Learn Mandarin
Mandarin without the wall of characters.
A frequency-first course to rank 3,000 with pinyin beside every hanzi, tones treated as ear training rather than trivia, and not a single exercise that requires a Chinese keyboard.
Designed by linguists, approved by natives and built with data.
Read the whole course freeOne Plus subscription covers all 11 languages, not just Mandarin, and the full Learn IPA course See what Plus adds
Try Mandarin now - no sign-up
Quick taster
3-word session
A quick mix of exercises - recognise, recall, type and build each word. Miss one and it comes back round until it sticks.
Graded reader
在家的早上
Only words the course has taught
。，。。
Today I go home. I'm hungry and want to eat. My friend says there is food on the table.
Tap any word for its word page
Read Mandarin from the first week.
64 graded stories with pinyin over every character, built only from words you have met. Reading Chinese early is entirely possible when the text is honest about what you know.
Browse Mandarin storiesGrammar that treats you like an adult.
说 never changes: no conjugation, no gender, no plurals. Mandarin spends its difficulty budget on tones and characters instead, and the grammar guides treat that trade honestly.
Explore Mandarin grammarVerb form
说shuō
to speak - No conjugation
- I
- 我说
- you
- 你说
- he / she
- 他说
- we
- 我们说
- you (pl)
- 你们说
- they
- 他们说
The verb 说 never changes. Mandarin marks tense and number with context and particles, not endings - one of the ways its grammar is far simpler than Europe's.
Built for Mandarin, specifically
Not one course photocopied eleven times. Each language gets the tools its own difficulties actually call for.
Pinyin, the IPA, and the Learn IPA course
One Plus subscription gets you the Mandarin course and the full Learn IPA course: ten lessons, every drill, and the same words heard in two English accents, General American and British RP. The Mandarin IPA chart then maps every pinyin initial and final to the IPA, tone letters included, so you can see where pinyin and the IPA agree and where the spelling misleads.
Mandarin by the numbers
Counted from the course, not rounded up for the brochure.
- words, taught in frequency order
- 2700
- word pages with traditional forms
- 2796
- graded stories, pinyin throughout
- 64
- tones, trained by minimal pair
- 4
words, taught in frequency order
word pages with traditional forms
graded stories, pinyin throughout
tones, trained by minimal pair
Certification
Prove your Mandarin
A timed exam on the words that matter most: recognition, listening, recall and a reading passage. Pass with 80% and the certificate is yours, with its own verification link for LinkedIn or a CV.
Every way to learn Mandarin
The course is the spine, but every part of it stands on its own.
Courses
- Online AppThe course as a game: a trail, streaks and XP
- Online Coursebook2,700 words in order: words, grammar, stories
- Just DrillPick a word list, or build your own, and drill it
- IntroductionHow the course works, and where to begin
- GCSE journey mapThe GCSE course as a trail
- GCSE coursebookThe GCSE specification, in its own order
- HSK journey mapThe HSK course as a trail
- HSK coursebookHSK 1 to 6 in one course, level by level
- AP journey mapThe AP course as a trail
- AP coursebookThe AP specification, in its own order
- What is a GCSE?The exam, its tiers, and how it compares to CEFR
- What is the HSK?The six levels, their word lists, and the course
- What is AP?The AP language exams, and our AP Spanish, French and Chinese courses
Read
Words and sounds
- Word listsUp to 2,800 words by frequency, plus GCSE and HSK
- Vocab by HSKHSK 1-6 wordlists, level by level
- PinyinInitials, finals, tones, romanisation
- IPA chartEvery sound of the language, in IPA
- Sound LabHear each sound, and see the mouth make it
- Tone trainerThe four tones on one syllable, by ear
- SpeakingPlus featureRecord yourself and compare with the course audio (experimental)
Play
Teach and print
Read real Mandarin stories from chapter 1
Graded stories, a grammar article and drill for every point, a whole games arcade, printable worksheets and lessons by email. One account, every language.
Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all eleven languages.
Start Mandarin at word one.
Every word and grammar lesson is free to read, and stays that way. Plus adds every graded reader past chapter 2, the story drills, grammar practice, games, printables and lessons by email: free for a week, then $5 a month - one subscription for every course on the site, not just Mandarin, and the full Learn IPA course with it.