Learn Chinese
Practical guides for real conversation — organized by path, not a long scroll of links. Start with the free placement test, then open the new HSK 2026 hub.
What's your HSK level?
Unofficial placement quiz oriented to new HSK task scenes — self-intro, shopping, travel, speaking-style items. Get a band estimate, a speaking plan, and a full answer review.
Start free HSK test →Path & speaking problems
Stuck after apps? Can't speak yet?
Community-shaped guides: path questions first, then speaking and tones — each page ends at a tool or waitlist.
After HelloChinese: what next
Finished a beginner app? Clear next path without tool-hopping.
Understand but can't speak
Fix the passive plateau with a 20-minute daily output loop.
Practice speaking alone
No partner? A solo protocol that still builds real speech.
Chinese for travel in 3 months
Trip countdown plan: scenes and tones, not a full textbook.
Tones self-check
Are your tones wrong? Diagnose, then drill with feedback.
Recommended path
Start here if you are new to HSK 3.0
A fixed order beats a wall of links — place yourself, orient, then train scenes. Stuck on speaking? See Path & speaking first.
New HSK 2026 hub
Understand the new exam path
Six focused guides with charts — levels, word counts, paper timing, and speaking.
Full HSK 3.0 guide
Levels, cumulative vocabulary, paper + speaking overview, prep plan.
2026 timeline
Nov 2025 syllabus → Dec samples → July 1, 2026 go-live window.
3.0 vs 2.0
What actually changed in word counts, skills, and speaking.
Vocabulary 2026
HSK 1 ≈ 295 (not 150) through ~10,958 at 7–9 — with chart.
Exam structure 1–6
Listening / reading / writing items and approximate minutes.
Speaking test
Repeat, picture talk, open answers from HSK 3 samples + daily plan.
See the numbers
Visual cheat sheets
Exact charts used inside the guides — open any image full-size.
Practice by scene
HSK 1–2 task map
Short “can-do” pages with phrases — food, travel, shopping, family…
Daily Greetings & Politeness
HSK 1 daily verbal interaction: hello, thanks, sorry, goodbye, simple requests and feelin…
HSK 1Food Preferences & Dining
HSK 1 food and dining tasks: likes, meals, simple restaurant/supermarket language with ex…
HSK 1Feeling Sick & Visiting
HSK 1 health tasks: saying you are sick, rest advice, simple comfort phrases for beginner…
HSK 1Hobbies & Leisure
HSK 1 leisure tasks: reading, singing, TV, simple free-time plans for beginner Mandarin.
HSK 1Introduce Yourself & Personal Info
HSK 1 speaking and listening goals for personal information: name, nationality, age, fami…
HSK 1School & Study Basics
HSK 1 study tasks: school, subjects, class times, simple schedules for beginner Chinese l…
HSK 1Shopping & Prices
HSK 1 shopping tasks: item names, prices, stock, simple labels — practice phrases for sto…
HSK 1Travel & Directions
HSK 1 travel tasks: go to school/work, transport, asking locations — beginner Mandarin fo…
HSK 1Talk About Weather
HSK 1 weather tasks: hot/cold, good/bad weather, rain/snow — phrases and practice for beg…
HSK 1Simple Work Info
HSK 1 work tasks: job, work time/place, likes — beginner phrases for talking about work.
HSK 2Chinese Address Terms
HSK 2 address terms (称谓语): basic kinship and social forms of address for polite Mandarin.
HSK 2Spring Festival & Traditional Food
HSK 2 cultural tasks: Spring Festival and traditional foods — phrases for basic cultural…
HSK 2Describe Events
HSK 2 event tasks: who/when/where/how/why of simple events — build short narratives for t…
HSK 2Family Daily Life
HSK 2 family life: household routines, family activities, simple home schedules in Mandar…
HSK 2Leisure Plans in More Detail
HSK 2 leisure: plans, preferences, simple invitations — longer than HSK 1 hobby lines.
HSK 2Personal Details & Appearance
HSK 2 personal details: appearance, clothes, birthday, habits, origin — with phrases beyo…
HSK 2Shopping in More Detail
HSK 2 shopping: color, quantity, location, differences between items — beyond basic 多少钱.
HSK 2Travel Plans & Transport
HSK 2 travel: plans, modes, schedules — longer exchanges than HSK 1 direction phrases.
Foundations
Skills beyond the exam
Tones, beginners path, listening, characters, free tools lists.
HSK & Learn Chinese Watch — Week of 2026-08-02
Weekly NiHaWa snapshot for HSK exam updates and practical Mandarin learning links. Auto brief for SEO/GEO; no…
I Can Understand Chinese But Can't Speak — How to Fix It
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How to Practice Mandarin Speaking Alone (No Partner Needed)
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Chinese Tones Self-Check: Are Your Tones Wrong?
A practical Mandarin tones self-check: quick tests, common errors, a daily fix routine, and free tools — so w…
Learn Chinese for Travel in 3 Months (Practical Plan)
Going to China in 3 months? A week-by-week Mandarin plan for travel: survival scenes, tones, daily speaking l…
After HelloChinese: What to Learn Next (2026 Path)
Finished HelloChinese or a beginner app and stuck? A clear 2026 path: keep input, start real speaking, place…
HSK & Learn Chinese Watch — Week of 2026-07-31
Weekly NiHaWa snapshot for HSK exam updates and practical Mandarin learning links. Auto brief for SEO/GEO; no…
HSK & Learn Chinese Watch — Week of 2026-07-27
Weekly NiHaWa snapshot for HSK exam updates and practical Mandarin learning links. Auto brief for SEO/GEO; no…
Mandarin vs Cantonese: Which Should You Learn First?
A clear comparison of Mandarin and Cantonese for new learners: speakers, writing, difficulty, careers, and wh…
How to Learn Chinese Fast in 2026 (Without Burning Out)
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Chinese Greetings for Beginners: 20 Phrases You’ll Actually Use
Learn the most useful Chinese greetings for real life — not just 你好. Includes pinyin, when to use each phrase…
Graded Chinese Listening: How to Bridge the 'Listening Cliff'
Why Chinese listening is so hard for beginners, what the 'listening cliff' is, and how graded listening at mu…
Free Chinese Learning Resources (2026): The Complete List
A curated, up-to-date list of the best free resources for learning Chinese (Mandarin) — apps, websites, podca…
AI Chinese Speaking Practice: Why It Beats Passive Apps
Why practicing Chinese speaking with an AI conversation partner accelerates fluency faster than flashcards or…
The 1000 Most Common Chinese Characters (and Why They Unlock 90% of Text)
Why the 1000 most frequent Chinese characters matter, how character frequency works, how to learn them effici…
How to Learn Chinese for Beginners: The Complete 2026 Guide
A practical, step-by-step guide to learning Chinese (Mandarin) from zero. Covers pinyin, tones, characters, s…
Chinese Tones Explained: The 4 Tones (and How to Master Them)
The complete beginner's guide to Mandarin Chinese tones — what the 4 tones are, why they matter, how to prono…
Best App to Learn Chinese in 2026: An Honest Comparison
We compared the top Chinese learning apps of 2026 — HelloChinese, Duolingo, Pleco, and more — on speaking, li…