Beginner Chinese lessons

Study introductory vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. Follow the lessons in order or choose a topic.

Your first Mandarin conversation

A short first conversation with simplified characters and pinyin.

Understand the four Mandarin tones and the neutral tone with a small contrast set.

Learn how simplified Chinese characters combine into everyday words.

Use Mandarin numbers with 个, 本, and 杯 in everyday phrases.

Practice subject–verb–object order without verb conjugation.

Ask whether someone drinks tea and what they would like.

A practical café exchange with classifiers and polite language.

Use a few familiar verbs to describe an ordinary day and review what you know.