One of the biggest challenges for English speakers trying to learn Chinese is the stark contrast between English letters and Chinese characters. Step Into Chinese, a free program produced by Asymptopia Software, is designed to help students learn Chinese. Step Into Chinese provides translation of common phrases into Chinese characters. Flashcards and color coded text and images are two useful features for helping students learn Chinese. Step Into Chinese can be used by students just beginning to learn the written language of Chinese or be used by advanced learners. Step Into Chinese has tools for learning just one word or character at a time and tools for learning long phrases.

One of the really nice features of the flashcard mode on Step Into Chinese is the option of “locking into” a word or phrase. The “lock in” mode replays the Chinese and English translations of a common word or phrase for as long as you like. Using the “lock in” feature is a nice option to have if you’re struggling with a particular word or phrase.

Below is a screen shot from the Step Into Chinese software tutorial.

Step Into Chinese is available for download for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.