Resources for Learning Chinese
MDBG word/phrase translator, dictionary, reference tools
Yellow Bridge a variety of Chinese-centered resources presented in English; dictionary, games, current events, etc.
Chinese-Tools online lessons, language tools, culture information, etc.
Learn Chinese Everyday blog with 1 character lesson for each weekday
Baidu Baike Chinese encyclopedia; part of the Chinese version of Google
Yahoo! China Yahoo! China
Pinyin Practice Pinyin pronunciation practice
BBC UK PinYin Game 2 mini-games to practice Pinyin tones & characters
FluentU Learn through YouTube videos that are subtitled in characters, Pinyin, and English. [Free version is very limited]
Chineasy "Chineasy’s goal is to allow people to learn to read Chinese easily by recognising characters through simple illustrations." Follow Chineasy on Twitter for up-to-date tweets!
26 Essential Chinese Vocabulary Words You Need for Business from FluentU for anyone interested in Business Chinese
The Gamer’s Complete Walkthrough to Learning Languages with Video Games from FluentU for gamers of any age in many languages, not just Chinese!
"Crazy Fresh Chinese" is an Asia Society-sponsored website with short YouTube clips from Jessica Beinecke (BaiJie), an American fluent in Mandarin. She teaches Chinese slang to American students.
"How Mandarin can unlock our children's potential in an increasingly connected world" by Mark Herbert, Head of Schools Programme for The British Council. An article from The Telegraph UK
"Chairman's Bao" (paid subscription) The world’s most comprehensive news-based graded reader for students of Chinese.
Panda Cub Club Cultural and language activities for kids ages 1-12 from Panda Express.
PurpleCulture online bookstore, Chinese tools, and Chrome extension
DU Chinese - paid app tool for reading Chinese
Huayu101 - online scenarios for practice from Taiwan Mandarin Educational Resources Center
Free iPhone/Android Apps
Pleco – Chinese-English and English-Chinese dictionary w/ many free add-ons
iCED – Chinese-English and English-Chinese dictionary; slightly less comprehensive than Pleco
Google Translate – translator; requires internet connection
CS Xiezi - (now $1.99) Chinese Character Trainer - (free for Android) practice writing Chinese characters
Chinese Golden Songs (1950~2010) Free - 100 free classic & pop Chinese songs accessed through YouTube links; Note: some video links are expired
Learn Chinese (Mandarin) - MindSnacks - "exciting games designed to build essential [language] skills, including an all new game to teach tones;" free for 3 levels, $4.99 upgrade to all 50 levels
Hello Chinese - free, game based, and systematic Chinese-learning app that includes speech recognition and handwriting practice
TinyCards - free flashcard app by Duolingo that offers many languages, including Chinese through Chineasy
Microsoft Learn Chinese - free AI-powered app for learners to practice conversation.
WordSwing - "iOS and Android apps offer a better mobile experience and feature all of our Text Adventure Games, Comics, Dialogues, and the Pronunciation Recall activity."
LingoDeer - iOS and Android app for learning Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (with more in Beta)
Decipher - iOS and Android app for reading practice with "bite-sized Chinese news" categorized by level of difficulty or HSK
Noodle - iOS app with "Handwriting recognition, personalized learning, smart flashcards, full dictionary, vocab lists"
Chinese Stroke Order - iOS and Android app for learning stroke order to write characters. (Paid, full version $13.99)
M Mandarin 漫中文 - iOS and Android app focused on reading through original comics (free, has in-app purchases)
Reference materials
Huanying (main textbook used for the course)
Experiencing Chinese Student Book (textbook)
Easy Steps to Chinese 1 (textbook)
Exercise Book for Writing Building Blocks (workbook to practice writing characters)
Chineasy (textbook, flashcards, post cards to learn characters)
6 Best Books to Rapidly Learn Chinese - if you are interested and have time to learn Chinese in the summer, FluentU recommends 6 textbooks for learning at home. (Note: all except the 6th book are for more advanced learners)
National Chinese Language Day - Since 2010, UN has celebrate April 20th as a day with various events. As one of the 6 official UN languages, "Language Days seek to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to promote equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organization"
APA Heritage Month - Since 1977, first as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week, and now as Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, there has been "a celebration of the culture, traditions, and history" throughout the country every May. The Smithsonian, major cities, and many universities/colleges offer free events throughout the month for people of all ages.
Comparing Western & Eastern Culture Through Logo Design - pictorials created by China-born, Germany-educated Yang Liu. The blue side represents Western (German) Culture and the red side Eastern (Chinese) Culture.
Chinese Learning Resources from Asia Society - discussion forums, apps, videos, blogs, websites, tools, news, etc.
Abacus News - "Abacus is all about China tech for the rest of the world. Based in Hong Kong...the latest news, reviews and plenty of video showing what's happening in consumer technology in China."
Goldthread - "We're a group of multilingual reporters and filmmakers bringing you stories on Chinese culture."
Immigrant History Initiative - NJ/NY-based non-profit org. that aims to support "Asian Americans, build empathy for multiple generations of immigrant communities, and foster solidarity to address hate and intolerance."
Learn Chinese Through Songs & TV
Sing Chinese Songs "We've selected over 200 traditional and popular Chinese songs. For every song, we list the complete lyrics for the song. Study the lyrics with shown Pinyin, learn the vocabulary with online flashcards, type the Chinese characters with online game. We've included a Karaoke style music player, so you can see the lyrics as they are being sung in the song!"
Easy Way to Learn Chinese A blog dedicated to learning Chinese through pop songs. Each post includes the music video and lyrics in Pinyin and Chinese.
Sugoi Ideas A Wide variety of Taiwanese dramas and variety shows. This link is for the English subtitled page. More shows are available with only Chinese subtitles.
Rakuten Viki An American video streaming website with Asian dramas and movies. Most have English subtitles available.
Chinese MP3 Free MP3 downloads of Chinese songs. Some songs have Chinese & English lyrics. China Sprout Community - TV "The China Related TV list is compiled weekly....[with] feature Chinese films, documentaries, and entertainment programs shown on major US networks."
Fresh off the Boat (Hulu) - ABC's sitcom Fresh Off the Boat is inspired by Eddie Huang, a Taiwanese-American and his memoir of the same name.
China Hunan TV YouTube Channel - regularly updated dramas, reality shows, etc. from China HunanTV with English subtitles 湖南卫视芒果TV官方频道
Learn Chinese Through Movies
Netflix and Amazon Instant Video offer many Chinese (in Mandarin or Cantonese) movies that stream online at a decent price, all with English subtitles.
Language Learning with Netflix is a Google Chrome extension to help language learners. The link has 100+ suggestions for Chinese films.
Click to open the document for a short list of movies
Learn Chinese Through Radio
AM 1380 This is a Mandarin Chinese radio station accessible in the NJ/NY area. Click the link to listen online.
Taiwan's ICRT "ICRT assumed the official duties of serving the foreign community in Taiwan and forging a cultural link between the Chinese population of Taiwan and the English-speaking residents of the island. ICRT's programming focuses on music, news and entertainment."
TuneIn A free website & mobile app to listen to radio stations around the world. Search by location to listen to live radio stations in China/Taiwan
UN Multimedia - The United Nations offers a website in Chinese that provides UN-related news media and free, downloadable radio programs.
慢速中文 Slow Chinese "a cultural podcast for Chinese learners"
Language Learning by the Numbers (1-page PDF files from Middlebury Interactive)