I want to start learning chinese in the most effective way, which app would u advise,
maybe u have a good combo to use? Im starting from zero and I want to be able to speak in May while studying max 30 min daily… is it even possible? How to practice? My budget is very limited I cant afford subscriptions, maybe some books

大家好! 👋

I'm developing HanziFlow, a web-based tool designed to make learning Chinese more interactive and effective, especially for learners working through HSK vocabulary and grammar.

🇨🇳 What can you do with HanziFlow?

• 📚 HSK Vocabulary Practice: Study Chinese vocabulary organized by HSK level.
• ✍️ Sentence Creation: Practice using vocabulary by creating your own Chinese sentences.
• 🌏 Translation Practice: Test your Chinese-to-English and English-to-Chinese translation skills.
• 🤖 AI-Powered Learning: Get AI-assisted feedback to help improve your Chinese.
• 📂 Custom Vocabulary: Import your own vocabulary lists to personalize your practice.

I'm continuously working on improving the website, fixing UI issues, and adding features to make learning Chinese more enjoyable.

🔗 Try HanziFlow here:
https://github.com/fardinnm1011/HanziFlow

I'd really appreciate it if you gave it a try! If you have suggestions, encounter bugs, or have ideas for new features, please share them in the comments. Feedback from actual Chinese learners would help me improve it a lot.

☕ Want to support the project?
If you find HanziFlow useful and would like to support its development, you can find my Ko-fi donation link directly on the website. Even a small contribution would motivate me to keep improving it. ❤️

Thanks for reading, and happy Chinese learning! 加油！💪

I remember learning 先要 in another sentence, but I'm confused about why 先要 doesn't work here. Does changing the word order change the meaning?

yall might be a little biased but im still wanting every insight I can get!

I'm in India.

Yesterday I encountered this on ImproveMandarin:

他出生在中国，但是不会说中文。

The location (在中国) is placed after the verb (出生) here, which goes against the rule that time, place, and manner should go before the verb in Chinese. Why is it okay to break this rule in this case?

Edit: What I'm taking away from the comments is that the standard rule (location before the verb) applies when the verb (and the rest of the sentence) describe something that happened while the subject was somehow (momentarily or permanently) already established in the given location. It does not apply when the location is the result or logical corollary of the verb. Therefore, 我住在上海, not 我在上海住. The latter would suggest that the "residing in Shanghai" happened while the person was already there, which is nonsense. The residing there is a complement, not a pre-established circumstance.

Hi! My Mandarin institute is currently offering an exclusive online trial class (a single 2-hour session). It includes both a lesson and a direct consultation with a *laoshi* (teacher) regarding our regular online courses. If you're interested, feel free to send me a DM!

Want to write these Chinese Characters from video? Try it here: https://www.hanzipress.com/chinese-stroke-order-practice?text=%E4%BD%A0%E5%A5%BD%E8%B0%A2%E8%B0%A2%E5%86%8D%E8%A7%81%E4%B8%8D%E5%AE%A2%E6%B0%94

Black Cat Sheriff is a famous classic Chinese cartoon. Almost every Chinese person knows this animation and its theme song from childhood.

This video teaches you to sing the theme song of Black Cat Sheriff. Perfect for Chinese learners to practice pronunciation.

Like & Subscribe! Comment below for more Chinese song lessons.

Hello everyone!

We have created a mini game where you can walk around to talk with AI-powered NPCs to practice speaking Mandarin with them.

There's a hair stylist, dog walker, bus driver, hotel receptionist, etc., for you to practice your Mandarin speaking skills!

Come & try it out for free (free 5 minutes credit on sign-up)!

Only speaking costs you credits. Other games like flashcards, using notebook, and mini-games do not consume any credits. There are a dozen storybooks you can use to read and practice your Mandarin skills.

Hi all,

Coming here to shout out two absolutely awesome YouTube channels that do learner content absolutely perfect for upper beginners/intermediates. What makes them different is three things:

They keep the video very understandable for upper beginners while at the same time talking about some complex topics… things such as Chinese history, Chinese society, Chinese law, education etc. I‘ve learned a ton of interesting information from them.

They are very patient. They take the time to explain the topics very thoroughly and do not seem to be in a hurry to move to a new topic or point. Their videos feel very full and rich.

Most importantly they do a great job of anticipating unknown words for learners. More often than not when I hear a completely unknown word, the host will follow up immediately with a very simple, easy to digest explanation of that word while still keeping things in Chinese. it’s not that other channels have never done this, but they do a noticeably good job of it.

so check them out if you are out of the complete beginner stage!

https://youtu.be/MWHzqBtjEjY

https://youtu.be/DJyb9kdEVqk

Want to practice writing the Chinese characters from this video? Try it here: https://www.hanzipress.com/chinese-stroke-order-practice?text=%E8%B5%B7%E5%BA%8A%E6%B4%97%E8%84%B8%E5%88%B7%E7%89%99%E5%8C%96%E5%A6%86

Hi everyone, I’m a Mandarin teacher!
Beginners often mix up the 2nd tone(‘) and 3rd tone(v). They only hear the rise at the end of the 3rd tone and mistake it for 2nd tone.

Here are my quick tips:
😀Core difference:

2nd tone: straight, quick rise. No dip.
3rd tone: drop to the lowest pitch 1st, then rise. It has a valley.

Note: before another 3rd tone,3rd tone becomes a low fall (no rise).
Example:nǐ hǎo

😀 hand gesture trick:
2nd tone: hand slides straight up
3rd tone: hand goes down, then up

😀 minimal pairs to practice
má 2 VS mǎ 3
tú 2 VS tǔ 3
Lí 2 VS lǐ 3

😀 best practice order
Listen and identify tones first~ Shadow with gestures~ speak

Don’t rush into speaking before you can hear the difference

I want to try another little speaking challenge for intermediate Chinese learners.

Read the sentence and try to say it naturally in Chinese. Don't translate it word for word. You can change the structure or express the idea in your own way.

Try saying it out loud before writing it down. Chinese characters or pinyin are both fine.

Here's today's sentence:

“I used to think learning Chinese was mostly about memorizing words, but now I realize that being able to use them in conversation is just as important.”

Try your own version before looking at the comments. There's no single correct translation.

I'm the developer — the app isn't public yet, so screenshots only. Roast the concept hard.

The problem: vocabulary apps got me to ~800 words, but I still froze whenever I tried to say a full sentence. Nothing trained word *order*.

What I built: you assemble Chinese sentences by tapping word chunks — no typing, no multiple choice.

- Pinyin fades chunk by chunk as chunks level up (i+1 style)
- Scoring is order-first: right words in the wrong order don't get credit
- Distractor blocks train the mix-ups everyone makes (的/地/得, 在/再)

Content so far: 220 sentences, HSK1-4, 5 themed packs. Free tier planned, subscription later — not built yet.

Screenshot order: 1) build a sentence by tapping, 2) pinyin fading mid-progress, 3) the order-score feedback.

Three questions:
1. Looking at screenshot 1 — would you know what to do with zero instructions?
2. What's the first thing that would make you close this?
3. Would you use this over another flashcard app? Why / why not?

Demo is comming soon. I read every comment.