Six lovable companions. One flying story-ship. A brand new adventure every day — written to match exactly what your child knows, and teach them a little more.
7-day free trial · No credit card required
Every story is a new creation aboard the Story Ship. The same six characters, different adventures — so kids build real bonds with the crew as they build their Mandarin.
Líng 灵
The one everyone trusts. When the ship lands somewhere new and things go sideways, Líng figures out how everyone's feeling before anyone says a word. Her gold bell means everything's going to be okay.
Mèng 梦
He's staring at the clouds while everyone is panicking. He's also usually right. The smallest member of the crew, with the biggest imagination — and no interest in explaining himself.
Yǒng 勇
Every problem is an engineering challenge. He likes to build things, measure things and climbs up everywhere - with complete confidence and occasional miscalculation.
Qí 奇
He's already sprinted toward the strange door before anyone agreed it was a good idea. Qí's curiosity is what starts every adventure - and his green scarf is always windswept.
Míng 明
He's read every book on the ship. He knows what the ancient inscription says, what the legend means - and quietly, which new Mandarin words your child will learn in today's story.
Fēng 风
Fast, funny and her blue backpack always contains exactly the wrong things for the situation. Nobody knows what's in there. She zooms around with confidence and somehow manages to turn every mixup into a fun learning adventure.
Every story is carefully written to match what your child already knows, while introducing 3–5 new characters. Your child picks the world. The crew takes it from there.
The WanderWords loop is designed around how children actually learn: comprehensible input, recognition, writing practice, and genuine emotional engagement.
Every story is written fresh — calibrated exactly to what your child already knows, with 3–5 new characters introduced naturally through the plot. No flashcards. No drills. Just a story they want to finish.
After the story, your child reviews the characters they just met — with meaning from context they already understand. Familiar faces in familiar situations make recall natural.
Every character has a correct stroke order — and the app walks your child through it with real animated guidance. Writing deepens memory, connects visual and motor learning, and builds the confidence that only comes from actually doing it.
XP earned from reading and writing moves your child along the map — unlocking new biomes, new music, and new stories. Progress is visible, tangible, and genuinely earned.
Most Mandarin apps stop at recognition. WanderWords goes further: your child traces every stroke, in the correct order, guided by animated paths. Writing characters is one of the best ways to make them stick.
730 characters. Authentic stroke order. Real-time guidance. And Líng cheering every time your child gets it right.
Every feature in WanderWords is engineered around how children actually learn — not how we wish they would.
New every day
Stories written just for them
Each story is authored fresh by AI — calibrated to what your child knows, set in a world they've chosen, featuring characters they love. Every read session is unique.
Grows with your child
A living character bank
Every character your child has learned lives here. Filter by world, sort by when they first appeared, track mastery over time. It becomes a record of every adventure.
730 characters, authentic stroke order
Stroke-by-stroke writing
Animated stroke guidance walks your child through every character, one stroke at a time. Motor memory + visual memory = the kind of retention no flashcard can replicate.
For heritage families, Mandarin isn't just a language skill — it's connection. The ability to speak with grandparents. To understand the stories behind festivals. To feel at home in two cultures at once.
WanderWords was built to give children a genuine relationship with Mandarin — through stories, not study. Real characters, real emotions, real Chinese culture — wrapped in ten magical minutes a day.
Heritage families are at the heart of what WanderWords was built for. Real conversational vocabulary, cultural context, and daily practice that doesn't feel like homework.
Absolutely. Stories don't require a parent who speaks the language. The app teaches everything from scratch — and curious kids pick up more than you'd expect.
Perfectly. The app works to the same character lists used in Chinese-language classrooms — so new words in stories reinforce exactly what's being taught in school.
Each session is designed for 8–12 minutes. The story keeps them hooked. The XP and level-ups keep them coming back. Most parents are surprised by how little they have to push.
No ads, no in-app purchases, no upsells. Everything WanderWords has to offer — for one family, one price.
7-day free trial · Cancel anytime
7-day free trial · Cancel anytime
WanderWords is built for children aged 5–12, though many families with older children enjoy it too. The difficulty system adapts automatically — younger children get simpler stories with more visual context, older children get richer narratives and more sophisticated vocabulary.
None at all. WanderWords begins with placement — a short, game-like session that figures out exactly where your child is. Complete beginners start in the Bamboo Forest with the simplest possible stories. Heritage children who already know some characters will be placed appropriately.
Not at all. WanderWords is fully self-directed — your child can open the app and run a complete session independently. Parents can check progress from the parent dashboard whenever they want, but they don't need to be hands-on for the app to work.
WanderWords uses Simplified Chinese and is aligned with standard HSK character lists, making it compatible with most Chinese-language school curricula. We support multiple curriculum frameworks and will continue adding more based on where families are located.
WanderWords works on any modern browser — iPhone, iPad, Android, and desktop. No app download required. We recommend iPad or a tablet for the best writing practice experience, though it works beautifully on phones too.
Yes, anytime. Your 7-day free trial requires no credit card. If you subscribe and decide it's not right for your family, cancel with one click — no questions asked. Your child's progress is saved for 90 days in case you return.
Start your child's Mandarin adventure today. Seven days, completely free. Cancel anytime.
No credit card required · Cancel anytime