HelloChinese is a pretty good app to start.
I wouldn't use Duolingo. Not an effective tool for learning in general and utter trash for Asian languages.
this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2026
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Asklemmy
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I'm also looking for that
You can watch donghua (Chinese anime) like scissor seven
Duolingo isnβt great for learning languages in a useful way but Mango is a great language learning app.
In the US you can get a free family membership (up to 5 people) through most local libraries. That is 5 people per library card.
a lot of people on xhs recommended HelloChinese, its in the play store, dunno about the app store. i really like it when i remember to use it lol. also, just hanging out on xhs helps, you can practice reading and listening and a lot of creators make content about learning chinese
it's on App Store too, same with Skritter for hanzi
As a starter, Duolingo isn't bad. Sure, it's mostly slop at this point so keep that in mind. And only stick with it until you realise the mistakes.
I would say LingoDeer a 1000x over Duolingo if you go the path of apps. It's Chinese, non-AI courses, you hear and see real speakers, you have written resources for each category
I agree, I used to be a Duolingo user but over time they pushed me to seek alternatives and LingoDeer is such a better app. It's probably the best in language learning apps at the moment.
I made good progress at first with the Pimsleur method, but it is very expensive. https://www.pimsleur.com/learn-chinese-mandarin/
Play a video game that uses lots of talking and team coordination, and play on the Chinese servers.
Wardogs, hell let loose, etc
I found this podcast really helpful, especially with tones
**
Dimsum Hanyu Pinyin - Learn Mandarin Chinese
Dimsum Mandarin - Learn Mandarin Chinese
**
I also use the hello chinese app, but super chinese is cheaper if you can get either on sale
there's lots of manderin tv shows on youtube
oh and anki flashcards app
I also really like the hanping chinese dictionary app, and the pleco dictionary app
goodluck!
I've made really good headway learning Arabic using italki, but idk what mandarin tutors are charging so price may vary
go to China
It's in the planner. Prefer to be a little proficient before visiting though.
good idea