Dengdeng v2 is here

Dengdeng v2 is out on Android. The iOS release will follow.

The update adds character chats, Beginner stories, cartoons with tappable captions, and a redesigned Today screen to Dengdeng, our Chinese reading app.

The daily stories are still real stories from China, with a choice of reading levels and help with unfamiliar words.

Messages

In Messages, you can chat with Dengdeng and friends in Chinese or English. Tap a word in a Chinese message to check its meaning. You can also show pinyin or English and listen to each message.

If you know what you want to say but can't write it in Chinese yet, use “Help me say it”. It suggests a reply you can read and edit before sending.

Laoshi

Sometimes you know every word in a sentence and still don't understand it.

Select the passage and ask Laoshi, the in-app teacher. Your question opens a conversation in Messages, where you can ask follow-up questions.

Ask about a word, a grammar pattern, or the meaning of the sentence. The passage is saved with the conversation.

Beginner stories

If Easy stories are still too difficult, try the new Beginner section.

It has shorter stories for readers around HSK 3.0 levels 1–2, with pinyin, translations, word lookup, and audio. You can browse them by topic.

One Beginner story is free each day, in addition to the free story from the daily edition. Dengdeng Pro includes the full Beginner collection.

We've also updated the beginner guide and added a link to the pinyin chart, where you can listen to individual sounds.

Cartoons and listening

Podcasts are animated conversations with the cast. Dengdeng Originals are short story cartoons, with some episodes grouped into series. Each episode card shows its available reading levels.

Tap words in the Chinese captions or the script in Study to check their meanings. You can pause and replay a line as often as you need.

The cartoon of the week is free to watch. Beginner readers get a Beginner episode when one is available.

The Today screen

The new Today screen shows daily stories, podcasts, and Originals.

“Surprise me” picks a story for you. All stories lets you browse earlier editions by week. Beginner readers see shelves of Beginner stories.

Reading and practice

You can now listen to story audio in the one-line reader view.

Text size has separate settings for reading, Messages, and fill-in-the-blank practice. You can make a chat easier to read without changing how stories look.

You can choose decks for a practice round and preview HSK 3.0 vocabulary before adding it. A word saved from a story and added from a deck keeps the same review history.

On iPad and Android tablets, browsing pages use the full screen width. Stories and conversations stay in a centered column. We also fixed pronunciation taps that needed a second tap and improved the connection error messages.

The new app icon shows Dengdeng hugging a lantern.

Get the update

The Android update is available on Google Play. The iOS release will follow.

One story from each daily edition, one Beginner story each day, and the cartoon of the week are free in the app.

Download or update Dengdeng, then open Today to choose your next story.