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We’ve tested tons of resources for learning Chinese to help you figure out which ones are worth using and which ones should be avoided. These are our top choices.

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MOST RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FOR LEARNING CHINESE

Pimsleur

Pimsleur is one of the most popular and longest-standing resources out there for learning a foreign language. Its courses place a strong emphasis on aural and verbal communication skills, paying less attention to grammar explanations and reading or writing skills. There are over 50 language courses available with Pimsleur, and the bulk of the material is taught with audio lessons.

See our Super-Detailed Pimsleur Review

Chinese For Us

ChineseFor.Us is a much newer online Chinese course, having only covered the beginner levels so far. But, the course is very good and exceptionally thorough. Even better, it’s very affordable, costing only $9.99/mo if you subscribe for six months at a time. There are lots of interactive quizzes and well-produced videos, while also being HSK integrated. Definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a course to get started with. 

See our Super-Detailed Chinese For Us Review

Yoyo Chinese

Yoyo Chinese has several affordable online Chinese courses for sale, along with a popular Youtube channel. The courses start at the very beginning and work their way to an upper-intermediate level. They’re very thorough with lots of videos, clear explanations, interactive quizzes, and more. It’s probably the most well-known and widely used online Chinese courses.

See our Super-Detailed Yoyo Chinese Review

Du Chinese

Du Chinese is another excellent app, similar to The Chairman’s Bao, that makes it easier to practice reading (and listening) in Chinese. There are articles about lots of different and interesting topics. The app is a bit better for beginners because they also include translations for full sentences, instead of only individual words. It’s one of the best-designed app I’ve used.

See our Super-Detailed Du Chinese Review

The Chairman’s Bao

The Chairman’s Bao is one of my most used resources for studying Chinese. On their apps and website, you’ll find news stories written at various difficulty levels. These articles cover a variety of interesting topics and can be quite fun to read and listen to. Additionally, there are lots of extra features, such as comprehension exercises, flashcards, writing practice, and more.

See our Super-Detailed The Chairman’s Bao Review

HelloChinese

HelloChinese is an excellent app that makes it easy to get started studying Chinese without spending any money. They offer tons of lessons with accompanying exercises and explanations. There are also a lot of game-like features that make learning more fun. Much of the content is free, but there are also two paid plans which add in more features including games, podcasts, and more.

See our Super-Detailed HelloChinese Review

ChinesePod

ChinesePod has thousands of lessons available for anyone from absolute beginners to very advanced levels. It’s one of the best, and most often recommended resources for studying Chinese. The lessons are in the form of a podcast, typically from 10-20 minutes long. The hosts discuss a dialogue and then explain important vocabulary, grammar, and cultural information.

See our Super-Detailed ChinesePod Review

Speechling

Speechling has a number of free tools available to help you improve your Chinese, but my favorite part is that they make it easier to record yourself mimicking Chinese sentences. This makes it easier to get a lot of speaking practice and notice mistakes in your pronunciation. Their paid plans allow users to submit an unlimited number of recordings to be corrected by a teacher. 

See our Super-Detailed Speechling Review

Chinese Zero to Hero!

Chinese Zero to Hero! is a course that follows the HSK Standard Course textbook series. The course takes you from HSK 1 up to HSK 6 and includes lots of videos, along with some exercises. I think it’s a really good course for independent learners that like to use several different resources to study. This way, they’re able to add some structure to their learning and avoid knowledge gaps. 

See our Super-Detailed Chinese Zero to Hero! Review

Ninchanese

Ninchanese is probably the most unique Chinese course around. It’s created in a manner that’s similar to a game, where you follow a character to explore different worlds. Despite this, it’s still one of the most comprehensive courses around, covering levels from HSK1 to HSK5. There is an abundance of activities that build upon and relate to each other very well. 

See our Super-Detailed Ninchanese Review

italki

italki is the most convenient and affordable way to find a Chinese tutor. Teachers set their own prices (often less than $10/hr) and set their own schedule. With hundreds of Chinese tutors available, it’s easy to find someone that’s a good fit for you. In addition, you can find free language exchange partners, get writing corrected for free, and do much more on their site and app. 

See our Super-Detailed italki Review

Chinese Grammar Wiki

The Chinese Grammar Wiki is an amazing resource that’s completely free to use. Grammar points are organized according to difficulty levels. Each grammar point includes very easy to understand explanations and lots of examples. There are over 2000 articles, starting at the A1 level and advancing to the C1 level. This site is definitely worth checking out.

Pleco

Pleco is a must-have resource for anyone studying Chinese. This iOS and Android dictionary app is impressively powerful and filled with useful features – some of which are free and others require paid add-ons. With Pleco, it’s easy to look up words, get example sentences, make flashcards, read Chinese documents, look up words from your phone’s camera, and so much more.

Lingodeer

LingoDeer is a bit less well-known than some popular apps like Duolingo, but one that I like much more. It started out with teaching Asian languages and does so better than many apps. It’s a really enjoyable app to use because of their variety of exercises, crystal clear audio recordings, grammar explanations, and all the review opportunities. There’s also an extra ‘Stories’ section for Mandarin learners.

See our Super-Detailed Lingodeer Review

Tandem

Tandem is a language exchange app created to connect learners from around the world. You can teach someone the language you speak and they’ll help you learn the language you’d like to learn. It comes with lots of useful features (as well as a large, active user base) to make connecting with other users easy and facilitate language practice. There’s also a tutoring service offered in the app for those who are interested.

See our Super-Detailed Tandem Review

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