Learn Chinese.
Discover China.学中文，探索中国。
Master pinyin, read hanzi, pass HSK — and discover the culture behind every character. Built for complete beginners to advanced learners, in clear English.
…or go straight to the 500-phrase pack (one-time $9.90)
Get your Chinese name
Type your English name, choose a surname and a style, and you get five Chinese names — the characters, the pinyin, the tones, and what each character means.
- Matched on sound, or purely on meaning. “Lily” nudges the first character toward 莉 lì (jasmine). Leave the name blank and it picks for meaning alone.
- Nothing left unexplained. Every character comes with its meaning and its tone, so you know what you are actually being called.
- Hear it, then keep it. Tap to hear the name read aloud, then copy the characters anywhere you like.
Free, no account, no email, nothing to download. Works on your phone.
Why Learn Chinese?
The world's most spoken language is easier to start than you think — no verb conjugations, no plurals, no genders.
Free Chinese Learning Zone 免费学中文
Made for English speakers. Start Mandarin right here on this page — interactive flashcards, a 2-minute level check, and a free starter kit.
🎴 Survival Chinese Flashcards — tap a card to flip
📝 2-Minute Chinese Check
5 quick questions. Instant result — no email, no signup.
📚 Free Chinese Learning
Everything below is 100% free — made for English speakers starting from zero.
🎁Chinese Starter Kit ⭐ NEWTones, pinyin, 20 phrases, 10 characters — online + free PDF ✍️Chinese Name GeneratorGet a real Chinese name — hanzi, pinyin, meaning and audio ✏️Stroke Order & Practice Sheets ⭐ NEWSee the strokes in order, then print a 田字格 sheet to practise on 🎧Chinese Tones ExplainedWhat the four tones are — plus a listening test, the mā má mǎ mà chart and a printable worksheet 🚇Getting Around China — Dialogue Simulator ⭐ NEWAirport, metro, train, bus, taxi — pick your line each turn and see why the wrong ones are wrong 🏥Chinese Hospital Phrases — Dialogue Simulator ⭐ NEWRegistration, the doctor, the pharmacy, the emergency room — same idea, eighteen turns 🔤Is There a Chinese Alphabet? ⭐ NEWNo — and knowing that saves months. What pinyin actually is, and how each letter sounds ⌨️How to Type Chinese ⭐ NEWWindows, Mac, iPhone, Android — no download needed, plus fixes when nothing appears 🔢Chinese Numbers — Converter & Hand Signs ⭐ NEWAny number in characters, pinyin and audio — plus the 1–10 hand signs and a printable worksheet 🀄Learn Chinese PortalPinyin, hanzi, step-by-step roadmap 🏮Chinese CultureFood, festivals, calligraphy — the fun part 🏮Chinese Festivals — The Full Year ⭐ NEWEvery festival, its 2027 date, and what gets eaten on the day 🎬Video Course StatusIn development — see what's planned 📄500 Chinese Phrases — Free SampleRead the first section before you buy 🃏50 Phrase Cards — FreeFlashcards with tap-to-hear audio: greetings, food, travel, shoppingThe world is learning Chinese. Here's why.
A global exam subject
Chinese is now part of university entrance exams in the UK, Russia, Japan and South Korea — millions study it as a second language.
Career advantage
China is the world's second-largest economy. Mandarin opens doors in trade, tech and diplomacy across 20+ countries.
Culture worth loving
Food, calligraphy, festivals, kung fu, 24 solar terms — the language is the key that unlocks 5,000 years of culture.
Pinyin — your first 30 minutes
Pinyin is the romanization system that tells you exactly how every Chinese sound is pronounced. Master it once, and every word after becomes readable.
21 initials
Consonant sounds that start syllables. Most map closely to English sounds — b, p, m, f, d, t, n, l are almost identical.
36 finals
Vowel endings that complete each syllable. Simple ones like a, o, e, i, u are exactly as you'd expect.
4 tones
Mandarin is tonal — the same syllable means different things depending on the tone. This is the one skill that makes you sound native.
Tone marks
Learn to read the four tone marks — flat, rising, dipping, falling — and you can pronounce any pinyin word correctly on sight.
Hanzi — pictures that became words
Chinese characters aren't random strokes — many began as simple pictures. Once you see the logic, they become memorable, not intimidating.
Pictographs
The earliest characters were drawings of objects. See the shape, remember the meaning.
Radicals
214 building blocks that appear in almost every character. Learn the radicals, and you can guess meanings of new words.
8 basic strokes
Every character is built from just 8 stroke types, written in a fixed order. Master the strokes and writing becomes systematic.
Compound logic
Most characters combine a meaning part + a sound part. Understand the pattern and you can decode thousands.
HSK — the official Chinese test
HSK (Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì) is the standardized test for Mandarin proficiency, recognized by universities and employers worldwide.
| Level | Vocabulary | What you can do | Study time |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | 150 words | Greet, introduce yourself, basic daily phrases | ~1 month |
| HSK 2 | 300 words | Simple conversations, shopping, directions | ~2 months |
| HSK 3 | 600 words | Daily life, work basics, express opinions | ~4 months |
| HSK 4 | 1,200 words | Fluent conversation on familiar topics | ~8 months |
| HSK 5 | 2,500 words | Read newspapers, discuss complex topics | ~1.5 years |
| HSK 6 | 5,000 words | Near-native fluency for work and study | ~2+ years |
Eight things you can use right now
No account, no email, no payment. Open one and start.
Chinese Name Generator
Get a real Chinese name — the characters, the pinyin, the tone and what each one means. Nudge the sound with your English name, or pick purely by meaning.
Stroke Order & Practice Sheets
See any character written one stroke at a time, then print a 田字格 practice sheet — blank, tracing or full. Works straight from the browser.
Chinese Tones Explained
What the four tones are and what each one sounds like — then play a syllable and say which tone you heard, with the 36-syllable chart underneath.
Getting Around China
Airport, metro, train station, bus, taxi. Thirty turns where you pick the line you'd say — and find out what the other options would have sounded like.
Chinese Hospital Phrases
Registering, describing a symptom, the pharmacy counter and the emergency desk. Eighteen turns, same format — and the answers that quietly go wrong.
Chinese Numbers
Type any number up to a trillion and get the characters, the pinyin and the sound. Plus the hand signs for 1–10 and the 零 and 两 rules that trip everyone up.
Interactive Pinyin Chart
Every Mandarin syllable on one page. Click any cell to hear all four tones — the fastest way to make pinyin finally click.
Free Starter Kit
The four tones, 20 phrases and your first 10 characters as a printable PDF — the 30-minute answer to "where do I start".
Learn the language through its culture
This is what makes The Chinese Path different — we don't just teach you words, we show you why they matter.
500 Chinese Phrases
for real life
The phrasebook that takes you from "nǐ hǎo" to natural conversation — greetings, food, travel, shopping, business and culture. With pinyin + English + example sentences.
Start your Chinese journey today
From your first pinyin sound to your first real conversation — we'll guide you every step.