Learn Chinese: Basic Mandarin Chinese HSK 1 for Beginners

Learn four pinyin initials bě, pě, mě, fě with guided pronunciation and practice using example words such as bà, pǎo, měi, and fēi.

Learn the pinyin initials d, t, n, l with pronunciation practice and the example words duō, tiān, nǐ, lèi.

Master the Chinese initials gē, kē, hē and pronounce them with familiar English parallels g, k, h, while practicing words like gāo, kāi, and hēi through repetition.

Practice the initials ㄍ, ㄎ, ㄏ with various finals to build beginner Mandarin pronunciation, using examples such as wǎn guǎn, wèn guèn, and kōng kǒng.

Master pinyin initials j, q, and x by learning mouth shapes, tongue position behind the lower teeth, and practice words like jī dàn, qù, and xī.

Practice the three initials j, q, x with some phonemes to build accurate pronunciation, following examples like jī yǐn, jǐ yǐn, and jìng.

Explore three pinyin initials zhī, cī, and sī, and learn how to voice them from voiceless to achieve accurate pronunciation, with examples zì, cū, and sān.

Practice zi, ci, si with some finals to build basic Mandarin pronunciation for beginners. Repeat the syllable patterns shown in the caption to reinforce initial and final sounds.

Learn four pinyin initials zh, ch, sh, r with guided pronunciation and repeat-after-me practice. Use examples like judge, match, wash, chá tea, shū book, and rén man to connect sounds.

Practice zh, ch, sh, r with finals and all four tones, focusing on zhī, chī, shī, rī phonemes to build beginner Mandarin pronunciation.

Learn two pinyin initials yi and wu and practice their pronunciations, with yi sounding exactly like the pinyin final yi and wu like the pinyin simple final wu.

Describe the tone change rule for bù: when followed by a fourth-tone character, bù shifts to the second tone; when alone or followed by other tones, it remains unchanged.

Learn a pinyin rule for yū finals: omit the two dots after jī, xī, qī when yū follows them, since wū cannot follow syllables; nē and lē require keeping dots.

Practice in lesson 2 builds basic Mandarin conversations, teaching xièxiè and búxiè as thanks and you’re welcome, with reading-along pronunciation drills.

Practice basic Mandarin phrases xièxie nǐ, meaning thank you, and wú kèqǐ (you are welcome) in a two-person dialogue with a read-along exercise.

Practice saying zài jiàn, the Chinese goodbye, as a little girl demonstrates and you repeat zài jiàn to respond.

Check your pronunciation for the pinyin-based homework by listening to this guide and comparing your pronunciation with mine to ensure it sounds perfect.

Explore the Great Wall, Changcheng, a 5,000-kilometer fortification built over more than 2,000 years by Chinese people, with torch-lit watchtowers relaying messages to defend national peace and territory.

Learn to ask what's your name in mandarin using ni jiao shen me ming zi, and grasp shi, shen me, and ma for yes-no questions.

Learn essential Chinese vocabulary for beginners: 叫, 什么, 名字, 我, 是, 老师, 学生, 人, 李月, 中国, 美国. Practice pronunciation and tones, including 妈 as a neutral tone character.

Learn how to form plural pronouns in Chinese by adding 们 to 我 and 你, and understand 中文名字, with the family name coming before the given name, as in 李月.

Learn to introduce your name in Chinese with the pattern subject plus 叫 plus name, recognizing 叫 means to be called, using examples like 我叫Tom and 你叫David.

Discover how Chinese uses a subject plus verb shénme structure for questions, with examples like zhè shì shénme and nǐ jiào shénme míngzì, to ask what and introduce names.

Learn a basic Mandarin name exchange through a school conversation, using ni jiao shen me ming zi to ask and wo jiao li yue to answer.

Expand your basic Mandarin with more words and expressions like shì, lǎoshī, zhōngguó lǎoshī, měiguó xuéshēng, and learn that Chinese nouns have no singular or plural forms.

Learn how 不 (bù) negates verbs and adjectives with shì, forming bú shì to express not to be, as in wǒ bú shì lǎo shī.

Practice basic Mandarin phrases for identifying objects with sentences like zhè shì jī dàn and zhè bú shì jī dàn, then introduce xióng māo and this is a panda.

Master forming yes-no questions in Chinese by adding the question particle ma at the end of a statement, with practice examples like 你是学生吗 and 你是老师吗.

Practice basic mandarin phrases from Text-2, including 在教室, 你是老师吗, 吗, 我不是老师, and 我是学生. Read after me and practice pronouncing these key phrases.

Learn to introduce nationality in Chinese by placing rén after a country name, using zhōng guó rén and měi guó rén as examples. Practice tā shì zhōng guó rén.

Present a school scene conversation to learn basic mandarin, including Nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma and responses such as Wǒ shì Měiguó rén and Wǒ bú shì Zhōngguó rén.

The lecture explains pinyin whole syllables as fixed units of initials and finals. There are 16 syllables, read as a whole with examples like zi, ci, si, yi, wu, yu.

Learn pronunciation-focused Mandarin vocabulary in lesson 4, including words such as Tā, De, Nǎ, Nē, Tóng xué, Shuǐ, Shéi, Hàn yǔ, Guó, Tā, and Péng yòu.

Review Chinese personal pronouns, including wǒ, wǒmen, nǐ, and nǐmen, and compare tā (he/she) and shèi. Explain how the left radicals differentiate he and she and form tāmen for they.

Learn basic Mandarin vocabulary such as 汉语, 汉语老师, 老师, and 学习, and practice forming sentences and yes-no questions like 他是汉语老师吗? and 我们学习汉语.

Explore possessive particle de to express ownership in Chinese, with examples like wǒ de shū and nǐ men de lǎo shī, and note de can be omitted with kinship terms.

Explore 的 usage in longer Mandarin sentences with examples like zhè shì wǒ de shū and tā shì wǒ de mā ma, then practice translating 'she is my mother'.

Practice the possessive particle 得 in Chinese, form 谁 is my Chinese teacher as 她是我的汉语老师, and note that a preceding noun modifier makes 得 not omitted.

Learn how to form who questions in Chinese, including pronunciations shéi and shuǐ, with the subject-verb-question word order and example sentences like 'tā shì shuǐ' and 'tā men shì shéi'.

Learn to form which questions in Chinese using nǎ, and ask someone's nationality with nǐ shì nǎ guó rén, following the subject–verb–nǎ guó rén pattern.

Learn how to use 呢 after the subject to form general questions like 你呢, meaning 'and you?' with examples 你是哪国人, demonstrating how to ask about nationality in Chinese.

Practice introducing names in Chinese using 叫 and the subject plus 呢 pattern with you, through a short dialogue including phrases like Wǒ jiào Zhāng hǎo and nǐ ne.

Learn a Mandarin conversation in a library using text-to-together practice, listening and repeating to ask and answer nationality with nǐ shì nǎ guó rén and wǒ shì zhōng guó rén.

Practice basic Mandarin sentence patterns about people in a photo, using who is he, is she your classmate, and he is my friend, with 是, 谁, 吗, 呢, 同学, 朋友.

Practice pinyin spelling to read basic Chinese words through pinyin, from nǐ hǎo to snow, and build foundational Mandarin vocabulary through pronunciation-focused exercises.

Practice basic mandarin conversation by asking and answering about nationality and names to build essential HSK 1 conversation skills.

Learn how to say her daughter is twenty years old this year and count from zero to ten in Mandarin, noting that the possessive de can be omitted.

Learn to say numbers from 10 to 100 in Chinese, focusing on the tens digit and the shí construction, with examples like èr shí, sān shí, sì shí, and beyond.

Practice reading Chinese numbers aloud in a number reading exercise, then check answers together for numbers like 23, 35, 48, 59, 62, 80, and 100.

Learn the meaning of 家 as family or home and practice sentences like 这是我的家 and 这不是我朋友的家.

Explore using the measure word kǒu between numbers and family nouns, with sì kǒu rén for four people, and practice sentences like wǒ jiā rén.

Learn how to use 有 to express possession in Mandarin, following the subject plus 有 plus object pattern with examples like 他有两个女儿 and 我有中国朋友, including measure words.

Learn to express existence with 有 and say there are or there is. Apply place + 有 + something pattern with 口 as the family measure word, as in 我家有三口人.

Learn how to ask how many in Chinese using jǐ and the correct measure words. See examples with Lǐ lǎoshī jiā and nǐ yǒu jǐ běn shū.

Learn to count family members in Mandarin using the measure word kǒu. Practice sì kǒu rén, sān kǒu rén, and wǔ kǒu rén with example sentences.

Practice listening to a Mandarin dialogue about family size; learn to ask 'how many people are in your family' and say 'my family has three people'.

Practice using 女儿 and 儿子 in Chinese sentences, including 她是李老师的女儿 to say 'she is teacher Li's daughter.' Learn how to form 谁的 questions to ask 'whose daughter is she?'

Learn how the pinyin tone of 一 yī changes when it precedes a syllable, becoming second tone before a fourth-tone syllable and fourth tone before first/second/third tones.

Learn how to ask someone's age in Mandarin using the subject plus number plus suì, add lè to show a change, and use jǐ and jīnnián.

Learn how to ask someone's age in Chinese across all ages using 你多大了 and 你爸爸多大了, and politely with 您今年多大年纪了.

Practice listening to a dialogue and answer three questions about Li laoshi's age and her daughter's age. Learn how to ask and state ages in Chinese using 多大了 and 今年.

Review lesson 5 vocabulary: jiā home or family, yǒu to have, kǒu measure for members or mouth, jǐ how many, suì year, jīn nián this year, duō duō many, dà big.

Practice pinyin spelling and pronunciation of basic Mandarin syllables for beginners by listening to a recording, repeating after it, and reading monosyllabic words with pictures.

Practice basic Mandarin conversation on family size, number of Chinese teachers, and ages. Learn to ask and answer questions about how old you are and how old your daughter is.

Experience the water splashing festival in Yunnan with the Dai people as they sing, dance, and splash water for blessings, good luck, pouches signal love to men, and tourists join.

Learn shuō, the verb to speak, and practice phrases like wǒ huì shuō hàn yǔ, měi guó rén shuō yīng yǔ, and zhōng guó rén shuō hàn yǔ.

Learn mandarin vocabulary for mā ma and the question pattern subject verb what, and practice speaking. Read mā ma zhè shì shén me to say this is a map.

Explore how huì expresses can or be able, using examples like 我会说汉语 and 我会打篮球. Learn to form yes-no questions with the question particle ma and negation with 不/不会.

Engage in listening practice with a teacher–student conversation in Mandarin, answer two questions about speaking hàn yǔ, and review how to say you can speak Chinese and your mother can’t.

Learn to name national cuisines with cài, including zhōng guó cài, rì běn cài, and fǎ guó cài, and practice nǐ chī nǎ guó cài.

Master basic Mandarin cooking vocabulary with zuo cai, including phrases for cooking Chinese, French, and Japanese dishes.

Explore how hěn links adjectives to nouns in Chinese, illustrated by zhōng guó cài hěn hǎo chī, meaning Chinese food is delicious. Learn to form statements and questions with ma.

Learn to form yes-no questions with the ma particle using 你的汉语好吗 and practice 我的汉语很好 and 我的汉语不好. Apply the patterns subject 很 adjective and subject 不 adjective.

Join the lesson 6 listening practice featuring a dialogue about Chinese food being delicious and who can cook Chinese food; answer two questions and study the dialogue text.

Explore essential Chinese characters (汉字) and the use of measure words between numbers and nouns. Practice writing 汉字, 写汉字, and forming names with 写名字 and 名字 (汉语名字).

Practice speaking with the lesson's sentences, such as 我会写汉字 and 我不会写汉字, and ask 你会写汉字吗? Note how 不 changes tone when followed by another falling-tone syllable in 不会.

Practice the verb 读 and build vocabulary for reading Chinese characters, books, and texts, while learning to form yes-no questions with 吗 and using phrases like 这个汉字 and 你的汉语名字.

Master the topic-based question pattern in Chinese: topic plus zěnme plus verb, with examples like zhè ge hàn zì zěnme dú and nǐ de míng zi zěnme xiě.

Review vocabulary from lesson 6, including huì, shuō, māma, cài, hěn, hǎo chī, zuò, xiě, hàn zì, zì, zěnme, and dú, and practice reading these words without pinyin.

Practice pinyin spelling by reading monosyllabic words and repeating after the recording to master common Chinese syllables such as yún, xīng, yuán, rén, chī, and rè.

Explore Beijing's living history, from the Forbidden City and Great Wall to modern landmarks like the Bird's Nest and CCTV Tower, and experience hutong life and 3,000 years of culture.

Learn to express the date in Chinese with jīntiān jǐ hào and use qǐng to make polite requests with verbs like dú, shuō, and xiě.

Teach beginners to use qǐng wèn to start polite questions in Mandarin, as shown in examples like lǎoshī qǐng wèn zhège zěnme dú.

Learn to read a year in basic Mandarin Chinese by pronouncing each digit one by one. See er ling yi wu nian for 2015.

Engage in a listening practice to hear years in Chinese and write the heard years on paper, reinforcing basic Mandarin number words and listening accuracy.

Learn to express months in Chinese by placing a number before yue, meaning month or moon. Practice yi yue for January and shi er yue for December.

practice listening for month names in Mandarin by identifying and writing the correct Chinese months from a spoken prompt during a beginner-level listening test.

Learn to express dates in Chinese by using hào after a number and combining it with yuè to indicate the day of the month, as in jiǔ yuè shí hào.

Listen to six date phrases in Mandarin, write the heard dates in English or Chinese, and review the answers to strengthen listening skills.

Learn how to ask the date in Chinese using jīn tiān jǐ hào and jīn tiān jǐ yuè jǐ hào, with explanations of today and the date components.

Learn to ask about dates in Chinese for beginners using yesterday and tomorrow phrases like 昨天几号 and 明天几号, and 几月几号 for month and date.

Learn how to express days of the week in Chinese using the pattern 星期 plus a number, and recognize the two Sunday forms 星期日 and 星期天.

Learn to ask about a day of the week in Chinese using xīngqī jǐ, with examples for today, yesterday, and tomorrow.

Learn how to express dates in Chinese by stating the month first, then the date, then the day of the week, using 月, 六月, 一号, and 星期一 as examples.

Practice expressing dates in Chinese by reviewing three examples, noting that the month comes first (四月), followed by the date and weekday (四月二十六号星期天), with 星期日 as an alternative.

Practice listening to a bank conversation to answer two questions about the date and the day, using jǐ hào and xīngqī jǐ in basic Mandarin for beginners.

Learn to ask and say dates in Mandarin using jǐ yuè jǐ hào, review yesterday and tomorrow with shì, míng tiān ne, and identify dates and days of the week.

Explore essential Mandarin vocabulary with 学校 and 看, learn phrases like 看书, 看汉语书, 看电视, and 看电影, and practice sentences such as 这个好吃吗?

Explore qù, the verb 'to go,' with destinations like xuéxiào and péngyòu jiā. Form questions with ma, negate with bú, and pair with another verb like gōngzuò.

Master the go-to pattern in Chinese: subject plus qù plus place plus verb. Use examples like tā qù xuéxiào kàn shū to express future plans.

Learn to ask about actions in Chinese by replacing kàn shū with zuò shénme in tā míngtiān qù xuéxiào zuò shénme, forming the question 'tā míngtiān qù xuéxiào zuò shénme?'.

Learn to form Chinese questions by replacing the action with zuò shén me to ask about actions, and use xīngqī jǐ to ask about days.

Listen to a Mandarin conversation, answer questions about where he goes and what he does, and learn phrases tā qù nǎ lǐ, qù zuò shén me, jīntiān xīng qī jǐ.

Review the lesson 7 vocabulary set, reinforcing words like 请, 问, 今天, 号, 月, 星期, 昨天, 明天, 去, 学校, 看, 书. Pause to read these words again without pinyin.

Practice pinyin spelling by reading dialectic words aloud and repeating after the recording, using pictures to reinforce coffee, cola, roast duck, hot pot, map, airplane, brush, and headphones.

Confucius, a renowned educator and founder of Confucian thought, established a private school, promoted universal education and moral cultivation, and shaped the Analects, five classics, and Spring and Autumn.

Learn how to express desire to drink tea in Chinese with wǒ xiǎng hē chá, and practice basic drinks like niú nǎi, kāfēi, and kě lè through dialogue.

Learn basic Mandarin food and drink vocabulary, including mǐ fàn meaning rice, chī to eat, zhōng guó cài for Chinese food, and hǎo chī for tasty.

Learn how xiǎng expresses want or would like, followed directly by a verb, as in wǒ xiǎng xué hàn yǔ. Practice forming questions like nǐ xiǎng mǎi shénme?

Practice listening to Chinese sentences and match them to one of three pictures. Acquire essential Mandarin vocabulary from the captions, including 我想吃这个菜, 今天妈妈想做中国菜, and 我想学习写汉字.

practice a restaurant conversation in Mandarin, reading aloud and explaining sentences in English; learn to ask what you want to drink or eat using 想 and 吃/喝, 你想喝什么 and 我想喝茶.

practice listening to time‑of‑day words in Chinese, zǎo shàng, shàng wǔ, zhōng wǔ, xià wǔ, wǎn shàng, and match dates to a schedule in this Mandarin HSK 1 course.

Learn shāngdiàn, the Mandarin for shop or store, and how to say go to the store—the core sentence tā qù shāngdiàn.

Learn to use 买 to buy things in Chinese, with examples 买一个杯子 and 买一本书, the subject 想 pattern, and how 一 changes to the fourth tone before a third-tone character.

Practice listening to a dialogue about what to do this afternoon, including questions like xià wǔ nǐ xiǎng qù zuò shén me and xiǎng mǎi yí gè bēizi.

Learn to use zhè and nà with gè in Chinese, with examples like zhè gè rén shì wǒ bà bǎ and nà gè rén shì wǒ tóng xué.

Master Chinese currency vocabulary by learning 人民币 and its units 元 and 块, the term 钱, and how to say amounts from 一元 to 一百元 in written and spoken forms.

Learn how to use 多少 to ask how many or how much, with examples for people, cups, and price, and understand measure word placement in sentences.

Compare the usage of duō shǎo and jǐ to distinguish large numbers from small quantities, including price questions and measure word omission rules.

Practice a listening store dialogue to identify what the shopper wants to buy and how much zhège bēizi duōshao qián.

Review key mandarin vocabulary: xiǎng to want, hē to drink, chī to eat, mǐ fàn rice, shāng diàn shop, mǎi to buy, gè measure word, duōshǎo how much, qián money.

Explore the Great Hall of the People in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, a political landmark that hosts national meetings and diplomacy with global leaders, blending traditional Chinese styles with modern design.

Develop basic mandarin vocabulary with xiǎo and dà, learn the measure word ge, and practice sentences about xiǎo gǒu, xiǎo māo, liking pets, and asking how many you have.

Learn to pronounce the retroflex final and its three functions: change meanings, sound natural in daily talk, and signal smallness or friendliness with examples like xiǎo hái and xiāng shuǐ.

Master the demonstratives zhè and nà for near and far. Practice the example phrases zhè shì xué xiào and nà shì shāng diàn to reinforce proximity usage.

Learn to describe locations in Chinese using on and under with shàngmián and xiàmián. Apply the patterns yǐzi xiàmián and zhuōzi shàngmiàn to real objects like chair and table.

Participate in a listening exercise with a dialogue about where a kitty and a puppy are, then place them in positions (A on chair, B under chair, C here, there).

Master basic mandarin vocabulary for family and professions, including er zi son, nu er daughter, yi sheng doctor, yi yuan hospital, gongzuo job, de possessive marker, and ma question particle.

Master the Chinese grammar for actions at a place: subject zài place verb object, with examples like wǒ zài péngyou jiā hē chá and tā zài xuéxiào kàn shū.

Practice a short dialogue about where people work at the railway station, listen to it, and complete a fill-in-the-blank exercise from four options; review the full text.

Master the location question particle ne with full and short forms, as in where is the kitten or where is the puppy.

Review lesson 9 Mandarin vocabulary: xiǎo, māo, zài, nà, gǒu, yǐ zi, xià, nǎ, gōng zuò, ér zi, yī yuàn, yī shēng, and bà bǎ.

Explore Chinese existence and location with diàn nǎo, zhuō zǐ, and shàng mián, including diàn nǎo zài zhuō zǐ shàng mián, and zhuō zǐ shàng yǒu yí gè diàn nǎo.

Master Mandarin positional words for inside and outside, with lǐ miān meaning inside and wài miǎn meaning outside, and learn that the position word follows the noun.

Practice Chinese measure words by describing pictures using the pattern number, measure word, noun, and apply běn for books with examples like yí gè diàn nǎo.

Learn to use hé to connect the last two nouns in a list. Practice with the sentence wǒ yǒu yí gè Zhōngguó péngyǒu hé yí gè Měiguó péngyǒu.

Learn how to use méiyǒu to express absence, with examples like yǐ zi xiàmián, méiyǒu xiǎogǒu, and xuéxiào lǐ méiyǒu shāngdiàn.

Breaks down a gym dialogue in text 2, teaching how to ask someone’s name with 叫什么名字 and how to use 在 with place verbs like 在医院工作 and 在商店工作.

learn the mandarin verb zuò (to sit) and practice it in a short sentence. participate in a beginner dialogue to ask to sit and note phrases like zhè méiyǒu rén.

Master how 能 expresses ability, possibility, or formation before a verb, with examples like 我能说汉语 and 你能坐这儿; contrast 不能 as not able, not allowed, or not possible, shown by 明天上午她不能去学校.

Master the néng mā pattern to ask for permission in Chinese, using subject plus néng plus verb phrase plus mā. Practice with examples such as wǒ néng zuò zhè ma and wǒ néng hē yì běi chá ma, and follow along with listening exercises.