SmartRead
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AI-Guided Chinese Reading

From struggling with a Chinese text to reading it independently.

SmartRead guides children step by step into a Chinese text — helping them build understanding and gradually read on their own.

Try SmartReadSee how it works
A primary-school child at a desk at home, reading a Chinese passage in SmartRead on a laptop.

The Problem

Sometimes, the problem starts before comprehension.

A child may recognise Chinese characters, yet still struggle to identify words, follow sentences, and hold enough meaning to continue reading.

Before asking whether a child understands a text, we need to ask:

Can they actually get into it?

  1. Characters
  2. Words
  3. Sentences
  4. Meaning
  5. Text
Read the field note

01 · Enter

Find a way into the text.

A struggling reader shouldn’t have to face an unfamiliar Chinese passage cold.

SmartRead builds just enough context, curiosity and language support to help the learner begin — without replacing the text itself.

SmartRead's picture-reading entry for the passage 和时间赛跑: a boy in school uniform stands on a Singapore street at sunset, above the title, two lines of setup — he suddenly decides to beat the sun home — a listen control, and a button reading 老师陪你一起读 (the teacher will read it with you).

02 · Understand

Build understanding, step by step.

SmartRead doesn’t simply explain the passage.

It checks what the learner understands, identifies where support is needed, and helps connect ideas across the text.

SmartRead's understanding step on the passage 和时间赛跑, on a phone: the passage itself scrolls past first, then 陈老师 asks a follow-up, the learner answers 不知道 (I don't know) twice, the teacher narrows the question each time instead of giving the answer, and the learner finally answers 作用却很大很大.

03 · Read

And then, let the support get out of the way.

The goal isn’t to make reading permanently easier.

It’s to help the learner return to the original text with enough understanding to read it independently.

Product visual pending

This stage of the product is being redesigned. No screenshot is shown here until the real experience exists.

AI should support learning — not replace it

Less answering. More learning.

AI can explain almost anything instantly.

SmartRead is designed around a harder question:

What is the minimum support this learner needs to take the next step on their own?

ObserveSupportStep back

Built from real learning

We build by watching children learn.

SmartRead is developed through continuous observation of how children actually read, where they get stuck, and what helps them move forward.

What we learn in the field goes back into the product.

  • P3–P6 learners
  • Real learning sessions
  • Singapore
Explore our Field Notes

For Families

Help your child become a more independent Chinese reader.

Explore for Families

For Schools & Organisations

Explore SmartRead with your learners through pilots and learning partnerships.

Pilot SmartRead

What we’re learning

Building SmartRead, one learning problem at a time.

Learning Design

Before Comprehension: When a Child Cannot Enter the Text

Sometimes the problem we call “poor reading comprehension” begins long before the comprehension question.

Read
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Help your child become a more independent Chinese reader.

SmartRead helps them find a way in — and gradually learn to read on their own.

Try SmartRead