33 Free Online Chinese Language Lessons and Resources

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You can learn Mandarin Chinese online without paying for a full course. The harder part is choosing a resource that fits your level and the skill you want to practise.

I’ve grouped 33 Chinese lessons and resources by audio, video, structured study, apps and advanced input. Start with one main resource and one practice tool instead of trying everything at once.

A note on “free”: some options are completely free, while others offer a free tier, sample lessons, an audit route or a trial. I’ve labelled the limits where they matter.

Let’s take a look at these free online Chinese language resources and classes.

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away in Chinese for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

Free Online Audio & Podcasts to Help You Learn Chinese

Podcasts let you practise Chinese while walking, commuting or taking a lunch break.

A short episode is enough for a focused listening session. Replay one section, write down what you hear, then check the transcript or lesson notes if they are available.

There are plenty of Chinese language podcasts out there, but not many that provide a complete Mandarin Chinese course. I prefer podcasts that provide a step-by-step Chinese class, or that teach Chinese as it’s spoken in the real world.

Here’s where to start with Chinese language audio:

• ChineseClass101 is a freemium lesson library with audio and video for different levels. Free access is limited; the complete lesson paths and premium tools require a subscription. Read our full ChineseClass101 review to see how it handles Mandarin tones and characters.
• Coffee Break Chinese offers a free podcast series, with paid lesson notes and course extras. You learn alongside the host, Mark, which gives the early episodes a friendly beginner pace.
• TuneIn Chinese: You can listen to radio in Chinese on TuneIn. Try a couple of stations based on your interests, keep the ones with clear, regular speech in your rotation, and use the app when you want to listen on your phone.
• Forvo: Forvo provides speaker recordings of individual words. Use it to check a headword, then listen to dictionary or sentence audio too, because isolated words do not show how sounds change in connected speech.
• Melnyk’s Chinese Lessons is a free podcast course with short dialogues, vocabulary and lesson notes from Chinese learner Serge Melnyk. It was one of my favourite podcasts when I was learning Chinese.
• You Can Learn Chinese is a podcast from Mandarin Companion founder, Jared Turner. It is all about strategies for learning the language and is a useful tool.

YouTube: Free Video Chinese Lessons

YouTube has plenty of free Mandarin lessons. Use a channel playlist in order when one is available, rather than jumping between unrelated videos.

Video also lets you see facial expressions and body language alongside the speech, which can help you follow the speaker’s meaning.

• ChineseClass101: Its YouTube channel has free pronunciation, vocabulary and listening videos. Use the playlists to find material for your level.
• Easy Languages Chinese: I like the Easy Languages YouTube channel because it gives you local culture and context. In this series, the hosts go out into the streets of Taiwan and interview the people they meet there. The interviews give you conversational language and listening practice with speakers in Taiwan.
• Mandarin HQ teaches Chinese with fun, short videos that cover topics from grammar points to themed vocabulary lists. Angel, the host, also features interviews recorded during trips to China, giving you examples of conversational Chinese.
• Yoyo Chinese: Instructor Yangyang teaches Mandarin pronunciation, grammar and culture in structured video series.
• ChinesePod: Looking for content about the Chinese language and culture? ChinesePod offers learners just that in entertaining, bite-sized lessons.

Free Online Chinese Courses and Systems

If you’re interested in guided lessons, there is a useful selection of free and freemium online Mandarin Chinese courses and systems available.

Here are just a few websites that offer online Chinese lessons at no cost:

• Chinese Grammar Wiki: I used this reference while learning Chinese. It is a detailed, free reference organised by grammar level.
• Chinese for Beginners on Coursera: Peking University’s course covers beginner vocabulary, grammar and speaking practice. Coursera lets you enrol for free, but certificate or subscription features may cost extra.
• Learn with Oliver offers a free account with Chinese word and sentence flashcards, exercises and a daily newsletter. It also offers a paid full-featured plan; the public landing page does not itemise the precise feature limits, so check the current account comparison before paying.

Free Chinese Language Apps

Apps are a handy way to learn a new language, especially for those who like to study on the go.

• Memrise or Anki (paid AnkiMobile for iOS, free AnkiDroid for Android, and free desktop Anki): Use these spaced-repetition tools for Chinese vocabulary. Memrise has a limited free tier; Anki’s price depends on the platform.
• Pleco is a Chinese dictionary and reading app for iOS and Android. Its free basic version includes dictionary search, a light document reader and basic audio; extra dictionaries and study tools are paid add-ons.
• Duolingo: The free tier introduces Mandarin vocabulary and sentence patterns through short, game-like lessons. Use it for daily practice rather than as your only source of listening or speaking.
• Drops: The free tier gives you short, visual vocabulary sessions. It is useful for recognition practice, but pair it with audio and sentence-level material.
• Clozemaster uses cloze, or fill-in-the-blank, sentences to practise Chinese vocabulary in context. It has free and paid features.
• HelloChinese has a structured beginner path covering pinyin, characters, grammar and speech practice. Some lessons are free and additional courses require premium access.

Free Online Chinese Language Resources for Advanced Chinese Learners

Take a Free Online Course in Chinese

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) not only offer Mandarin Chinese language courses, but they also offer courses on other subjects taught in Chinese.

If you’d like to use Chinese to learn more about something you’re passionate about, taking an online course in Chinese can be a useful way to do two things at once.

• Coursera: Search the current catalogue by language to find courses taught in Chinese. Availability and free audit options vary by course.
• edX: Filter the live course catalogue by Chinese language. Course subjects, schedules and audit access change, so check the individual course page before enrolling.
• OpenLearn Beginners’ Chinese: This free Open University taster course introduces Mandarin sounds, scripts, greetings, numbers and names. You can begin without signing up.
• Class Central: This course search engine collects Chinese-language and Chinese-learning courses from several platforms. Use its filters, then verify price and access on the provider’s page.

Watch Chinese Vloggers on YouTube

For advanced listening, YouTube offers Chinese-language, topic-based material on comedy, beauty, food and everyday life.

These channels cover topics including comedy, beauty and food. Pick one whose subject already interests you, then use subtitles or replay short sections as needed.

Here are a few of my favourites:

• Fulinfang: This YouTuber creates friendly, relatable videos about his life in China. He speaks Chinese at a high level, but is also very understandable.
• Mamahuhu uses parody and sketch comedy to offer insight into contemporary Chinese humour and everyday language.
• Rainie Tian: Prefer beauty vloggers? Rainie Tian is a Chinese-language creator on YouTube. She offers beauty product reviews, tutorials, and more. Plus, the text on her videos is bilingual to help you follow along.
• Oh Emma: Oh Emma is another Chinese language beauty vlogger. She reviews beauty products and shares her skin care routines.
• Liziqi: Liziqi’s documentary-style videos show food, crafts and rural life in China. Spoken Mandarin is limited in many videos, so use the channel for cultural context and reading on-screen text rather than intensive listening.

Free Chinese Language Reading Materials

Finding reading material appropriate for your level in the language can be a challenge. Thankfully, there’s a decent selection of Chinese reading resources available to you as a learner online for free.

• Chinese Wikipedia: Read a short article about a familiar topic, use a dictionary for unknown words, then compare the facts you understood with what you already know. Do not assume another language edition is a line-by-line translation; Wikipedia editions can differ.
• LingQ: Import or choose Chinese texts and save vocabulary in the reading interface. Free use is limited; regular long-term use generally requires a paid plan. Read our LingQ review for details.
• The Chairman’s Bao publishes levelled, news-based Chinese lessons. It is a paid service with limited free access, so check the current sample or trial before subscribing.
• Skritter teaches Chinese character writing and recall. It offers a trial, then requires payment; check the current trial terms on its site.

What Free Online Chinese Resources Will You Use?

These 33 options cover different jobs. Choose one structured course or lesson series, then add one tool for the skill you need most: listening, characters, vocabulary or reading.

Want more options? See Benny’s favourite Chinese learning resources.