The Best FREE Online Chinese Self-Study Resources in 2024

Fernando Villanueva

The process of learning a language online yourself can be challenging and stressful. Studying your own Chinese online can be extremely difficult!

However, it’s not that difficult! You can make gains or even keep your current level, even at home. There are many inexpensive and free methods to learn Mandarin Chinese online. Find out more about the most effective ways to study Chinese online.

Learning Chinese can be accomplished in four ways: reading, speaking, writing, listening, and speaking. It is essential to develop an educational plan that will improve your skills in each of the four areas.

Self-study Chinese spoken

Communicating in Chinese can be the most valuable ability to acquire. If you are planning to employ Chinese in your regular job or life. You’ll need to interact with your classmates and teachers, taxi drivers, waiters and taxi drivers, Realtors, coworkers, and other colleagues. It is essential to practice talking Chinese in public whenever you are able.

Lingle (ios and Android) is an excellent application for conversational Chinese. You can contact other Chinese learners and practice. For $5 per hour for a call, connect with native Chinese users. Lingle is free and secure.

Italki additionally provides free calls to other Chinese learners of the language. You can visit their site to schedule lessons with Chinese instructors and tutors with professional qualifications.

It’s worthwhile to invest in an experienced Chinese class if you’re committed to improving your Chinese ability to communicate! China Admissions can assist you in applying to hundreds of top-quality online language courses. We offer one-on-one or group classes, Chinese business courses, and HSK training classes to prepare you for students of all levels, from beginner to advanced.

Learn about the most effective online courses here and check out the complete catalog of internet-based Chinese classes.

Self-study Chinese listening

Listening is an essential skill in any language. If you cannot listen to native Chinese people in your vicinity, the most effective way to improve your listening skills is by surrounding yourself with Chinese music sources.

  • This Coffee Break Chinese podcast (here) begins at a complete beginner’s stage by teaching you how to ask “How are you?” in Chinese.
  • GoEast Mandarin provides free listening videos here beginning to advance!
  • Its I Love Learning Chinese podcast (here) includes more than 150 episodes, each less than 20 minutes long, and is ideal for learning essential words and phrases quickly.
  • Melnyk’s Chinese podcast (here) is excellent for intermediate-level learners. Each episode is a chance to learn a few vocabulary words and sentences centered around the theme of the episode, and then you repeat the exact words and phrases slowly and then faster at a level that feels more native.
  • Advanced and intermediate learners can try the Xia Che Xue Zhong Wen Convo Chinese podcast (here), where native speakers discuss exciting topics reasonably. They provide the full transcripts and translations of the audio podcasts on this site.
  • An additional advanced podcast to listen to is Loud Murmurs (Da Sheng Xuan), a podcast created by four Chinese friends who discuss American popular culture. Listen here.

It is good to listen to Chinese music, and watching Chinese shows is a great way to soak up the tones and sounds spoken in Chinese!

There are many more podcasts that you could try. Check out the list here.

Self-study Chinese writing

Skritter (iOS/Android) and Pleco (island) Pleco (iOS, Google) are two free apps that offer an on-screen feature for handwriting that allows you to learn the art of handwriting Chinese characters.

With Arch Chinese, you can sign up to create and print personal writing practice sheets that look like this:

Because it is the case that the Chinese language is built on pictographic characters and does not have an alphabet, many international students are struggling to remember what characters to type or abandon this aspect completely. If you wish to become proficient in Chinese or even study in China, you must have the ability to write. Learning the steps to writing a character will allow you to read and pronounce it. Additionally, Chinese people are amazed when they see that students from abroad can write Chinese effectively. This means that you have a better understanding of the language.

In addition, Chinese character writing is an ancient art form. Chinese calligraphy is an enchanting, tranquil, and exciting hobby.

Learn to write by copying the text’s Chinese phrases you’ve learned and lessons. This can take some time, but don’t give up!

Self-study Chinese reading

Recognizing and reading Chinese characters is essential for students studying in China. You’ll have to be able to recognize the names of your teacher and campus buildings, streets, the names of restaurants, streets, and many more! Begin by learning how to read characters individually and words before moving on to whole sentences and even stories.

I suggest starting with the Integrated Chinese books (see some of the initial 90 pages here for free). To help Chinese business learners, here is a sample from this Cheng & Tsui Startup Business Chinese textbook to help you get going.

  • Duolingo is a viral application for people who are just starting. Thru games and brief lessons, you can learn the vocabulary of your choice and identify the characters.
  • Memrise is another helpful app. Utilizing mnemonics and other memory techniques, you’ll be able to recall large numbers of characters.
  • If you find that games can assist you in learning, check out Quizlet, the free flashcard-making website. After creating their own sets of flashcards, players can use them to make the words match and then give themselves a reading comprehension test.
  • Read stories and practice reading in Du Chinese. Chinese app that contains short Chinese stories at a variety of levels. They also include English translations.
  • Intermediate and advanced learners can look at these sources:
    • My Chinese Reading: History, Politics, and Cultural Stories
    • There are Chinese stories about the origins of the common Cheng Yu idioms here.

Learning to study Chinese on the internet and learning the language independently is feasible. There are a lot of valuable and top-quality online resources that can aid you in building an excellent foundation in Mandarin Chinese!

If you’re planning to travel or study in China soon, It’s never too late to begin learning Chinese on the internet.

Are you interested in studying Chinese at a Chinese university in China? Find our complete listing of Chinese-language programs here:

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