Chinese learning resources
Free tools and articles for learning Mandarin Chinese: HSK 3.0 vocabulary lists for every level, a complete HSK guide, and articles on apps, games, and learning through immersion.
Chinese HSK
Our definitive guide explains the Chinese HSK, from the new nine-level system to choosing an exam and finding vocabulary lists, downloads and study guides.
Tools
- Mandarin Chinese course contentBrowse every word and example sentence in the Second Language Mandarin course, with pinyin, translations, difficulty bands, audio, and the course reading stories.
- Chinese radicals: all 214 Kangxi radicalsAll 214 Kangxi radicals with their other forms, pinyin, meaning, stroke count, and example characters, plus how radicals work and which to learn first.
- The 100 most common Chinese charactersThe 100 most common Chinese characters (Chinese symbols) with meanings, pinyin, traditional forms, and example words, plus how to learn them.
Guides
- What is pinyin? The Chinese alphabet, explainedChinese has no alphabet, but it has pinyin. Learn what pinyin is, its initials and finals, where tone marks go, the spellings that trip beginners, and typing.
- Chinese tones: the four tones and the neutral toneThe four Mandarin tones and the neutral tone in plain words: tone marks and numbers, minimal pairs, third-tone sandhi, the 一 and 不 changes, and how to practice.
- How to type Chinese on any deviceAdd a Chinese pinyin keyboard on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, or Chromebook, then type characters with pinyin, handwriting, and shortcuts like v for ü.
- Common Chinese phrases for beginnersThe basic Mandarin phrases and greetings beginners need first, with characters, pinyin, and notes: hello, thank you, sorry, yes and no, and travel phrases.
- Chinese numbers: how to count, from 1 to 100 millionChinese numbers from 0 to 10 and how bigger ones are built: 十, 百, 千, 万, and 亿, 二 versus 两, 零, dates, times, prices, phone numbers, and hand signs.
- Months in Chinese: 一月 to 十二月The 12 months in Chinese are numbers plus 月: 一月 is January. Learn them with pinyin, how Chinese dates are ordered, 号 versus 日, and last and next month.
- Days of the week in ChineseThe days of the week in Chinese are 星期 plus a number: 星期一 is Monday. Learn them with pinyin, the variants 周一 and 礼拜一, and today, tomorrow, and next week.
- Colors in ChineseThe common colors in Chinese with pinyin and traditional characters: how 色 works, light and dark shades, and what red, white, yellow, and green mean in China.
- Family members in ChineseFamily words in Chinese with pinyin: parents, older and younger siblings, grandparents on each side, aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws, and which ones to learn first.
Articles
- Best Apps to Learn Mandarin Chinese in 2026A beginner’s Mandarin stack: HelloChinese, Pleco, Du Chinese, Skritter, Anki, Busuu, and immersion games, with what each one is for and what it is not.
- The Best Games for Learning Chinese in 2026Games that teach Mandarin, from open-world immersion to card battles and monster-collecting, plus playing ordinary games in Chinese once you can.
- Is Mandarin Hard to Learn? Characters, Tones, and GrammarMandarin’s characters, tones, and grammar are each hard in a different way. What each asks of an English speaker, and how long the whole takes.
- How to Learn Chinese Through Immersion Without Living in ChinaA weekly routine for Mandarin immersion at home: a game world in Chinese, input video, graded reading, one conversation, and characters in context.
- Why Learn Chinese? The Case for Mandarin in 2026Mandarin is the most spoken native language on earth, and its difficulty is overstated. Why it is more approachable and more rewarding than its reputation.
