionary, reuse ready-made lists, and have students train those words in the apps or on the web.
H3 What teachers can actually do with it
- Build a class vocabulary list from the dictionary, including phrases and example sentences.
- Copy an existing list instead of authoring from scratch; the site says there are more than 1,000 lists made by staff and other users, sorted by topic and difficulty.
- Assign the same list to a whole class, then let each student train it at their own pace.
- Use the four training modes to cover different skills: reading, writing, recognising spoken words, and translating into the student's native language.
- Rely on the system's spaced repetition to decide when a word comes back, rather than scheduling revision yourself.
- Point students to iOS, Android, and desktop apps so practice continues outside class.
H3 Where it fits and where it doesn't
Trainchinese is strongest as a vocabulary and memorisation layer on top of your teaching, not as a full curriculum. It gives you word lists, flashcards, audio, games and quizzes; it does not replace your lesson plans, grammar explanations, speaking practice or assessment. For a school, that means it works best as homework or independent practice between lessons, with the teacher choosing the lists.
Two practical caveats. First, the classroom/school information is a signposted area rather than something described in detail on the page, so if you need seat licences, progress reporting for a whole class, or an institutional agreement, ask the team directly through the contact form before committing. Second, because lists can be copied from other users, check a shared list for accuracy and level before assigning it.
H3 A concrete scenario
A secondary-school teacher with three Year 9 classes picks a topic list, trims it to the 30 words covered this term, and assigns it. Students train at home in the modes that match the week's focus — listening mode before a dictation, writing mode before a character test — while the teacher spends class time on speaking and grammar. Spaced repetition handles the revision schedule.
H3 If you are choosing between options
Compare on the things that decide classroom adoption: whether you can create and share your own lists, whether there is audio for both simplified and traditional characters, whether there are mobile and desktop apps for students, and whether the provider offers anything specific for schools. Trainchinese covers the first three clearly; for the fourth, contact them. If you want a broader reference point, Pleco is a well-known dictionary and flashcard tool for individual learners, and Skritter focuses on character writing practice — both are personal-study tools rather than class management systems.
Next step: register a free account, build one short list, and run it with a single class for two weeks before deciding whether to roll it out more widely.
What vocabulary lists are available on trainchinese, and how do I create my own?
Trainchinese offers two main routes to vocabulary: ready-made lists and lists you build yourself from its dictionary.
Ready-made lists. The site says you can copy from a selection of more than 1,000 vocab lists, covering hundreds of topics and different difficulty levels. These are prepared both by the site's professional staff and by other users, so quality and style will vary — staff lists are likely more consistent, while user lists may reflect a specific textbook, exam or course.
Building your own. Create an account, then search the Chinese-English dictionary (simplified and traditional, with example sentences and audio) and add words and phrases to a new list. You can also start from a ready-made list and edit it, which is usually faster than building from scratch.
Once a list exists, trainchinese trains it in four modes — reading, writing, recognising spoken words, and translating into your native language — and presents flashcards differently in each mode. It tracks "know" and "don't know" responses and uses spaced repetition to drop passed words from the cycle and bring them back later. This works online and in the iOS, Android and desktop apps.
A practical next step. If you are following a textbook, search for a user list matching that book first and edit it; if you are learning for work or travel, build a short list of 20–30 words from the dictionary, then let spaced repetition decide the pace. Teachers can also check the class and school option mentioned on the site.
For broader comparison, Pleco is a well-known Chinese dictionary and flashcard app, and Anki is a general spaced-repetition tool if you prefer full control over your own cards.
How do the four training modes on trainchinese differ, and which one should I use?
The four modes split vocabulary practice by skill rather than by difficulty. Instead of showing every word the same way, trainchinese presents cards differently depending on whether you are working on reading, writing, listening or translation. So the choice is less about which mode is "best" and more about which skill you are currently trying to strengthen.
What each mode targets
- Reading: You see Chinese characters and work on recognizing them directly, without relying on pinyin or translation first.
- Writing: You are prompted to produce the characters, which is the slowest and most demanding mode but the one that exposes gaps in character recall.
- Listening: You hear a word and identify it, training recognition of spoken Chinese rather than written forms.
- Translation: You see or hear a word and give the meaning in your native language, which is closest to traditional flashcard review.
The system also tracks how often you mark a card as known or not known, and removes cards you consistently pass from the active cycle. Words return later through spaced repetition, so a word you "pass" today is not gone permanently.
Choosing a mode
| Your situation | Sensible starting point |
|---|---|
| New to characters, need to recognize them | Reading |
| Can read but cannot produce characters by hand | Writing |
| Struggling to follow spoken Chinese | Listening |
| Building quick meaning recall for exams or conversation | Translation |
| Preparing for a mixed test | Rotate all four across the week |
A practical approach for most learners is to run reading and listening as your daily core, add translation when you need faster comprehension, and treat writing as a separate, shorter session because it takes more time per word. If you are studying for a specific exam, check which skills it tests and weight your modes accordingly.
A concrete next step
Pick ten words you already half-know, run them through each mode once, and note where you hesitate most. That hesitation usually points to the mode you have been avoiding. You can build lists from the dictionary or copy from the ready-made lists covering different topics and levels, then train them online or in the iOS, Android and desktop apps. For classroom or private teaching use, the site also describes how the system can be set up for a class or school.
Related tools worth knowing: Pleco for dictionary and reader work on mobile, and Skritter if writing practice is your main priority.
Is trainchinese available on iPhone, Android, and desktop, and do I need an account to use it?
Yes. Trainchinese runs as a web service plus apps for iOS (iPhone/iPad), Android, and desktop (PC/Mac), and you can use much of the dictionary without signing in — but an account is effectively required for the parts that make it a study tool.
What works without an account
- Searching the Chinese–English dictionary, including simplified and traditional entries with example sentences and audio.
- Browsing the site and looking up words as a reference.
What needs an account
- Building and saving your own vocabulary lists from dictionary entries.
- Copying ready-made lists (the site says there are over 1,000, made by staff and other users).
- Running flash-card training in the four modes (reading, writing, listening, translating), with the system tracking your "know"/"don't know" answers and using spaced repetition to reschedule words.
- Syncing progress across devices, which is the main reason to register rather than just look words up.
Platform comparison
| Platform | What you get |
|---|---|
| Web browser | Dictionary search, list building, full online training |
| iPhone / iPad app | Same dictionary and training on the go, synced to your account |
| Android app | Same as iOS |
| Desktop PC / Mac app | Offline-style study on a larger screen, same account |
A practical scenario
Say you're preparing for an HSK-level exam on a commute. You search a word on your phone, add it to a list, train it in listening mode on the train, then open the desktop app at home to drill writing. That workflow only holds together if you're signed in on all three — otherwise each device is just a standalone dictionary.
Next step
Register a free account, pick one ready-made list at your level, and train it for a week before deciding whether to build your own lists. If you only ever need quick lookups, skip the account and use the dictionary alone. For a second opinion on vocabulary coverage and character detail, compare entries against MDBG or YellowBridge.
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