Guide
Learn Chinese from Zero
Learn Chinese from zero with a simple self-study plan: pinyin, the four tones, first words and sentences, free lessons by topic and the Tuni app to practise daily.
On this page
- Why learn Chinese
- Why Chinese is easier than it looks
- A five-step plan to learn Chinese by yourself
- 1. Learn to read pinyin
- 2. Hear and tell apart the four tones
- 3. Learn a few basic words every day
- 4. Use short sentence patterns
- 5. Read your first short story
- On your own, with a teacher or with an app
- Learn Chinese every day with Tuni
- Your first month, 10 to 15 minutes a day
- Quick check
- Free Chinese lessons by topic
- Mandarin or Cantonese?
- Start learning Chinese today
- Frequently asked questions
Want to learn Chinese but don't know where to start? This page brings everything a beginner needs into one place: a self-study plan from zero, a way to practise every day in 10 to 15 minutes, and free lessons by topic.
Why learn Chinese#
Mandarin Chinese has more native speakers than any other language, and it opens more doors than you might think.
- Travel: order food, ask your way and chat with locals in China, Taiwan or Singapore.
- Work: with Chinese companies, customers and travellers, in tourism, trade and online business.
- Shows and music: understand Chinese dramas and songs without relying on every subtitle.
- Family and friends: talk with Chinese-speaking relatives, partners and friends.
- Study and exams: HSK results are used for university applications and scholarships in China.
Why Chinese is easier than it looks#
Chinese looks hard because of the characters, but its grammar is friendlier than most European languages.
- Verbs never change. No conjugation by person or tense: 我吃 (wǒ chī) is “I eat”, 他吃 (tā chī) is “he eats”.
- No plural endings and no genders. A word stays the same whatever the number.
- Basic sentences follow the English order. 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ) is “I love you”, word for word. See more in I love you in Chinese.
- Pinyin uses the Latin alphabet, so you can read the sounds of any word from day one.
The two new things are the tones, which you train with your ears, and the characters. The good news: you don't need to memorise them all at once. Meet the same words again and again in sentences and stories, and the characters slowly become familiar.
A five-step plan to learn Chinese by yourself#
1. Learn to read pinyin#
Pinyin writes Chinese sounds with the Latin alphabet. It is the first door into Chinese: it lets you pronounce any word in a dictionary or an app. Give it one or two weeks, starting with the pinyin guide for beginners.
2. Hear and tell apart the four tones#
The same syllable with a different tone means something else. Tap below to hear the difference, then keep practising with the Chinese tones lesson.
Same sound, four tones. Tap to hear the difference.
3. Learn a few basic words every day#
Start with words you can use every day. Three to five a day is plenty. What matters is hearing the real audio and coming back to them tomorrow. Find more in basic Chinese words and phrases.
4. Use short sentence patterns#
With a few dozen words, you can already build sentences. These patterns work every day.
我叫小美。
我想喝水。
你喜欢吃什么？
The trick is to swap words inside the same pattern: 我想喝水 → 我想吃饭 (wǒ xiǎng chī fàn, I want to eat). To ask a yes-or-no question, just add 吗 (ma) at the end: 你好吗？ (nǐ hǎo ma? How are you?)
5. Read your first short story#
A short story is where all your words meet, and it makes them stick far better than lists. Try the Chinese story for beginners “The Kitten's New Bed”: eight short HSK 1 pages with pinyin, audio and an English translation for every sentence.
On your own, with a teacher or with an app#
No method is best for everyone. Many learners do best by combining them.
| Method | Strengths | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| On your own | Free or cheap, at your own pace | Needs discipline, and nobody corrects your pronunciation |
| With a teacher or a course | Someone corrects you and answers your questions | Costs more, and you follow a schedule |
| With the Tuni app | Free, a few minutes a day, with real audio, pinyin, stories and a word on your Lock Screen | No real conversation, so find chances to speak |
What works for most people: a little practice every day with an app like Tuni, and a conversation with a teacher or a friend from time to time once you are ready.
Learn Chinese every day with Tuni#
The hardest part of learning Chinese on your own isn't the lessons. It is coming back every day. Our free app, Tuni, is built for exactly that.
- New words every day, with pinyin, audio, meanings and example sentences, from more than 5,000 HSK 1 to HSK 6 words
- A Lock Screen widget: see a Chinese word every time you pick up your iPhone, and open it in one tap
- 50 illustrated stories from HSK 1 to HSK 6, with audio, pinyin and help on every word
- Short quizzes after each session, to check you really remember
Your first month, 10 to 15 minutes a day#
| Week | What to learn |
|---|---|
| 1 | Pinyin and the four tones |
| 2 | Greetings, numbers and five basic words a day |
| 3 | Short sentences such as 我想… and questions ending with 吗 |
| 4 | Your first short story, and a review of your words |
Then keep going: at five words a day, you know the 500 words of HSK 1, the first level of the official Chinese exam, in about 100 days. The HSK has six levels; see what a story feels like at each one on the Chinese story page.
Quick check#
Quick check
Free Chinese lessons by topic#
Every lesson has the characters, pinyin, audio and a clear explanation. Start with the topic you want to use first.
Pronunciation
- Pinyin: initials, finals and how to read pinyin aloud
- Chinese tones: hear and practise the four tones and the neutral tone
Greetings and everyday words
- Basic Chinese words and phrases: the words and sentences you use every day
- Hello in Chinese: 你好 and other greetings
- Thank you in Chinese: 谢谢 and how to reply
- Goodbye in Chinese: 再见 and the goodbyes people really use
Love and family
- I love you in Chinese: 我爱你 and sweeter ways to say it
- Love in Chinese: the character 爱 and words about love
- Mother in Chinese: 妈妈 and other words for mother
- Happy birthday in Chinese: 生日快乐 and birthday wishes
Festivals and culture
- Chinese New Year: key words and traditions
- Chinese New Year greetings: wishes with pinyin and meaning
Reading
- Chinese story for beginners: a short story with pinyin, audio and translations
Free tools
- Pinyin converter: paste Chinese text and see pinyin over every character
- Chinese word counter: see which HSK levels the words of a text belong to
Mandarin or Cantonese?#
Learn Mandarin (普通话 pǔtōnghuà) if you want to travel, work or take an exam. It is the official language of China and Taiwan, one of the official languages of Singapore, and the language of the HSK. Cantonese is mostly spoken in Hong Kong, Macau and southern China, and sounds very different. Every lesson on this site and in the Tuni app is in Mandarin.
Start learning Chinese today#
You don't need a thick textbook to learn Chinese. Start with pinyin today, ten minutes, and come back tomorrow. If you want help to practise every day, try the free Tuni app.
Frequently asked questions
Is Chinese hard to learn?
Less than it looks. Verbs never change, there are no plural endings or genders, and basic sentences follow the same order as English. The two new things are the tones, which you train with your ears, and the characters, which you learn little by little by meeting them again and again in sentences and stories.
Can I learn Chinese by myself?
Yes, if you go step by step. Start with pinyin and the tones, learn a few basic words every day, then read short sentences and stories while listening to real audio. When you are ready, speaking with a teacher or a friend from time to time helps a lot with pronunciation.
Where should I start learning Chinese?
Start with pinyin, the system that writes Chinese sounds with the Latin alphabet, and the four tones. Then learn a few basic words a day, with their audio, and meet them again in sentences.
How long does it take to speak Chinese?
Simple greetings take a few days. At five new words a day, you know the 500 words of HSK 1 in about 100 days and can use simple everyday sentences. Speaking fluently takes years, and real conversations with people.
How many minutes a day should I study Chinese?
Ten to fifteen minutes every day works better than a long session once a week, because words you review after a pause stay in your memory longer.
What is the best app to learn Chinese?
Choose an app with real audio, pinyin and clear explanations that makes you practise every day. Tuni, our app, is free, with new words every day with audio and pinyin, a Lock Screen widget and 50 illustrated stories from HSK 1 to HSK 6.
Do I need to learn to write Chinese characters?
Not at the start. Most beginners first learn to listen, read and recognise characters. Today we type Chinese with pinyin on our phones. Writing by hand helps you remember, and you can add it later.
Should I learn Mandarin or Cantonese?
Learn Mandarin if you want to travel, work or take the HSK exam. It is the official language of China and Taiwan and one of the official languages of Singapore. Cantonese is mostly spoken in Hong Kong, Macau and southern China, and sounds very different.
