Free Chinese Reading Practice

This is free, interactive Chinese reading practice built for learners. Read real graded Chinese short stories, then tap any word for its pinyin and dictionary definition — no dictionary app, no copy-pasting, no guessing. Every story mimics the reading experience inside the Literate Chinese app, right in your browser.

Every story has three switches: turn on pinyin above the characters, show the English translation under each sentence, and swap between Simplified and Traditional — and your settings carry from story to story. Learning traditional? See the dedicated traditional Chinese reading practice page. The stories are grouped into levels and themes so you can start easy and work up: from absolute-beginner dialogues to classic Chinese idioms, fables, and chapters of Journey to the West.

With 90+ free stories, it's ideal comprehensible-input reading whether you're a complete beginner, studying for an HSK exam, or a heritage speaker rebuilding fluency. Pick a category below and start reading.