普通话
Mandarin
Mandarin Chinese is spoken by 70% of all Chinese speakers, and is one of the largest part of the Sinitic languages. It is the second most spoken language in the world, with approximately 1.3 billion speakers. Mandarin is primarily spoken in China.
Learning to read Mandarin Chinese can seem intimidating due to its complex characters, but with the right resources, you can master it step by step. Whether you're a heritage speaker, a second-language learner, or simply fascinated by Chinese culture, these tools will help you develop strong reading skills.
1) Flashcards and resources for vocabulary and script recognition
Mandarin Alphabet Learning Apps
Skritter: Perfect for learning to read and write Chinese characters with stroke-by-stroke guidance and spaced repetition.
Duolingo Chinese: A beginner-friendly app that introduces Chinese characters alongside pinyin and basic sentence structures.
Pleco: A powerful dictionary app with handwriting recognition and flashcard features for learning new Chinese characters.
Below are some available flashcards sets on Quizlet that can be utilized to memorize Arabic's alphabet and familiarize yourself with some vocabulary.
Anki flashcards for Mandarin:
2) Videos/resources to learn grammar and apply script recognition
YouTuber LearnChineseWithEmma is a great resource, as she goes over characters, sentence structure, and basic Chinese reading skills. Below are a few videos from her playlist: "Read Chinese Books with Emma" where she reads a picture book outloud.
Other resources include the following:
Du Chinese: A reading app with stories categorized by difficulty, featuring pinyin support and audio assistance.
The Chairman’s Bao: A news-based learning platform offering simplified Chinese articles with built-in dictionary and audio support.
Reading and Writing Chinese
3) Grammar books to learn grammar
Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar Textbook
Here is a flashcard set as well for practicing Chinese grammar: Chinese Grammar (汉语 语法) HSK1 - HSK 6
The original flashcard is based off of AllSet Learning's extensive Chinese Wiki found here: https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/
Digchinese has a few comprehensive online eBooks for Chinese grammar, from HK1-HK6, including video resources: https://www.digmandarin.com/chinese-grammar-pdf
4) Picture books and graded readers to apply reading
The following are a few picture book and graded readers in mandarin that can effectively help one practice their reading.
Picture Chinese Book Bedtime Stories For Kids
Here are some links to websites with beginner level picture books:
https://cforchinese-jc.hk/en/chinese-learning-storybooks#gsc.tab=0
Overseas Chinese Language and Culture Education, which include textbooks and exercises: http://old.hwjyw.com/textbooks/downloads/zhongwen/