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Chinese: Beginner level

Chinese at beginner is where everything starts: the alphabet or first sounds, greetings, numbers and the simplest sentences. These lessons use very short texts and common words, with audio and translation so you can follow every line.

What you can do at beginner

  • Greet people and introduce yourself.
  • Understand and use very common everyday words.
  • Read very short, simple texts.

About 500 words and roughly 80–100 hours of study to reach this level.

Chinese lessons for beginner

SocietyBeginner
中国共产党新闻网Sep 1

中华人民共和国和吉尔吉斯共和国关于高质量发展新时代全面战略伙伴关系的联合宣言 - 中国共产党新闻网

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiakFVX3lxTE1uYUlSM0xuOF9BUWVrZGlneUQwemdaUTh2MndBMmxxYlZ4blBHdWxJNmVUajg3cUlGMHpIZWRiUmJaWGIxNXhVOHhtODMzUDdPSmpIZkd0T2s1MGZROEh4T3NaMjVnaHBUSEE?oc=5" target="_blank">中华人民共和国和吉尔吉斯共和国关于高质量发展新时代全面战略伙伴关系的联合宣言</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">中国共产党新闻网</font><strong><a href="https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZjbmt0TXpZd1NoRUtEd2lXdnQzdUVSRjE0bG9lemYtMEJpZ0FQAQ?hl=zh-CN&gl=CN&ceid=CN:zh-Hans&oc=5" target="_blank">在Google 新闻上查看更多头条新闻和观点</a></strong>

FantasyBeginner
文学城Aug 31

纽约时代广场爆持刀伤人 女子连刺2人 遭警击毙(视) - 文学城

<ol><li><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiaEFVX3lxTE14cWNmbDlpOGRld3VKR2ZDS2RTYl9wRVByV1FyS3l4V1lSUGRhQ1lHbGt1UnhHcG1FMV9hRklkLXU2Ry11NmZwcS1udXhoYkRTTWczYnhvVGk4ZWtFbVEzZkV0NTRVT2hY?oc=5" target="_blank">纽约时代广场爆持刀伤人 女子连刺2人 遭警击毙(视)</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">文学城</font></li><li><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiakFVX3lxTE5sRXBYbi1wU2pnYVFOaFdkR2sxUnBTX1B1LVN0Rmp1ZXVOWmJTMml0dnp3UHR0UU5KVlpBaU1BcEY2SkVKYXRfRnEzdzMtLTRQbUlQcUxXWlNLaXpGeEJtRlNvTEt0U2ZLOUE?oc=5" target="_blank">美国一女子在纽约时报广场持刀袭击致1死1伤,警方开枪击毙嫌疑人</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">观察者网</font></li><li><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiS0FVX3lxTE4wd0FOVkdBdGtBUXVkZldyclMwbHVTMnJWVzRLVlVtR2ZrX1FIQ2JvSkRvMGFSbVpwNjBQNjZQNm4zOElHLVVHa2NRUQ?oc=5" target="_blank">纽约时报广场2人被刺1死1伤_7x24快讯_新浪财经</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">cj.sina.cn</font></li><li><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMicEFVX3lxTFA3emZ3VU1KSHhiWGpVQllTRnNkbU8zYkJVVTlDU0o0cnE2VzY5SUxkbTJBc2liT0pFN3R3VERleTVZelNiTW9taWlZZGx5OEhvaUR1R3o5UWtxakFtdTBmX19Gd1ZhQUhYRUhEc2VXa0k?oc=5" target="_blank">女子在纽约时报广场持刀刺伤两人 嫌犯被警方击毙</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">中华网</font></li><li><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMihgFBVV95cUxNcEhsQVVIMGk2MTZwdjFVVXRJaE5yaEpiejhnOEF4X1VIRW8wM1NPWGM2cmRmNGdPTWtwb0NhMTM3djZlRWdldEI0TnNOSW9SQ1pIQzVNUmttMlh4TVlZQXVFZXN2X3JhMi1kOFFDZUVOeHdxRnJ5eTlCbG55NUV2M1MxN1BUdw?oc=5" target="_blank">一女子在纽约时报广场持刀刺伤两人</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">新华网</font></li></ol>

EntertainmentBeginner
UN NewsAug 31

尼泊尔洪灾死亡人数超过900人,救援需求持续增加 - UN News

<ol><li><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiV0FVX3lxTE50WlR1dkJfcXlTN3lzVzZaUFdSTlg5WGxGZzBVNzFRWWJhdjZtRXFqblNqVjR1SDd0SjB3ZTJCRzktaUY5REJxRGVkc1ZGNHJyYXFKNktxQQ?oc=5" target="_blank">尼泊尔洪灾死亡人数超过900人,救援需求持续增加</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">UN News</font></li><li><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiT0FVX3lxTE9zX1VLb043TDRQeG5qUVZFcGFFUzRTdHNvS3RXOFZNWTVsTEx5UWtrU3BxY2ZJajJvUHNPQ0JXenY0QXNGSlNmN2t2R21BUzg?oc=5" target="_blank">尼泊尔泥石流974人遇难_7x24快讯_新浪财经</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">cj.sina.cn</font></li><li><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiTEFVX3lxTE9QLXVXdkdyd2tHX3NaTVM1blZJUWc2VlY0NkxGbXpZNG5VQ2EtbjFTdEpTN2F3NHRjNzdyWWNjb19ncEtadmhhNFBjSFc?oc=5" target="_blank">尼泊尔一隧道救援准备直接进洞搜救!有工人抓着洞顶横档挪了6小时逃出</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">凤凰网</font></li><li><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMicEFVX3lxTE9yQlhiaVNUY0dZVDBEWXBVRlhqc2pGSHpEZE1GNHBpc0V3bkRnX2tqY3Z4VHVQTVBkOTNHeTBSLTh3bnJEOFpyQTg0endfQnZuM001MlQxc1M5RUgyaENOZHdnTnJob3AyUGZWLVVmNks?oc=5" target="_blank">尼泊尔泥石流已致939遇难3925失联 救援面临复杂地形挑战</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">中华网</font></li><li><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiYEFVX3lxTE1ZX2k0VTFVbmJmam9qNW5DVi1aX1RDaFgxODdlbkIzcDE2eWJzdFN3TDVfRzZ1dVk3R2xGdjd5TktRUXVjVTMzUHN5cDVaN0d1MTFKUEphMnJOMDNPakVhLQ?oc=5" target="_blank">尼泊尔泥石流灾害已致974人遇难</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">thepaper.cn</font></li></ol>

Chinese beginner by topic

Other Chinese levels

Not sure this is your level?

Take the short placement test and we will suggest where to start.

Take the level test

Questions about Chinese at beginner

What is the Beginner level in Chinese?
On Heylangs, Beginner is one of six levels that describe how well you handle Chinese. First words and simple sentences.
How many Chinese words do I need for beginner?
Around 500 words is a good target for beginner. The number depends on the language and on which words you choose. Learn the most frequent ones first.
How long does it take to reach Chinese beginner?
Roughly 80–100 hours of study in total, for an English speaker learning a language of average difficulty. Daily short sessions with content at your level work better than rare long ones.