Hi PH! I'm the maker of Stair Chinese — solo developer, building in public. 👋 **Why I built this:** when English speakers decide to learn Chinese, most apps immediately throw flashcards at them. Nobody answers the beginner's real question: "What do I actually learn FIRST?" Pinyin, thousands of characters, tones, grammar — beginners drown in choice and quit. **So I built a literal staircase:** 1. **Pinyin** (free forever) — 8 lessons, from zero to reading tones 2. **Words** — a 20,000-character dictionary, radicals, frequency lists 3. **Sentences** — 35 grammar patterns, 850+ examples, listening practice 4. **HSK 3.0** — the new official standard: all 9 levels, 11,000 words, with SM-2 spaced repetition Every step is a visual path, so you always know what's next. **How it evolved:** it started as a simple pinyin converter. Then I realized the "what do I learn next?" problem was universal — so the tool grew into a full curriculum (the converter is still built in). **Pricing, no surprises:** the Pinyin course is free forever. Everything else is $5/mo or $50/yr after a 7-day free trial — no credit card needed to start. **Feedback = free Pro time 🎁** Building solo means every bug report and idea matters. Standing offer: post a suggestion or bug report in the comments, or email me at support@stair-chinese.com — if your suggestion ships or your bug report leads to a fix, I'll add 7 extra days of Pro trial to your account. No cap on how many times you can earn it. I'll be here all day. Ask me anything — feature requests literally shape my roadmap.

Stair Chinese

Learn Chinese step by step, from Pinyin to HSK 3.0

Learn Chinese step by step, from Pinyin to HSK 3.0