If you’re learning Mandarin and want to improve your Chinese reading skills, Maayot offers a different approach from traditional language-learning apps. Instead of focusing on flashcards or character matching games, daily Chinese reading practice helps you build comprehension and learn new words through short stories at your level and pace.
Here’s what you should know about Maayot, how it works, and whether it’s a good option for you.
What Is Maayot?
Maayot is an online Mandarin learning platform that helps learners improve their Chinese reading comprehension through short, level-appropriate stories.
Available through its website and mobile app, Maayot combines reading, listening, vocabulary explanations, and comprehension questions in one place. Learners can look up unfamiliar words while reading and listen to native-speaker audio to practice pronunciation and listening comprehension.
Unlike apps that focus primarily on memorizing vocabulary or practicing individual phrases, Maayot encourages learners to understand Chinese in context. Stories cover different topics and are organized by proficiency level.
Maayot Features
- Web and mobile app for iOS and Android: Learn on a computer, tablet, or phone
- Simplified and Traditional Chinese: Choose the character system you prefer
- Customized reading experience: adjust font size, turn on/off Pinyin and translations
- Six reading levels: From Beginner 1 to Advanced 2, with levels aligned to HSK and TOCFL
- Instant feedback: Tap words to see pinyin, definitions, and hear pronunciation
- Native-speaker audio: Listen to each story, with adjustable speed and male or female voice
- Comprehension quizzes: Answer questions about each story to check your understanding
- Vocabulary tracking: Track words from newly encountered to mastered
- Teacher feedback: Pro subscribers can receive personalized corrections for writing and speaking
- Integrations: Connect your Skritter, Hack Chinese, and Beeminder accounts
Who Is Maayot For?
Maayot is best suited to Mandarin learners who already have some Chinese reading skills and want to improve their vocabulary and comprehension. It’s also a good option for heritage Mandarin speakers who want to strengthen their reading skills.
Is Maayot Good for Older Kids Learning Chinese?
Although Maayot offers beginner-level lessons, the content is not tailored for young children. Parents should preview the stories to determine whether the subject matter, vocabulary, and reading level are appropriate for their child.
How Does Maayot Work?
Maayot uses short stories to help learners build a daily Chinese reading habit. Lessons combine written text with vocabulary support, audio, and comprehension activities.
Read Chinese Stories
Choose a reading level that matches your proficiency and work through a short Mandarin story. The stories introduce vocabulary and grammar in context, helping you understand how Chinese is used in sentences. When you encounter a word you don’t know, you can look up its meaning and pronunciation.
Stories include Mandarin audio so you can listen while following the written text. This gives you additional exposure to pronunciation and spoken Chinese.
Test Your Reading Comprehension
Answer questions about the story to check your understanding and reinforce what you’ve learned.
How Much Does Maayot Cost?
Maayot offers free and paid subscription options. Check the current pricing before subscribing, as rates and promotions may change.
Free plan
Read one new story each Sunday.
Standard Plan as low as $10/month
Practice Chinese every day with personalized reading lessons designed for your level. Each lesson includes a new text, native-speaker audio, a comprehension quiz, and new characters to help you build vocabulary and reading skills at your own pace.
- A new lesson every day
- Writing and speaking practice
- One-click word definitions
- Access to your five most recently studied lessons
Pro Plan as low as $37.50/month
The Pro plan includes everything in Standard, plus daily corrections, one-on-one teacher support, and regular progress reviews.
Get personalized feedback from a Chinese teacher to help improve your reading, writing, and speaking skills. The Pro plan includes everything in Standard, plus daily corrections, one-on-one teacher support, and regular progress reviews.
- Everything included in the Standard plan
- Daily teacher corrections for your writing
- Daily teacher corrections for your speaking
- A 20-minute welcome call with your teacher
- A 40-minute progress review every three months
- Access to 30 days of past stories
Does Maayot Offer a Free Trial?
Get a 5-day free trial, then get 10% off your first 3 months on any monthly plan.
How to claim your free trial:
- Click on this link or use promo code: MBM10OFF
- Create a free account on the website (not inside the iPhone or Android app)
- Choose Standard or Pro on the monthly plan. The discount is already applied; no code to type
- Enjoy 5 days free, then 10% off for the first 3 months
This offer is for new Maayot subscribers only.
