eStroke (易笔) App Reviews

I couldnt figure out how to get it to teach me stuff. I started with the grade 1-6 flashcards, right from the beginning. Having that seems like a grade idea. Unfortunately, I cant figure out what to do to move on to the next character - sometimes it does it for mr, and sometimes it doesnt,

Rave review for this app. I am learning Mandarin and this is by far the best Zhuyin learning tool Ive found. 6 stars

If there is an included Chinese to Chinese dictionary the app would be much better. I used the free app, Pleco, before this, and it had almost the same functions, perhaps even better - for free. My electronic dictionary also has strokes, but using my iPod is more convenient. For the $7 that I paid, can you please add a Chinese to Chinese dictionary?

The interface is a total mess. Basically the only way to familiarize yourself with most of it is by trial and error. One thing I find particularly annoying is that the app remembers which character is selected when you go from the main screen to the "writing/test" screen, but not when you go the other way around. Why? It would be really helpful if you could read some information about the character youre seeing when youre practicing stroke order. Ideally on the same screen, but having that information a tap away would be a start. Anyway, despite its flaws, its really helpful, so Id still recommend it. In short: content is five stars, bad interface takes one star, price takes another, so 3 stars. Not that I think its too expensive, but I do expect a more polished app for this price.

This is a great app for learning Chinese. 谢谢！

So, all in all, I found this app the handiest for learning Mandarin. So many things to like. Handles both traditional and simplified. Demonstrates stroke order. Maintains a user-definable list of words that you can step through to learn. I even find the stroke vocalization handy. Since I started learning Mandarin, Ive bought a number of apps and checked out many more. This one, while the most expensive, is really the best Ive found. I may even spring for the iPad app. My one quibble is that the user interface takes a little getting used to. Yes, I know, you can download the documentation. But isnt the point that you should be able to use the app without the documentation? My one request is that after the app is finished demonstrating the stoke order, the voice should actually read the word with proper tones. This would help make the link between character and tone.

Tell seems to have great feature but a horrible platform to navigate ... Please fix and instruction on how to use this program! $7 for an app that you cant navigate!!! Should be $2

I use it everyday, for classes, for looking anything up. Once you figure out what you need to do to navigate you are all peaches. I love this app and i am so so so glad that i downloaded it. It is so helpful

I bought this app because I wanted to be able to review the HSK vocabulary lists and also practice writing and recognizing characters. After thirty minutes with this, I can see that it has the potential to suit my needs, but the interface is so confusing that Im not sure how to make it work. None of the icons are labelled so its a bit of a guessing game to navigate between the different features. Additionally, it was advertised as an iPad app but it is in fact an iPhone app. I am disappointed about this because part of what makes it hard to use is the fact that everything is so compressed on the screen. If it took full advantage of the iPads larger resolution it would be a lot easier to use, I think. Also I find it crashes fairly frequently, which is only a minor annoyance. On the plus side, this app is a great resource for anyone studying Chinese because it has all the major vocabulary lists, it shows you how to write each character step by step, it includes comprehensive dictionary entries that encompass meaning as well as common phrases, and it speaks. This is what you pay for, and in this respect its a solid study aid. I only hope that future versions of this app will make its interface more user friendly.

It seems as if the designers of this app made it with the intentions of young Chinese child using it to practice the vocabulary they would be learning in class. That being said, the interface is relatively difficult to use as all the tabs and different screens are labeled in Chinese. It would be great if there was an option to switch from language to language. If you want this app just to serve as a dictionary, there are way better apps out there for that reason (QingWen). I purchased this app to work on my stroke order and vocabulary. I have all but mastered the stroke order of most characters, however, there is not an easy way to see the meaning of the characters you are writing. In the "test" function, there are dozens of great words to practice, ranging from 1st to 6th grade difficulty, however it never tells you the word meaning. You would have to leave the test function and look up the word separately. I was really looking for a quick and easy way to quiz myself on vocabulary, but I dont even know what half the words mean. Could be way more convenient.

Just downloaded this app, and I must say it is AMAZING. Does everything I would want in a Chinese app. However, the interface is rather drab and I feel it needs an ample amount of work done on it in that regard. Also, I would love to see an iPhone 5 version of the app as well. Other than that, great app :D 謝謝您!

On the iPhone 5 the lower icons do not function.

I bought this app and could not download the app because it required the newest ios version, my ipod has the newest version.... I went to their website to contact them but their email link doesnt appear to work.... If I ever get the app downloaded I will write a review of the actual material....if there actually is material to view....

App has previously worked for me (last summer), but for the past couple of months it has refused to work on my iTouch. it keeps telling me to download latest iOS, but I already have the latest one on my device. I paid money for this app, what the heck is going on?!

App locks up (I think). But, I cant find any instructions on how to use the app. Concept is great, but lack of instructions makes it unusable. Too bad.