Free Chinese Course

How it works A free Chinese course with a clear order Most beginners don't fail for lack of material. They fail because they jump between apps and videos with no order. This free Mandarin course gives you one. Each stage has a goal, a time estimate, a short list of things to do, and a check that tells you when you're ready to move on. Everything it links to is free on studycli.org, with no account to create. Who it's for Complete beginners in Mandarin, and anyone who has tried an app or two and wants a proper sequence. The course uses pinyin and simplified characters, as the HSK exam does. How much time 15 to 20 minutes a day, five or six days a week, for eight weeks: about 16 to 20 hours in all. With 40 minutes a day, about four weeks. Where you'll be You'll read pinyin with the right tones, know about 150 everyday words, build simple sentences, recognise the 100 most common characters, and read two short stories. That is the foundation of HSK 1. What's free, and what isn't Stages 1 to 5 are free and self-paced. A website can't listen to you, so Stage 6 is about speaking with a real person: a friend, a language partner or a teacher. Your first 30-minute online lesson with a Chinese Language Institute (CLI) teacher is free; lessons after that are paid. A note on HSK levels The HSK is China's official Chinese proficiency exam. The revised standard, often called HSK 3.0, has nine levels, and its HSK 1 covers 300 words. The older six-level HSK 1 covered 150. Regular 2026 test dates still mostly use the older version, so check with your test center before you book. HSK Levels Explained covers both. Stage 1 音yīn · sound When Weeks 1–2 Daily 15–20 minutes Stage 1: Pinyin and the four tones GoalHear and say every sound in Mandarin, and read pinyin aloud with the right tone. Pinyin is the system that writes Chinese sounds in the Latin alphabet, and tones are part of every word. 妈 mā (mother) and 马 mǎ (horse) are different words that differ only in tone. Give this stage two full weeks: habits formed here are hard to undo later. Do this Read What Is Pinyin? once, start to finish. It explains initials, finals and tones, and the sounds that trip up English speakers: q, x, zh, c and the hidden ü. Guide Spend 10 minutes a day with the interactive Pinyin Chart. Click a syllable, play all four tones and repeat each one out loud. One row of the chart a day is plenty. Tool Learn the three tone changes you'll hear from day one (two third tones in a row, 不 bù and 一 yī) in the Guide to Tone Changes in Mandarin. Practise tones in pairs, not one at a time. Guide Paste any Chinese you come across into the Pinyin Converter. It puts tone-colored pinyin above every character and applies the 不 and 一 changes for you. Tool Record yourself saying mā, má, mǎ, mà on your phone and compare it with the chart. Your ear will improve faster than your voice. That's normal, and it's why Stage 6 exists. You're ready to move on when You can read a new pinyin syllable aloud without looking up how it sounds. You can hear the difference between the second and third tones most of the time. You know why 你好 is written nǐ hǎo but said ní hǎo. Next: Stage 2, words Stage 2 词cí · word When Weeks 2–5 Daily 7–10 new words, review first Stage 2: Your first 150 words GoalLearn about 150 of the most useful beginner words by sound and meaning, with their tones. Start with greetings and survival words, then work through the HSK 1 list in short sessions. Say every word out loud, every time: a word you can only read is half learned. Do this Start with 18 Basic Chinese Words and Phrases and 12 Ways to Say Hi in Chinese: hello, thank you, sorry, yes, no, and the greetings people actually use. Guides Open the HSK 1 Vocabulary list. It has all 300 words of the new HSK 1 with pinyin, meanings and example sentences. Use its 20-word study sessions and rate each card Again, Learning or Know. The page remembers your progress in your browser. Tool Learn 7 to 10 new words a day, and always review before you add new ones. At that pace you'll pass 150 words by the end of week 5. You'll finish the other 150 after the course. Mix things up with the HSK Vocabulary Flashcards. The pinyin is colored by tone, so you learn each word's tone shape along with its meaning. Shuffle often so you don't memorise the order. Tool Prefer an app for review? CLI's flashcard guide compares Anki, Pleco and other options. Pick one and stick with it. Guide You're ready to move on when You understand about 150 words when you hear them, and can say them with the right tones. You can count to 99 without thinking about it. You can greet someone, thank them and say your name and where you're from. Next: Stage 3, sentences Stage 3 句jù · sentence When Weeks 4–6 Daily 10 minutes, alongside words Stage 3: Sentences and basic grammar GoalPut your words into correct, simple sentences: statements, questions and negatives. Chinese grammar is kinder to beginners than its reputation. There are no verb conjugations, no plural endings and no grammatical gender. What matters is word order and a small set of particles and patterns. Do this Read Chinese Sentence Structure. It covers subject-verb-object order, why time and place go before the verb, when to use 是, 很 and 有, and how to ask questions without changing the word order. Guide Skim A Comprehensive Introduction to Basic Chinese Grammar for the big picture: nine features of Chinese grammar in one place. Guide Work through the HSK 1 Grammar page, two or three points a day. Start with numbers and measure words, the question particles 吗 and 呢, negation with 不 and 没, and question words. Tool Learn the few measure words you'll use constantly (个, 本, 杯, 口) from The 100 Most Common Chinese Measure Words. You don't need the other 96 yet. Guide Open the HSK 1 deck of the HSK Sentence Flashcards. Read each sentence aloud before you flip the card, then check the pinyin and the translation. Tool Take one frame, such as 我喜欢… wǒ xǐhuan (I like…), and make ten true sentences with it. Then make them negative. Then turn them into questions. You're ready to move on when You can say ten true sentences about yourself: your name, where you're from, your family, what you like and what you do. You can turn any of them into a yes-or-no question with 吗, and make it negative with 不 or 没. You put time words before the verb without thinking: 我明天去 wǒ míngtiān qù (I'm going tomorrow). Next: Stage 4, characters Stage 4 字zì · character When Weeks 3–7 Daily 5 minutes, then 10 in weeks 6–7 Stage 4: Your first Chinese characters GoalRecognise the 100 most common characters, and understand how characters are built. Don't wait until you have "finished" pinyin. Many teachers recommend starting characters within the first few weeks, because learners who read only pinyin for too long find the switch harder later. So this stage starts in week 3 with five minutes a day, and grows in weeks 6 and 7. Recognise first; writing from memory can come more slowly. Do this Read How to Learn Chinese Characters. It explains radicals and components, and six methods that work, including recognition before production. Guide Work through The 100 Most Common Chinese Characters, ten at a time. Click each character to hear it, then test yourself with the free flashcard deck at the end of the page. Guide When a character won't stick, look it up in the Radical & Stroke Explorer to see its radical, its stroke count and the characters that share its parts. 你, 他 and 们 all carry the person radical 亻. Tool Learn the six rules of Chinese stroke order, and write each new character by hand three or four times. Writing helps the shape stick, even if you'll mostly type. Guide Stay with simplified characters unless you'll use Chinese mainly in Taiwan or Hong Kong, where traditional characters are used. Simplified is the standard in mainland China and the system the HSK uses. You're ready to move on when You recognise at least 80 of the 100 most common characters. You can point to the radical in 妈, 你 and 好. You can write 20 characters from memory, in the right stroke order. Next: Stage 5, reading Stage 5 读dú · read When Weeks 7–8 Daily 10 minutes of reading Stage 5: Read your first stories GoalRead a complete short story in Chinese characters. This is where the earlier stages come together. CLI's graded readers are short stories written for a specific HSK level. Each HSK 1 story lets you switch between simplified characters, traditional characters, pinyin and a bilingual version, and every new word has audio. Do this Read My Dad Loves Drinking Tea (HSK 1). Read it first in pinyin, then in simplified characters. Switch to the bilingual version only to check yourself. Reader Study the story's word list (click any word to hear it) and its two grammar points, 太…了 and 能. Read My Family's Dog (HSK 1) the same way. Reader Read each story three times over a week, once out loud. The second and third reads are where reading starts to feel fast. For any other Chinese text, the Pinyin Converter's Reading Aid view splits the text into words and shows a definition under each one. Tool You're ready to move on when You can read both HSK 1 stories in characters, looking up only a few words. You can retell each story in three or four simple sentences. The second read of a story feels clearly easier than the first. Next: Stage 6, speaking Stage 6 说shuō · speak When Week 8 and after Daily 10 minutes out loud Stage 6: Speak with a real person GoalHold a short, real conversation, and find out what to fix in your pronunciation. You've been speaking out loud since day one, which is exactly right. But talking to a chart or a flashcard is not the same as talking to someone who answers back at natural speed. This stage closes that gap. Do this Write a one-minute self-introduction from your Stage 3 sentences, and practise it until you can say it without notes. Shadow the audio on the Pinyin Chart and in the graded readers: listen to a word or line, then say it straight away, copying the rhythm and the tones. Prepare five questions you can ask someone else (their name, where they're from, what they do, their family, what they like), and practise understanding the answers. Have your first conversation. A Chinese-speaking friend or a language exchange partner works well. If you want a trained ear on your tones, book a free 30-minute trial lesson with a CLI teacher. Lesson You've finished the course when You can introduce yourself and answer five simple questions without switching to English. You know your two or three biggest pronunciation problems, from someone who has heard you speak. See the 8-week plan Your schedule The 8-week plan About 20 minutes a day, five or six days a week. The stages overlap on purpose: sounds lead into words, characters start early, and you speak out loud every day. Miss a day? Carry on where you stopped. Miss a week? Repeat the last week. Each day, review before you learn anything new. Word and character counts are running totals. WeekFocusEach dayBy the end of the week Week 1Stage 1Sounds and the four tones10 min on one row of the Pinyin Chart; 5–10 min reading What Is Pinyin?You say mā, má, mǎ, mà clearly and can tell them apart Week 2Stage 1Stage 2Tone changes, first phrases10 min tone pairs and tone changes; 10 min greetings and basic phrasesYou read any pinyin aloud; you can greet, thank and apologise Week 3Stage 2Stage 4Words, first characters5 min review; 10 min new HSK 1 words; 5 min charactersAbout 50 words and 10 characters Week 4Stage 2Stage 3Words, word order5 min review; 8 min new words; 7 min Chinese Sentence StructureAbout 100 words; simple sentences with 是, 很 and 有 Week 5Stage 2Stage 3HSK 1 grammar5 min review; 5 min new words; 10 min HSK 1 Grammar and sentence flashcardsAbout 150 words; ten sentences about yourself, as questions and negatives too Week 6Stage 4Characters5 min word review; 10 min the 100 most common characters; 5 min sentence flashcardsAbout 50 of the 100 characters; radicals make sense Week 7Stage 4Stage 5Characters, first story5 min review; 5 min characters; 10 min My Dad Loves Drinking Tea80 or more characters; your first story read in characters Week 8Stage 5Stage 6Reading and speaking10 min My Family's Dog; 10 min self-introduction and shadowingSecond story read; your first real conversation in Chinese Honest limits Where free learning runs out Free tools are very good at explaining, showing, repeating and testing. You can learn everything in this course without paying anything, and many learners go well beyond it on free material alone. Free tools are weak at three things, and all three matter in Chinese: Your tones. Most learners can't hear their own tone mistakes. A chart can play the right tone; it can't tell you that your third tone sounds like a second. Real conversation. Understanding someone at natural speed, and answering without a script, only comes from talking with people. Feedback and pace. Someone who notices the same mistake three times, fixes it and knows what you should learn next saves you weeks of guessing. That is the gap CLI's online Chinese lessons fill. Every lesson is one-on-one with a teacher based in Guilin, China, so the whole class is about your Chinese: your tones, your questions, your goals. Your teacher can pick up from this course, work from a textbook, or build a plan around what you need. FAQ Questions about learning Chinese for free Is this Chinese course really free? Yes. Every guide, tool, word list and story in this course is free on studycli.org, with no account and nothing to install. The only paid option is one-on-one lessons with a CLI teacher, and the first 30-minute trial lesson is free too. Can I learn Chinese online for free? You can learn a lot for free. Pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, characters and reading all work well with free material, and this course takes you through the beginner stage of each. Speaking is the hard part to do alone, because you need someone to talk to and someone to correct your tones. A language partner costs nothing; a teacher gets you there faster. How long does it take to finish this course? About eight weeks at 15 to 20 minutes a day, or 16 to 20 hours in total. With 40 minutes a day you can finish in about four weeks. For the bigger picture, most learners need 100 to 200 hours of study before greetings, numbers, ordering food and simple questions feel comfortable. How Long Does It Take to Learn Chinese? has realistic timelines for every goal. Should I learn simplified or traditional characters? Follow the place where you'll use Chinese. Learn simplified characters for mainland China or Singapore, and traditional characters if your focus is Taiwan or Hong Kong. This course uses simplified, the system the HSK uses, and CLI's graded readers let you switch between the two. Do I need a teacher to learn Chinese? Not to start. You can do this whole course on your own. A teacher starts to matter when you want to speak: tones are much easier to correct in the first months than a year later, and a conversation partner who adapts to your level keeps you talking. Many learners mix both: free tools for words and characters, a lesson or two a week for speaking. What should I study after this course? Finish the new HSK 1 list (the other 150 words), then move on to the HSK 2 vocabulary list and the HSK 2 graded readers. The Chinese Study Plan for Beginners maps out the rest of your first year, and HSK Levels Explained shows what each level asks of you. After the course Your path to HSK 2 Keep the same daily rhythm and the same order: words, sentences, characters, stories, and speaking out loud. 一Finish HSK 1The other 150 words on the new HSK 1 list, with the same 20-word sessions.HSK 1 vocabulary 二HSK 2 vocabulary200 more words with pinyin, example sentences and flashcards.HSK 2 vocabulary 读HSK 2 storiesGraded readers one level up, such as My Bus Driver, Mr. Liu and My Chinese Homestay Family.HSK 2 readers 级HSK Levels ExplainedAll nine levels, the old and new versions, and which exam to take.Read the guide 计Chinese Study PlanA realistic week-by-week plan for the rest of your first year.See the plan 书Resource LibraryEvery CLI guide, tool and graded reader in one place.Browse the library For more listening and reading, try CLI's picks of Chinese podcasts, YouTube channels for learning Mandarin and Chinese textbooks. Start today with five minutes Open the Pinyin Chart, play the four tones of ma, and say them out loud. That's Stage 1, day one. Open the Pinyin Chart Book a free lesson CloseMessage us on WeChatIn WeChat on your phone, tap + then Scan, and point it at this code.Take a screenshot of this code. In WeChat, tap + then Scan and choose it from your album.Press and hold the code and choose the option to scan it.Then tap Follow and send us a message.We reply Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM Beijing time.