Chinese learning for adults

No cartoon owl. No streak anxiety. No gamification disguised as learning. Just a calm, effective system that respects your time and your intelligence.

Free to start. No credit card required.

You're on the list. We'll let you know when it's ready.

You're not a child. Your study tools shouldn't be, either.

Most language apps are designed to maximize engagement metrics, not learning outcomes. They give you XP for tapping the right picture. They punish you for missing a day. They celebrate streaks, not comprehension.

Aelu is different. It's built around a single question: what does this person need to practice right now? Not what keeps them tapping. Not what makes a satisfying sound. What actually closes the gap between where they are and where they want to be.

The interface is calm. The data is honest. Every metric is defensible. No praise inflation.

A day of studying with Aelu

Morning — 15 minutes

Open the app. Your session is already planned — 12 drills targeting the tone pairs you got wrong yesterday and 3 new vocabulary items at your current level. You finish, close it, get on with your day.

Lunch — 10 minutes

Read a graded passage about ordering at a restaurant. Tap two words you don't know. The system logs them. Tomorrow they'll appear in your drills.

Evening — 5 minutes

Listen to the same passage at natural speed without the text. See how much you catch. Reveal the transcript, check the words you missed. Done.

Weekly — 2 minutes

Check your HSK readiness projection. Your vocabulary is at HSK 3, listening at HSK 2. The system has already adjusted your next week's sessions to close that gap.

What you won't find here

What you will find

Built by a learner

Aelu was built by someone learning Chinese who got frustrated that nothing else worked the way an adult actually learns. SRS without deck-building. Reading without leaving the app. Diagnostics that do not lie about progress.

This is not a corporation's product. It is one learner's answer to "what would the perfect Chinese study tool look like?" -- used daily, still being improved, and ready for you to try.

Built by a learner, for learners.

Simple pricing

Free

$0
  • HSK 1-2 vocabulary and drills
  • All 44 drill types
  • Basic progress tracking
  • Beginner reading passages

Ready to study like an adult?

Join the waitlist. Free for the first 50 users.