Learn Chinese

Learn Chinese online: a free course for complete beginners (Mandarin)

Chinese is often described as “impossible” for beginners, mainly because of characters and tones. In reality, Mandarin becomes approachable as soon as you learn it the right way: through real everyday sentences, repeated until they feel natural. The Loecsen Chinese course is a free online Chinese course for beginners, designed for people starting from zero, with one clear goal: help you start understanding and using Mandarin Chinese from the very first lessons — with audio, pinyin, and practical patterns you can reuse immediately.

Start Chinese the right way: pinyin, tones, and real sentences

Pinyin is the official romanization system used to write Mandarin sounds with the Latin alphabet. It lets beginners read, pronounce, and type Chinese from day one. In Loecsen, pinyin is never “just spelling”: it is always paired with audio and practiced in complete sentences, so pronunciation habits form early.

The origins of Chinese and why the writing system matters

Chinese has one of the oldest continuous written traditions still used today. Modern spoken Mandarin is a living language, while the writing system preserves strong continuity across centuries. Unlike alphabetic systems, Chinese does not write sounds letter by letter: it uses characters that represent meaning and usually correspond to one spoken syllable. This makes Chinese visually different, but not random.

Chinese writing: understanding characters without fear

The writing system is the biggest psychological barrier for many learners. To remove that fear, you need one clear mental model.

This does not mean characters are “mysterious pictures”. Most everyday characters are built with a system: they often combine a meaning hint (a category component) and a sound hint (a pronunciation component). When you learn characters through recurring parts and real sentences, memorization becomes far easier.

What a character is made of: components you can recognize

Many characters contain a core element that hints a broad meaning category. This element is often called a radical. A very common beginner radical relates to people:

When this “person” idea appears inside other characters, it is often written in a side form:

From 人 to real characters you actually use

A frequent beginner confusion is: “I don’t see 人 inside the word anymore.” The trick is that the component changes shape, but the function stays. Here are two extremely common characters explained in a beginner-friendly way:

• 亻 → signals “person / human”
• 也 → gives a pronunciation clue (sound-family hint)

• 亻 → signals “person / human”
• 尔 → gives a pronunciation clue (sound-family hint)

Which characters are used in this course and how to learn them

Your Loecsen A1 Chinese corpus contains 339 unique characters. The important point is not the number: it is the method. You do not learn 339 drawings. You learn a small core first, and you meet the rest naturally through repetition in real phrases.

Below is a practical “core set” of high-frequency characters that keep reappearing in beginner Mandarin. Each one is shown with pinyin and a clear meaning, plus examples. The target character is highlighted every time to train automatic recognition.

How many characters do you need to begin — and what “339 characters” really means

One common myth is that you must learn “thousands of characters” before you can do anything useful. In reality, beginners progress through layers.

Simplified vs Traditional Chinese: which one should you learn?

Most beginners start with Simplified characters, widely used in mainland China and Singapore. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and many overseas communities. If you are unsure, start with Simplified: you can always learn the other form later once you have a foundation.

How to type Chinese on your phone or computer (pinyin input)

Most beginners type Chinese using pinyin input. You type the pronunciation (for example wo, ni, xiexie) and select the correct characters from suggestions. At first it feels slow, but it becomes natural quickly as your vocabulary grows. This is why pinyin is so practical: it supports speaking, listening, and typing from day one.

Tones in Chinese: how pronunciation really works (and why it matters)

Tones are one of the most important parts of Mandarin, and also one of the most misunderstood. In Mandarin, the tone is part of the word. Changing the tone often changes the meaning.

Mandarin uses four main tones, plus a neutral tone:

• 1st tone: high and flat
• 2nd tone: rising
• 3rd tone: falling then rising
• 4th tone: sharp falling
• Neutral tone: light and unstressed

Why tones change meaning: a concrete example

• mā – mother (妈)
• má – hemp (麻)
• mǎ – horse (马)
• mà – to scold (骂)

Tones in real beginner sentences

Notice a real-life pronunciation detail: 不 is normally bù (4th tone), but before another 4th-tone syllable it becomes bú. This is learned naturally by listening, not by memorizing rules.

Chinese sentences: learning grammar through real usage

Mandarin grammar is often described as “hard”, but at beginner level it is usually clear and consistent. Mandarin does not use verb conjugations by person or grammatical gender. Meaning is expressed through stable word order, high-frequency particles, and reusable patterns.

1) No verb conjugation: the verb stays the same

2) Negation is regular: 不 + verb

3) Questions are simple: add 吗

4) Time words carry time (the verb does not change)

A complete learning method to reach A1 in Chinese

Reaching a first functional level in Mandarin does not require long study sessions. It requires consistency, a clear path, and the right tools. The Loecsen course guides complete beginners toward a practical CEFR A1-level ability (survival communication), focused on understanding and being understood in everyday situations.

• Short daily sessions to build a sustainable habit.
• Listening-first practice with natural audio from day one.
• Active repetition to anchor pronunciation and confidence.
• Progress checks to reinforce recall and measure improvement.
• Speech recognition to adjust pronunciation gradually.
• Spaced repetition to review at the right time.
• AI dialogues to practice real-life situations with no pressure.

Helpful anti-dropout tips when motivation decreases

Motivation drops are normal. The goal is to keep the habit alive, even on low-energy days.

• Reduce your goal to 2 minutes to make starting easy.
• Switch mode: listen instead of speaking, or reread a familiar sentence.
• Return to phrases you already know to regain confidence.
• Repeat the same short lesson until it feels effortless.
• Speak without aiming for perfection: usage beats silence.

Consistency matters more than intensity.

Frequently asked questions about learning Chinese

Do I need to learn thousands of characters to start?

No. Start with pinyin, audio, and high-frequency sentences. Characters can be learned gradually through recognition in context. In this course, you meet a limited set of beginner characters repeatedly, which makes learning realistic and structured.

Is Chinese grammar difficult?

It is usually not difficult in the “lots of rules” sense, but it can feel unfamiliar. Mandarin has no verb conjugation by person and no grammatical gender, but meaning depends on word order, particles, and context. Most learners improve through repetition and exposure more than through abstract grammar study.

How do I know if my tones are wrong?

If people often ask you to repeat or misunderstand common words, tone may be part of the issue. The practical fix is to learn the tone with the word, repeat short audio often, and use speech recognition for feedback. Improvement comes from small daily corrections, not from perfection.

Should I learn Simplified or Traditional Chinese?

If you are unsure, start with Simplified. It is widely used and works well for general learners. Traditional can be added later if you need it for Taiwan, Hong Kong, or specific reading goals.

Can I learn Chinese if I don’t live in China?

Yes. What matters is daily exposure. Use short audio you can repeat, practice speaking regularly (even short sessions), and add real content gradually (simple videos, graded materials, AI dialogues). Consistency beats location.

I tried Chinese before and forgot everything. What should I do?

This is extremely common. Restart with very short lessons, focus on pronunciation and core sentences, and let repetition rebuild automatic recall. The fastest way back is not “more theory”, but repeating familiar patterns until they feel easy again.

What should I do after A1 if I want to go further?

Increase your input and reuse. Add beginner reading (very short texts or graded content), keep daily listening, and expand speaking practice. If you like milestones, use early HSK levels as a reference — but keep learning through real sentences so your Chinese stays usable.