The Circassian App is a language app for Circassian, on iPhone and Android. It teaches both literary forms of the language, Kabardian (East Circassian) and Adyghe (West Circassian), each in its own course of 119 lessons, plus the alphabet with sound, an audio course, AI tutors, Habze and games. The app works in English, Russian, Turkish or Arabic. This page walks through what is inside; the lesson at the top is the app’s real first lesson.
Features that actually matter for learning Circassian
Circassian has sounds most learners have never made and two literary forms that differ from the first lesson. These are the features built around that:
Audio in every lesson
Words and phrases come with audio you can replay and slow down. Every alphabet letter that has a sound is a native speaker’s recording.
Built-in Circassian dictionary
24,190 Kabardian entries from a printed Kabardian–Russian dictionary, plus an Adyghe word list. Word lookups work offline.
Offline mode
Lessons, the alphabet, word audio and the dictionary are inside the app, so you can practice on a flight or the subway.
Progress tracking
A daily streak, XP and a leaderboard. Words you miss come back in later lessons, and with a free account your progress syncs between phones.
Four interface languages
Questions, explanations and translations in English, Russian, Turkish or Arabic, so you learn through the language you think in.
Habze, not only words
Sixteen units on the Circassian code of conduct: hospitality, respect and family, Nart mythology, weddings, music and dance.
Screenshots from the App Store listing.
The full Circassian course
Each course is a path of 10 sections and 119 lessons, from your first hello to the diaspora and Circassian heritage. A lesson takes a few minutes: choose the meaning, hear a word and find it, build a sentence. Mistakes cost a heart (you have five, and one comes back every four hours); practice and replays never do. If you heard Circassian growing up, a short placement test lets you skip what you already know. Here is the Kabardian path as the app shows it; the Adyghe course has the same ten sections.
- 1Foundations15 lessonsHello! · About Me · Family · Numbers · Colors · Essentials
- 2My World18 lessonsFarm Animals · Wild Animals · Food · Drinks · Elements · Landscape · Around the House
- 3Actions & Time19 lessonsBasic Verbs · More Actions · Expressive Actions · Time · Seasons & Weather · Telling Time
- 4Describing the World12 lessonsAdjectives 1 · Adjectives 2 · Body Parts · Health · Emotions
- 5Daily Life13 lessonsClothing · Places · People & Roles · More Professions · Numbers 11-100
- 6Going Places13 lessonsGetting Around · Directions · At the Hotel · Countries & Origins · Months & Calendar
- 7Social Life11 lessonsAt the Restaurant · Shopping · Technology · Hobbies & Sports · Weather
- 8Deeper Conversations8 lessonsEmergencies · Daily Routine · Opinions & Feelings
- 9Circassian Heritage6 lessonsHeritage · Traditions · The Diaspora
- 10Grand Finale4 lessonsGrand Review
The alphabet, with sound
Circassian is written in Cyrillic, with letter combinations and the palochka (Ӏ) for sounds Russian does not have. The app teaches the alphabet first: 60 letters in 15 short lessons for Kabardian, 66 letters in 11 lessons for Adyghe. These are the Kabardian lessons; tap a letter to hear it.
Lesson “Vowels I”
Lesson “Vowels II”
Lesson “Simple Consonants I”
Show the other 49 letters
Lesson “Simple Consonants II”
Lesson “Simple Consonants III”
Lesson “Simple Consonants IV”
Lesson “Hissing Sounds”
Lesson “The Modifiers”
Lesson “Ejectives I”
Lesson “Ejectives II”
Lesson “Uvular Sounds”
Lesson “Soft & Complex”
Lesson “Labialized I”
Lesson “Labialized II”
Lesson “Affricates & Russian Letters”
Letters, sounds and lesson order from the app's alphabet course. Every letter with a sound is a native speaker's recording: tap to hear it.
An audio course for learning by ear
For walks, drives and chores there is an audio course: 31 lessons in each dialect, narrated in English, Russian, Turkish or Arabic. The narrator asks you to say something, you answer out loud in the pause, then you hear the right answer in Circassian. With the English narrator the Kabardian course runs about 8.5 hours and the Adyghe course about 8.2. It keeps playing with the screen off. The first four lessons are free. More on the audio course page.
All 31 lessons of the Kabardian audio course
- 0How this course worksfree · 1 min
- 1Are you Circassian?free · 6 min
- 2Do you understand me?free · 12 min
- 3What's your name?free · 12 min
- 4Do you speak Circassian?12 min
- 5Where are you from?12 min
- 6I want, I don't want17 min
- 7Eating and drinking17 min
- 8Come here! This and that18 min
- 9Numbers 1 to 516 min
- 10Numbers 6 to 1016 min
- 11My family18 min
- 12House and garden18 min
- 13Where is it?19 min
- 14How old are you?19 min
- 15Who, what, why?19 min
- 16Good morning, good night18 min
- 17What time is it?20 min
- 18Making plans20 min
- 19Safe journey!18 min
- 20I have to go20 min
- 21How do you feel?19 min
- 22My head hurts17 min
- 23How much is it?18 min
- 24The past tense21 min
- 25Yesterday's story20 min
- 26Tomorrow I'll go19 min
- 27Today is cold19 min
- 28What do you like?18 min
- 29Welcome!16 min
- 30The whole story16 min
Two AI tutors who answer in Circassian
Сэтэней-гуащэ teaches Kabardian and Кызбеч teaches Adyghe. Write to them and they reply in Circassian, with a translation, and can read the reply aloud. These are their real first messages:
The first four messages are free with a free account; Premium removes the limit.
Habze: the culture behind the language
Habze (also written Xabze) is the Circassian code of conduct. Its 16 units of 4 lessons each walk through real situations, with an explanation after every answer:
- Core Values
- Hospitality
- Warrior Code
- Respect & Family
- Proverbs & Wisdom
- Nart Mythology
- Marriage & Wedding
- Music & Dance
- Traditional Dress
- Cuisine & Table
- Democratic Council
- Horse Culture
- Craftsmanship
- Nature & Sacred Places
- Circassian Tribes
- Festivals & Traditions
Five games
The app also has five games for practice. The two duels and Horse Race are played against real people; Word Search and Word Rain are solo.
Habze DuelA sword duel against a real opponent. Every strike starts with a question about Habze.
Archery DuelAnswer a question in your course's dialect, then aim and shoot. Turn by turn against a real rival.
Horse RaceRight answers make your horse surge ahead. Race a friend or a new rival.
Word SearchFind Circassian words hidden in a grid of Cyrillic letters.
Word RainCatch the right falling word before it lands. Fast vocabulary practice.A community of Circassians
Beyond the lessons, the app is a place where Circassians from the homeland and the diaspora meet: community chats, direct messages, your own group chats, voice rooms, voice and video calls, posts and stories. The community chats:
- General chat
- Circassian Only
- Turkish Chat
- Arabic Chat
- Circassian Women women only
- Чэнджэщ opens at set times
Parents can lock messages and calls, group chats, the People tab and the AI tutor behind a 4-digit PIN in Settings.
Specs at a glance
| Platforms | iPhone and iPad with iOS 16.0 or later; Android phones and tablets with Android 7.0 or later |
|---|---|
| Download size | 317.3 MB on the App Store |
| App languages | English, Russian, Turkish, Arabic |
| Courses | Kabardian (East Circassian) and Adyghe (West Circassian), 119 lessons each |
| Works offline | Lessons, the alphabet, word audio and the dictionary |
| Account | Not needed for the lessons. A free account saves your progress and opens chats and the AI tutor |
| Age | 13 and up, with a parental PIN lock for social features |
| Ads | No third-party ads |
| Price | Free. Premium is an optional subscription with 3 days free for new subscribers |
Download and finish your first lesson tonight
- Download the app
Free on the App Store and Google Play. The lessons need no account.
- Choose your language and course
English, Russian, Turkish or Arabic for the app; Kabardian or Adyghe to learn. You can switch later.
- Start the first lesson
Hello, how are you, I am well: a few minutes, with audio. Then the alphabet, one sound at a time.
Free, and what Premium adds
Free
- All 119 lessons of each course
- The alphabet, with native-speaker recordings
- 64 Habze lessons
- The Kabardian dictionary (24,190 entries)
- The first 4 audio-course lessons
- 4 messages to the AI tutor
- Chats, voice rooms and games
With Premium
- Unlimited hearts: mistakes never pause a lesson
- The full audio course: 31 lessons
- The AI tutor without limits
- Auto-translate in chats, and more
- A Family plan: one yearly plan for up to 6 people
New subscribers get 3 days free. Your app store shows the price in your currency.
What users are actually saying
4.9 out of 5 from 285 ratings on the App Store (October 2026). Reviews, word for word:
“Good app for learning circassian language. No ads, nice and clean design. Easy to navigate. Doesn't crash, smooth animations. My circassian kudos to the creator!”
“Only app I’ve found that actually teaches Circassian.”
“Easy and intuitive, appropriate for any age.”
“The best app I have ever used
Preserving and learning Circassian has never been easier”
Free on iPhone and Android
Download the Circassian App
Kabardian and Adyghe, 119 lessons each, the alphabet with sound, the audio course, AI tutors and Habze.
4.9 on the App Store 53,000+ people in 100+ countries
Frequently asked questions
Is the Circassian App free?
Yes. All the course lessons, the alphabet and the Habze units are free on iPhone and Android. Premium, an optional subscription, removes the hearts limit and unlocks the full audio course and the AI tutor without limits.
Which variety of Circassian does the app teach?
Both: Kabardian (East Circassian) and Adyghe (West Circassian). Each has its own course of 119 lessons, with audio in every lesson, and its own alphabet. The two are never mixed, and you can switch at any time.
What devices does the app support?
iPhone with iOS 16 or newer (it also runs on iPad), and Android phones and tablets with Android 7.0 or newer.
Does it need an internet connection?
Not for the lessons. Lessons, the alphabet, word audio and the dictionary work offline. Chats, the AI tutor and syncing your progress need a connection.
Is my data safe?
Your data is used to run the app: syncing your progress, your profile and your chats. Your personal information is not sold, and there are no third-party ads. The full privacy policy is on this site.
Can children use the app?
The lessons suit all ages, but the app is meant for ages 13 and up (see the privacy policy). Parents can lock messages and calls, group chats, the People tab and the AI tutor behind a 4-digit PIN in Settings.
How often is new content added?
Regularly. Recent additions include the Adyghe course, the audio course, the AI tutors and five games.
Is there an audio course or speaking practice?
Yes. The audio course has 31 lessons in each dialect, narrated in English, Russian, Turkish or Arabic, and keeps playing with the screen off. The first four are free and the rest come with Premium. Two AI tutors, Сэтэней-гуащэ for Kabardian and Кызбеч for Adyghe, reply in Circassian with a translation and a voice reply.
Sources
- Features, lessons, alphabet, audio course, Habze units, chats, tutors and limits: the Circassian App's own data (version 5.8), checked October 5, 2026.
- Devices and size: App Store listing (iOS 16.0 or later, 317.3 MB) and the Android build (Android 7.0 or later), checked October 5, 2026.
- Ratings: App Store, 285 ratings in 24 countries, average 4.94. Google Play shows a different average in each country for its 262 ratings (4.6 to 4.9), so it is not combined. Checked October 5, 2026. Reviews quoted word for word.
- Age and data: the Circassian App privacy policy.
