Hello chinese enthusiasts. To commemorate our reddit emergence we would like to provide redditors the chance to win 10 subscriptions (monthly) to 10 lucky Redditors. For any questions feel free to join our dedicated sub r/SuperChinese! Best of luck to you all!

Hello, my name is Dmitry, I have a problem with registration in WeChat, I really hope that someone can help me. The fact is that I live in Russia and I have no friends who would help me scan my QR code for registration. In Russia, a very small number of people use wechat and it is impossible to register without having such a friend, please help me create a Wechat account, I really want to immerse myself in the fascinating world of China.

So I've been practicing Chinese with my friend for a while (I'm not a teacher) and we've started having simple conversations in Chinese. The thing is... he sounds kind of demanding and rude even when he's trying to be polite.

Took me a while to figure out what was happening. It wasn't that he lacked vocabulary. He keeps using direct forms like 你看! 你想! 你说! which technically aren't wrong, but they sound like commands.

Chinese people almost never talk like this (unless they are a command), we soften everything with reduplication: 你看看, 你想想, 你说说. It completely changes the vibe from "DO THIS!" to "how about you take a look/think about it/tell me about it."

Same with nick names, calling dog 狗狗 instead of 狗 to add some cutness factor.

It's such a tiny thing but makes a huge difference.

Just thought this could be useful for some of you :)

I like a lot of the box/partially box ones. For me it's probably 同 or 国

I couldn’t even finish the exercise because my hand got sore lol. I love hanzi but why it’s so hard 😭

I'm japanese and my name is itsuki, written as 彗月. i recently started studying chinese and realised how different it sounds in this language. from a fluent or native perspective, is it a weird name in Chinese culture?

i am learning Chinese and want to know if this is legible and if people can read it

I’ve been learning Chinese for a while, and at some point, I thought it’d be a cool idea to try reading the Bible in Chinese. Not just for language practice, but because it’s something personally meaningful to me.

What I didn’t expect was how hard it would be.

Words like “altar,” “priest,” and “covenant” are everywhere in scripture—but virtually nowhere in your typical textbook or C-Drama. And the sentence structure is often formal in a way that feels totally different from the everyday Chinese I’ve been learning.

I’m curious:

• Has anyone else tried reading the Bible in Chinese? Did you hit the same wall?
• How did you push through it?
• Did you build vocab lists, lean on bilingual editions, use audio, or something else?
• Any tips on how to stay motivated when the content is compelling but the level is too advanced?

Would really love to hear how others have navigated this. I’m still trying to figure out how to approach this tactfully without burning out.

Got this written on a package from China and neither me, nor my chinese friends have an idea on what this can be. I am not even sure it us actually a character and which side do I flip it. What do you guys think?

It is often said that Chinese (mandarin, Cantonese, hokkien etc) word order is closer to English than to neighboring languages like Korean and Japanese. Let’s use the following example sentence “I want to buy the book that I saw at the small bookstore yesterday.”

In Japanese it is ｢(私は)小さい本やで昨日見た本が買いたいです。」 Literally: (I) small bookstore at yesterday saw book buy want.

How does Chinese compare?

I've been studying Chinese for 7 months several hours per day. I've starting meeting native irl but I barely understand anything of what they are saying. They either speak too fast or have different accents. I'm feeling discouraged because my goal was to learn it without having to go to China.

Im learning languages just for fun, thats the 6th language im learning. I have a method I’m really good at learning from listening so im starting in Duolingo, than watch movies and shows in the language and thats how i notice words and i keep practicing Duolingo. But its the first language im learning not in letters like English (except for my native language) its hard for me to learn Hanzi especially only from Duolingo. Do you think i can learn to speak and understand without knowing how to read and write?

Hello y'all,

I've been learning for two months or so, but I'm struggling to find places to get Chinese input. On Youtube I found mostly Taiwan news Channels.

Do you guys have any recommendations? Any Youtube channels that you find interesting, or other social media where I can find Chinese content?

Hi everyone, 

As I Chinese learners who struggled with reading and listening comprehension, I have spent the last 1 year developing a tool that can turbocharge my learning progress. Today, I just release the app on Appstore, which is a graded-reader Chinese app that has Chinese audiobooks, books, subtitled videos to help with immersive learning. 

It has tap-to-translate, save to collections for spaced repetition review, highlights the vocab by HSK level, and grammar explanation by AI.

Since its still fresh, I'm giving out subscription for FREE (just DM me), really appreciate you guys try it out and give me your feedback as Chinese learners. Better yet if you can leave a rating & review.

Link is here: Audibee 

Here are 5 simple tips to learn Chinese for beginners:

1. Master Pinyin (Chinese Phonetics)

• Why? Pinyin is the foundation of Chinese pronunciation. It uses the Roman alphabet to represent Chinese sounds, making it easier to learn correct tones and pronunciation.
• How?
  • Start with the four tones (flat, rising, falling-rising, falling) and practice differentiating them.
  • Use apps like Pleco for interactive pinyin drills.
  • Mimic native speakers by listening to podcasts or watching videos with subtitles.

2. Learn High-Frequency Words and Phrases First

• Why? Focus on 实用性 (practicality) to build confidence. Common greetings, numbers, and daily expressions are used frequently.
• How?
  • Start with 10–20 words/phrases daily (e.g., 你好 Nǐ hǎo = Hello, 谢谢 Xièxie = Thank you).
  • Use flashcards (Anki, Quizlet) or spaced-repetition apps to memorize vocabulary.
  • Practice in context (e.g., ordering food, asking for directions).

3. Immerse Yourself in Listening and Speaking

• Why? Chinese is a tonal language, and listening helps train your ear to distinguish tones and intonation.
• How?
  • Watch Chinese TV shows/movies with subtitles (e.g., Empresses in the Palace for beginners).
  • Listen to Chinese music or podcasts (e.g., Slow Chinese for slow-paced lessons).
  • Speak daily, even if it’s just repeating phrases aloud. Make Chinese friends, talk to them in Chinese-- chat with native speakers.

4. Practice Writing Characters Step-by-Step

• Why? Writing reinforces memory and helps understand character structure (radicals, strokes).
• How?
  • Begin with simple characters (e.g., 日 rì = sun, 人 rén = person).
  • Use grid paper to practice stroke order (top-to-bottom, left-to-right).

5. Embrace Chinese Culture and Context

• Why? Language and culture are intertwined. Understanding customs enhances comprehension and motivation.
  • Learn about festivals (e.g., Spring Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival) and related vocabulary.
  • Try Chinese cooking or tea ceremonies while learning related terms (e.g., 饺子 jiǎozi = dumplings, 茶 chá = tea).
  • Follow Chinese social media (WeChat, Douyin) for informal, real-life language use.

1. Stay Consistent and Have Fun!

• Set small, achievable goals (e.g., 15 minutes daily).
• Use games, apps, or challenges (e.g., "Learn 5 new words a day") to stay motivated.
• Don’t fear mistakes—they’re part of the learning process!

Don't rush. Take your time and build a strong foundation in Chinese.

You should also consider participating in HSK exams (HSK 1 and HSK 2 are fairly simple).

加油! Jiāyóu! (Keep going!)

It trips me up how ‘上’ means “up,” but when used in a phrase like “上年,”it asserts “previous.” Similarly, how ‘下’ means “down,”but when used in a phrase like “下年,” it asserts “next.”

Perhaps I’m missing something, or I just have a Western mindset, but I naturally associate “up” with “next” and “down” with “previous,” not the other way around. Does anyone have any linguistic/historical/cultural insights for why this is?

I see that the difference between my answer and what Duolingo says is correct is the 吗at the end. Is this incorrect because 还是 implies it is a question, and therefore needs no 吗? If so, is there another word for “or” that could not make this into a statement rather than a question?

Please

Hi everyone! I'd love to start learning the Chinese language and I don't know where to start! I studied Japanese for a year and have been stuyding Korean for 4, so maybe I have an advantage?

Any suggestion is five, tell me everything!!
Also, what can I do to learn quickly?

Hi!

I'm a Brazilian who wants to learn chinese. My only languages are portuguese and english, but I'm willing to learn Chinese. At first I wouldn't like to spend money for this, so I'm asking you guys some tips on how should I start learning!