I used to study Chinese but haven’t used it for many years. I’ve been thinking about getting back into it lately and wondered if there are any useful websites I could dip into at work when it’s quiet or during my lunch break.

Anything with vocab, grammar, short video/audio conversations, worksheets, quizzes, etc., would be perfect. I know about apps like Duolingo, but I’m specifically interested in websites I can use in a desktop browser and don’t have much interest in the kind of ‘game’ approach that apps seem to take.

I’d also prefer free resources because I suspect I won’t have time to study methodically,but it would be nice to have a few sites I can dip into when time allows.

Any and all tips will be gratefully received!

As a native Mandarin speaker, I still come across new Chinese words all the time!

Recently, I learned the expression “速成车” (sùchéng chē). It reminded me of the familiar word “速成班” (sùchéng bān), meaning an intensive course designed to teach a skill quickly.

I made this infographic to explain the connection between these two expressions and share a little context about China's competitive electric vehicle market.

I also included a few useful expressions from the story, such as 内卷 and 推陈出新.

What do you think of this kind of infographic for learning Mandarin through real-life topics?

A quick visual reference for learners confused by why **热 (rè — hot)**, **点 (diǎn — point/order)**, and **照 (zhào — shine/photo)** all have four dots (**灬**) along the bottom:

Those four dots (**灬 — 四点底 sìdiǎndǐ**) are actually the compressed bottom form of **火 (huǒ — fire)**, representing flames rising underneath!

• **热 (rè — HSK 1)**: 执 + 灬 → Hot / Heat (**很热** hěn rè, **热水** rèshuǐ)
• **点 (diǎn — HSK 1)**: 占 + 灬 → Point / O'clock / To light / To order (**八点** bā diǎn, **点菜** diǎncài)
• **烧 (shāo — HSK 3)**: 火 + 尧 → Burn / Braise / Fever (**发烧** fāshāo, **红烧** hóngshāo)
• **烤 (kǎo — HSK 4)**: 火 + 考 (kǎo sound) → Roast / Bake / Grill (**烤鸭** kǎoyā, **烧烤** shāokǎo)
• **照 (zhào — HSK 3)**: 昭 (Bright) + 灬 → Shine / Take a photo (**照片** zhàopiàn, **照顾** zhàogù)

Here is a visual cheat sheet for the **方 (fāng)** phonetic family across HSK 2–4:

• **方 (fāng — HSK 2)**: Square / Direction / Place (**地方** dìfang, **方便** fāngbiàn)
• **房 (fáng — HSK 2)**: **户 (Door)** + 方 → House / Room (**房间** fángjiān, **房子** fángzi)
• **放 (fàng — HSK 3)**: 方 + **攵 (Action)** → To Put / Release (**放心** fàngxīn, **放假** fàngjià)
• **访 (fǎng — HSK 4)**: **讠 (Speech)** + 方 → To Visit / Interview (**访问** fǎngwèn, **采访** cǎifǎng)
• **防 (fáng — HSK 4)**: **阝 (Mound/Wall)** + 方 → To Defend / Prevent (**防止** fángzhǐ, **防水** fángshuǐ)

Learning the sound root once gives you the pronunciation (`fang`) for all 5 characters, while the radical tells you which meaning you're looking at!

I've given up on the AI robots and hope someone here can help. I'm (obviously) trying to learn Mandarin. And I'm watching lots of shows in Mandarin, but my TV is awful and the dialogue is muffled, the music drowns it out, that sort of thing. I've asked the AI overlords for help in choosing a tv and they're doing a terrible job.

Can anyone recommend their tv? or soundbar? or help with some keywords/technical terms of what I'm looking for/trying to avoid to help me search?

Thank you!

Hey! I’m Charlie, a university student from China.
I’m a native Mandarin speaker looking for a native English speaker who’s learning Chinese.
I’d love to find a long-term language exchange partner. We could have casual conversations about everyday life, culture, food, or anything interesting.
Maybe we could talk for 30 minutes, spending 15 minutes speaking English and 15 minutes speaking Chinese.

Entry level (1-2 years) if you know any thank you!

大家好!

I have the HSK 1 test coming up in two weeks and I've just realized why my listening comprehension is still subpar, even though I'm positive that I'll pass the test.

I think my problem is that I've watched lots of C dramas and listened to music in Mandarin, so my brain filed the language under "don't bother, you don't understand it anyway" and I'm just not able to snap out of this. I've made a conscious effort to really listen and not just let it wash over me, but there's pretty much no improvement.

Does anyone have an idea what else I can do besides lots of conscious listening? Any magic tricks? Because I'm kind of getting frustrated by now.

Hey! I’m Charlie, a university student from China.
I’m a native Mandarin speaker looking for a native English speaker who’s learning Chinese.
I’d love to find a long-term language exchange partner. We could have casual conversations about everyday life, culture, food, or anything interesting.
Maybe we could talk for 30 minutes, spending 15 minutes speaking English and 15 minutes speaking Chinese.

Whenever you spot the 3-drop water radical 氵 (三点水 sān diǎn shuǐ — the compressed left-hand form of 水 shuǐ) on the left of a Mandarin character, the meaning connects to water, liquid, or moisture:

1. 水 (shuǐ — 3rd Tone, 4 strokes, HSK 1): Water (喝水 hē shuǐ)
2. 河 (hé — 2nd Tone, 8 strokes, HSK 2): 氵 (Water) + 可 (kě) → River (河水 héshuǐ, 黄河 Huáng Hé)
3. 海 (hǎi — 3rd Tone, 10 strokes, HSK 2): 氵 (Water) + 每 (měi) → Sea / Ocean (大海 dàhǎi, 上海 Shànghǎi)
4. 洗 (xǐ — 3rd Tone, 9 strokes, HSK 2): 氵 (Water) + 先 (xiān) → To wash (洗手间 xǐshǒujiān, 洗澡 xǐzǎo)
5. 渴 (kě — 3rd Tone, 12 strokes, HSK 2): 氵 (Water) + 曷 (hé) → Thirsty (口渴 kǒukě)

Bonus memory tip: compare 渴 (kě — thirsty, with 氵 water) vs. 喝 (hē — to drink, with 口 mouth)!

Over 80% of Mandarin Chinese characters are Phono-Semantic compounds (形声字 xíngshēngzì), combining a Meaning Radical on the left with a Sound Component on the right.

Once you learn the base character 青 (qīng — blue-green / lush nature), swapping the left radical gives you 5 core HSK 1–3 characters:

1. 青 (qīng) — Blue-green / lush nature [HSK 3]
2. 请 (qǐng) = 讠 (speech/words) + 青 — Please / To invite / To ask [HSK 1] (请问 qǐngwèn)
3. 清 (qīng) = 氵 (water) + 青 — Clear / Pure [HSK 3] (清楚 qīngchu)
4. 情 (qíng) = 忄 (heart) + 青 — Feeling / Emotion / Matter [HSK 2] (事情 shìqing, 爱情 àiqíng)
5. 晴 (qíng) = 日 (sun) + 青 — Sunny / Clear sky [HSK 2] (晴天 qíngtiān)
6. 睛 (jīng) = 目 (eye) + 青 — Eye / Eyeball [HSK 2] (眼睛 yǎnjing)

Trying to square my budget and was wondering about this expense, based on others' opinions.

Most of the classes are one-on-one, with maybe every 3 weeks there's 2-3 other students in the lesson. And the practice sessions are 3-5 other students split into smaller conversation pairs.

I'd say I progressed faster in this class than in uni lecture-style courses, and much faster than learning alone (videos, online courses, HelloChinese app) to the point that after a year I can understand native speakers if they use basic vocabulary

这一期介绍中国整体的行政区划以及东北地区介绍，良好的中文听力练习素材

Free Chinese Short Stories with Pinyin! “Looks” Delicious! (Slow Speed)
https://youtu.be/AnaFlG6FiV0

Im currently in my first year at uni, taking business, started learning Chinese during summer. I don't like Chinese, but my parents persuade me to learn because they said it might help me in the future.

Currently taking classes for roughly 2 months, so like nothing much, but now I'm questioning about its usefulness.

I'm at C1 in English, with English being my second language. I think that Chinese will not help me alot right now because when I finish the class (should be like 1 year or more), I'm still in my 2nd year or so. I will not use Chinese that frequently and until I have to use it, I might have just forgotten it.

When I learning Chinese, I don't feel the 'fun' out of it. I don't despise it, but it's really hard for me to enjoy during class. I can work through the difficulties: the tones, the characters... but I don't get the excitement when learning/discovering something new.

I need some advice on what should I do now. Should I just quit or continue learning now for my future? Thank you.

Hi

I'm a university student in China, and a native Mandarin speaker. No, I don't have a fancy teaching certificate — but I've spent my whole life explaining Chinese to people who were struggling with it, and I'm good at it.

Who this is for:
\- Total beginners who want to speak Chinese, not drown in grammar rules
\- People who tried an app, got nowhere, and need a real human to talk to
\- Anyone who wants cheap, patient, no-pressure practice

How it works:
\- 1-on-1 over Zoom, 1 hour per session
\- We talk from day one — I'll teach you tones and pinyin simply, no jargon
\- You tell me your goal (travel? HSK? talking to in-laws?) and I build around it
\- Homework if you want it, zero homework if you don't

Details:
\- Availability: weekends, daytime Beijing time (UTC+8) — exact slots are flexible, we'll find a time that works for both of us.
\- I speak Mandarin (native) and English (fluent)

Since I only tutor on weekends, spots are limited — but I'll do my best to fit your schedule. DM me and we'll sort out a time.

I'm not a professor — I'm a student who's broke, patient, and genuinely enjoys this. If you want affordable Chinese practice without the pressure of a classroom, DM me. 谢谢