Ultimate Guide to Chinese 👩🏼‍💻 Best Way to Learn Mandarin Online

Our Students Guide to the Best Chinese Learning Resources
(2025 Update)

So what is the best way to learn Mandarin Online…?

What’s the truth?

There are just so many resources for learning Chinese online, where do you even begin to look without wasting your time?

That exact question inspired this blog and thanks to our wonderful students… we have some great resources to share with you to save you all the time of searching for what’s hot and what’s not!

We’ve also prepared a couple of useful videos thanks to our staff to give you the best tips and tricks to help get fluent in Chinese, fast!

Best Way to Learn Mandarin Online #1 || Chinese Dictionaries

Best Way to Learn Mandarin Online #2 || Chinese Characters

Best Way to Learn Mandarin Online #3 || Chinese Grammar

Best Way to Learn Mandarin Online #4 || Apps and Websites

Best Way to Learn Mandarin Online #5 || Other Useful Resources

Best Way to Learn Mandarin Online #6 || … and finally!

Two Must-Have Chinese Dictionaries

Here are two excellent dictionary resources that are absolutely essential and two of the best ways to learn Mandarin Online:

MDBG.net (with a very clear sequence of the strokes of each character and quizzes to test your vocab and review your mistakes afterwards) and the possibility to look for words with jokers, if you want to look for a character at a given place in a word.

Pleco – anyone who’s anyone in China uses Pleco (with flashcards on your smartphone and a lot of audio files, even without subscription)!

FYI – we did a two-part review on Pleco in more detail if you care to take a look.

Writing Chinese Characters

Check out these great resources to start writing Chinese characters

• Chinese Tools
• Ling Ling Chinese
• Arch Chinese
• Purple Culture
  • LTL Favourite. This is a really clever tool. Input whatever the characters are that you want to learn and get a downloadable sheet in seconds to practice.
• Chinese Worksheet Generator

Resource for Chinese Grammar

Excellent website here that has a bit of everything > All Set Learning

Chinese Grammar Bank > Flexi Classes

Learn Chinese Apps and Websites

We already have a load of Learn Chinese App Reviews but here is a quick-fire list of our favourites!

Hello Chinese (Website / Our Review)

The best way to step in, with pictures and pronunciation correction.

Chinese Skill (Website / Our Review)

One of our favourite apps, especially now that it is entirely free, with speech recognition, games, HSK vocabulary and a lot of basic sentences and dialogues

Memrise (Website / Our Review)

Available on the net and on smartphones, to learn words and sentences. 3 beginner levels of Chinese and then move on to HSK levels.

Du Chinese (Website / Our Review)

App on the smartphone to read texts according to the HSK levels, one free text every day at different levels with the possibility to read the texts from the last two weeks without subscription.

Lingodeer (Website / Our Review)

Available on Android and IOS, this is a complete app, focusing on all aspect of the language. Learn new vocabulary, grammar, how to build sentences and master the tones. Check out their sister app focused on learning with games, Lingodeer+

Super Chinese (Website / Our Review)

Learn Chinese with an Artificial Intelligence feature that you can speak to with the help of exercises using speech recognition.

Mondly (Website / Our Review)

A very popular choice amongst language learners, and voted “Best New App” by Apple. Mondly will help you learn new vocabulary, as well as teach you phrase structures. Its chat bot will also help you improve your speaking skills.

HSK Online (Website / Our Review)

App with HSK lists per level with audio, example sentences, English translations and tests.

Quizlet (Website / Our Review)

You can search the vocab of any Chinese book, like the New Practical Chinese Reader.

HSK Locker (Website)

You can only move on to more elaborate vocab if you have put the words in your ‘locker’. HSK vocab in context for the smartphone, only 3 first levels available without subscription.

Skritter (Website / Our Review)

To learn how to write the characters, first week is free, try to download as many characters as you can because you can review them for free once the free subscription is over.

Chairmans Bao (Website / Our Review)

A lot of different texts according to HSK level. One free text per day.

Learning other languages? Find out the Best Way to Learn Korean and How Long it Takes to Learn Japanese

Other Useful Links for Learning Mandarin Online

And now for the best of the rest for Learning Mandarin Online.

ChineseClass101 (Website / Our Review)

Make sure you register the very first time you go on it, then you get access to loads of lessons for free and you can download them all. This exists also for other languages.

Yabla (Website)

Videos with subtitles in the language and in English, where you can click on the words to have a definition, a few videos for free. This exists also for other languages.

ChinesePod (Website)

Audio lessons with explanations and downloadable dialogues and vocab lists. Some lessons are for free.

Chinese Tools (Website)

Digital Dialects (Website)

BBC Languages (Website)

One Final Resource – LTL

Before we round up it’s worth also mentioning our extensive Zoom classes which is a great way for students to:

• Get the ball rolling with Chinese
• Pick up some Chinese before coming to China
• Continue studying after China

We offer group courses, individual courses, HSK courses, tailored courses, kids courses… so something for everyone!

Want to study Mandarin with us 24/7? Discover LTL Flexi Classes

Anymore resources? Comment below and let us know!

Best Way to Learn Mandarin Online || FAQs

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BONUS | Want to study the local Taiwanese dialect known as Hokkien? We provide Hokkien classes in person and online.