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<aside> <img src="/icons/heart_purple.svg" alt="/icons/heart_purple.svg" width="40px" /> For the best free danmei webnovels for newcomers check out Top 5 best free danmei webnovels for newcomers (2024) - written by Moon

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<aside> <img src="/icons/cafe_brown.svg" alt="/icons/cafe_brown.svg" width="40px" /> Want to support us? Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/heavenlypath

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Introduction

This guide is heavily focused on fiction reading and aimed at those with an interest in Chinese fiction and webnovels. If you are more interested in reading the news, business, scientific or other specific content then this may not be the right guide for you.

<aside> <img src="/icons/book_red.svg" alt="/icons/book_red.svg" width="40px" /> Chinese webnovels are different from fan fiction or self-published novels, in fact, they closely mirror their traditionally published fellows. For more information see Chinese Media Explained

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In order to cater for all learners, those following and not following a language learning programme, we’ve divided the sections in this guide by character count (not to be confused with words). The number of characters you know is not necessarily an accurate reflection of your reading level as grammar, writing style and sentence structure play a part in your ability to comprehend a piece of text. However, it is a decent enough indication for this guide.

If you are unsure how many characters you know, you can take a quick test over at Hanzishan which will give you a rough estimate. If you are strictly following the HSK 2.0 or HSK 3.0 programme, reference the below table to see the cumulative number of words and characters you should know after passing each level:

Untitled

This should be of help when referencing our reading-difficulty sections given below, as the HSK approximations given are only on the 2.0 framework.

<aside> ❗ As a second language learner, reading should not be the sole study method, especially during the early stages of your Chinese studies. Reading should only be in addition to textbooks or other formal studies.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/user-circle-filled_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/user-circle-filled_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> As a heritage speaker, if you have some degree of Mandarin listening comprehension, combining listening with reading can be a great way to quickly boost your Chinese literacy at any stage of your journey. However, be mindful not to jump too far ahead as—depending on the novel—the language and vocabulary found in literature differ greatly from those used colloquially.

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Tools

Pleco

Pleco is a free Chinese-English dictionary app available on Android and iOS. Additional add-ons can be purchased, which provide extra features such as a flashcard (SRS) system, Chinese to Chinese dictionary, stroke order, additional native sound packs, OCR, and graded readers. Pleco is a must-have app for learners of all stages, and its Basic Bundle is a very worthwhile investment.

An SRS app (Anki or Pleco)

Ideally, this app should utilize spaced repetition, so that you only learn words when you’re on the verge of forgetting them.

Anki is a spaced repetition flashcard software, available on Mac OS, PC and mobile devices with cloud syncing. It’s customizable with plugins for extra features such as dictionaries and audio. While free on Windows, MacOS, and Android phones, it is priced $25 for iPhone users.

Onto Pleco: as well as being a brilliant dictionary, it has a $10 spaced repetition flashcard add-on. This has the added benefit of native audio and a dictionary right out of the box and is specifically catered to Chinese learners.

Regular review of vocabulary, pronunciation, and phrases using spaced repetition is highly recommended at all stages of your Chinese learning journey.

A popup Chinese → English dictionary

There are browser extensions that enable you to hover over any Chinese word to see its pinyin and definition. Some additional features include audio, dictionary look-up, and add-to wordlist. We recommend Zhongwen or Zhongzhong — try these two extensions and see which you prefer.

Available on Chrome and Firefox.

Must-have for all learners.

Exporting from Zhongwen to Anki

Guide to exporting from Zhongwen’s wordlist to Anki - Step-by-step guide written by Nad of 看剧学汉语 Discord server to guide you in exporting words from the browser extension Zhongwen into the SRS programme Anki.

Readibu

Readibu is an app that allows for easy immersion into the webnovel world. It puts the content of a webpage into a user-friendly reader mode, with a one-tap popup Chinese -> English dictionary and text-to-speech.

Readibu has popular webnovels already listed in the app, as well as the ability to create your own custom bookmarks of any webnovels, short stories or articles you find online.

Available for both iOS and Android. However, as of January 2022, the app does not support iPad devices - you can take a look at the Waiyü Safari extension instead.

Suitable for HSK 4+ (1000 characters+) learners

Baidu Fanyi

Baidu Fanyi is a translation tool for natives. As well as providing translations to any Chinese word or phrase, a further explanation of each word is also included for both English and Chinese. It is more accurate than Google Translate (for English–Chinese).

Example sentences with an English translation can also be found for any word that you search for.

Looking up example sentences is a great way to further deepen your understanding of a word or phrase.

OCR on a Windows computer

Guide to setting up OCR on a Windows computer Nad and Casiyus of our 看剧学汉语 Discord server wrote this guide to setting up OCR on a Windows computer, showing you the tools and steps you need to set up OCR on your Windows computer. This’ll be a boon when playing games, reading manhua (漫画, Chinese comics), or reading the hardcoded subtitles of Chinese TV shows.


Below 1000 characters (HSK1 - HSK4)

In order to start reading content outside of your textbook or other formal study material, you’ll need to have at least a good understanding of basic sentence structures and grammar.

<aside> ❗ As a second language learner, reading should not be the sole study method at this point.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/user-circle-filled_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/user-circle-filled_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> As a heritage speaker, if you are familiar with the fundamentals, are able to hold basic conversations, and find apps or textbooks for second language learners too elementary—it’s time to get your feet wet starting with simple reading materials! We highly recommend Little Fox Chinese (see below for more details).

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Resources (FREE)

Resources (PAID)

Tips

1000 - 2000 character count (HSK 4 - HSK 6)

With around 1000 characters under your belt, you can start to dive into simple native content for young children and some short adult webnovels.

Children’s books are made for native children and therefore not suitable for second language learners.” As each individual has their own goals and reason for learning Chinese, this statement doesn’t apply to everyone. You are reading this guide because you want to eventually read native novels, therefore your needs and goals are very different from those learning Chinese for other reasons such as communication and business. Children’s books are written to entertain children but also to teach them words and improve their literacy skills. If it can improve theirs, it can improve yours.

<aside> 💪 This is the most difficult stage of your literacy journey where most native adult content will feel inaccessible and difficult but we promise, it won’t last forever. You may have to power through content that isn’t particularly interesting to you in order to reach where you need to be, but it’s all worth it in the end. Don’t give up, 加油 you can do it!

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Resources (Free)