If you are raising a child in an English-speaking environment and want them to learn Chinese, you might not know how to start. Don’t be too hard on yourself! Many Taiwanese and Chinese who grew up in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom did not grow up reading Chinese or do not speak Mandarin at all. Many now have children in Mandarin immersion school and want to support learning at home.
Boba Chinese was created with families like yours by parents who understand the need to reduce the struggle of learning Chinese without turning your home into a second classroom.
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Try Boba Chinese for free and when you’re ready to subscribe (because you will!) use my exclusive promo code MAMABABY15 to get 15% off
What Is the Boba Chinese App and How Does It Teach Language?
Boba Chinese is a children’s Chinese learning app designed for heritage learners ages 3 to 8. A heritage learner is a child who grows up with a connection to a language through family or culture. Most heritage learners have exposure to Chinese, but still need a ton of additional support to reach fluency and literacy. The Boba Chinese curriculum focuses on helping kids acquire language through context and repeated exposure, much like they learned English.
Instead of teaching vocabulary lists, the app introduces characters through stories, songs, and audio. Children see and hear characters used in meaningful sentences that build familiarity through repetition in real language.
What Features Are Included in the Boba Chinese App
Boba Chinese gives your child structured practice and meaningful exposure to the Chinese language by blending interactive lessons with stories, games, and songs.
Choose From Traditional or Simplified Chinese
You select the character set that fits your family goals, supporting curriculum, or working with a Mandarin immersion school.
Audio Support in Chinese or Bilingual with English
Lessons include narration and guided reading features. Children hear correct pronunciation while seeing characters in context, which supports listening and reading together. Beginners can start with the bilingual audio with English, then choose the Chinese audio as your child progresses.
Collectible Character Rewards
As children complete lessons, they earn character cards and progress markers. This adds motivation without distracting from learning goals.
Progress Tracking
Built-in progress tools allow you to see which lessons your child has completed and which characters they have learned. This helps you understand progress at a glance, even if you do not read Chinese yourself.
Intuitive and Interactive Kid-friendly Design
Large touch targets and simple navigation allow young learners to use the app with increasing independence. Tap the Chinese characters for instant audio feedback to aid recognition and to hear proper pronunciation. This feature gives your child instant feedback, especially helpful for parents who do not read Chinese. Lessons are not overly gamified to focus on learning without the distraction of constant movement.
Beautiful Illustrations
The app’s professional illustrations are a much-appreciated feature. The high-quality illustrations capture the imagination of young learners without being too busy or complicated.
What Does the Boba Chinese App Curriculum Cover
Boba Chinese follows a clear, long-term reading pathway. Each stage builds on the previous one, so children move from foundational literacy to advanced reading with structure and direction.
200+ Foundational Characters
The Boba Chinese program teaches 200 essential Chinese characters in a clear sequence. Each lesson builds on previous learning, so children develop a strong reading foundation instead of memorizing random characters.
From Zero to reading 70+ Chinese books
Progress from beginner lessons to reading complete books using only the Chinese characters your child has learned to enforce repetition to strengthen character recognition. They will experience less frustration, early success, and steady progress.
100+ Games, Songs, and Stories
Practice through writing activities, matching games, puzzles, and audio stories. The games reinforce the same characters taught in lessons, so practice stays focused and purposeful.
Pricing for the Boba Chinese App
Free Trial
Boba Chinese offers a free trial; your child learns four Chinese characters in one full lesson. This includes the complete learn, read, and play experience from the core Boba Chinese program.
There are also quite a few free resources on the Boba Chinese website, including printable worksheets, games, and stories. Their blog is another helpful resource for you to find tips and advice to raise bilingual children.
Subscription Options
The standard subscription is $12.99 USD per month. Save $55 with the yearly subscription of $99.99.
Prices listed are current as of April 2026 and may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date pricing and feature comparison, please visit the Boba Chinese website.
Save 15% with Promo Code MAMABABY15
Try Boba Chinese for free and when you’re ready to subscribe (because you will!) use my exclusive promo code MAMABABY15 to get 15% off
A Personal Message from the Founder
Hello, I’m Angie Huang, a Taiwanese American mom raising two boys in the San Francisco Bay Area. A math PhD brought me to the US, and I eventually found my way into tech as a software engineer at Facebook. On paper, it looked like the perfect career, but motherhood changed everything. I started asking myself if there was something more meaningful I could be doing for my own children and for families like ours. Last year, I decided step away from a comfortable path and begin building Boba Chinese.
To me, Chinese is more than a language. It’s a bridge between my children and the world I grew up in. I believe language is a way of seeing the world, and Chinese is how I see mine. Through it, I hope my boys can catch a glimpse of that, too. Like many of you, I’ve always been searching for the best way to pass that on. And the more I explored, the more I realized that the real key was motivation. If a child wants to learn, everything else falls into place. That became my north star: build something that makes kids not just learn Chinese, but love it. Something that makes them run to show their friends, something that makes Chinese feel cool, fun, and worth being excited about. Because the best thing that could happen is a child who chooses to.
You can follow or reach out to Angie on IG @bobachinese
