Mandarin Study Blueprint

In this video, I introduce seven must-have apps for beginners

studying Chinese. From building vocabulary to mastering pronunciation and sentence structure, these tools can help you create a strong foundation. I start with Duolingo, a gamified app perfect for learning basic words and phrases, and move on to Pleco, the ultimate Chinese dictionary app with features like stroke order and example sentences. For memorizing vocabulary, I highlight Anki, a powerful spaced repetition tool, and for reading practice, I recommend Du Chinese, which provides stories with pinyin and translations.

If you’re a fan of quick, visual learning, I discuss Drops, an app designed for bite-sized vocabulary practice. For improving your listening and conversational skills, I explore ChinesePod, offering audio lessons on practical topics. Finally, I introduce Pimsleur, a fantastic app for learning pronunciation and conversational phrases through audio-based repetition. These seven apps, when used together, can give beginners a well-rounded start in their Chinese learning journey.

Check out the video to learn how to get the most out of these apps and find the ones that work best for your learning style!