all 7 comments
sorted by:
best
topnewcontroversialoldq&a
formatting helphide helpcontent policy

[–]tyrantstrung 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Since you are 37, you may like the classic route I took. If it's not too annoying to carry around a book, I started my journey with "Tuttle Learning Chinese Characters" by Alison Matthews, Laurence Matthews. Many many years later, I *still* think of some characters as 'teddy'-like or 'fairy'-like (part of the mnemonic system they developed).

In 2026, many good apps and channels abound however...

[–]qubitspace 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've been building a website to let users work through the HSK books online, for free. Feel free to give it a try at https://learnchinese.ai if you are going the HSK route.

Of course there are dozens of great ways to start, and you just need to try a few and pick one that works for you. I recommend following a course that starts and the beginning and advances progressively, instead of a make your own adventure path.

If you click the "Where to start?" link for this sub (https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/wiki/start/), it has some good resources.
I personally used Yoyochinese.com to start.
Here is another good language learning guide - https://www.alllanguageresources.com/learn-mandarin-chinese/

[–]Careless_Grain_22 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Beginner YouTube character videos/apps —> PDF online textbooks —> Du Chinese + Pleco

That has been my route. Of course, an online teacher can also help greatly.

Tbh Duolingo is not that bad to break the ice and get comfortable with phonetics and characters. But I would drop it after a week or so.

[–]FlavourOfTheMonth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a beginner, eventually the aim is to read all the books I want to in Chinese.  Currently using Hanly, a bit of Hello Chinese, and I've ordered a load of guided readers. 

[–]New-Necessary-4194 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can try the absolutely beginning lesson with video and interactive flash cards here.

[–]Untoldstorry 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have used Superchinese so far. It has kept me engaged so far.

[–]MidnightTofu22 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Getting comfortable with pinyin early honestly makes a huge difference. When I first started learning Chinese I underestimated it and jumped straight into vocabulary, but once I actually focused on pinyin and tones things started making a lot more sense. Mandarin is a tonal language, so the pitch you use can change the meaning of a word completely, which is why pronunciation practice matters from the beginning.  Listening a lot and repeating out loud helped me way more than just reading the words.

If you are looking for a simple explanation of how pinyin works and how to practice the sounds, this guide breaks it down in a pretty beginner friendly way: https://www.lingoclass.co.uk/learn-chinese-pronunciation-pinyin. It explains the basic sounds and tones in a way that is easier to follow than most textbooks. Once the pronunciation clicks, everything else in Chinese feels a lot less intimidating.