Say your first Chinese sentence today
Lesson 1 · 你好 (nǐ hǎo)
Greetings, how to introduce yourself, and the 18 words you'll actually use — every single word has audio. Fifteen minutes, no experience needed.
👆 Tap any phrase to hear it in Mandarin.
Trial lesson $8 · Online · Google Meet
Learn practical Mandarin — build confidence, don’t just memorize words
Native-speaker lessons for beginners, exam takers & everyday conversation.
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⭐ 109 five-star reviews · 2,600+ lessons taught · Top 5% of Chinese tutors
Ruby
Your Mandarin teacher
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Your first 90 days
A clear path from zero to your first real conversation
Four stages. Each one has free material you can start today, a target you can test yourself against, and a note on when a teacher actually saves you time.
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HSK 1–5 / IGCSE / Business
Structured exam preparation, or relaxed practical Chinese.
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Free learning resources
Want to start with the sounds first?
The pinyin lab has every sound with its tone mark and a speaker on each one, plus a record-and-compare tool and two quizzes.
New here? Start with Lesson 1, then the pronunciation studio →
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Free self-study notes for Mandarin learners
A free self-study corner for beginners — vocabulary, readings, mini audio lessons and quick practice.
Tap · listen · repeat
Every sound written with its tone mark, and a little speaker on each one: 23 initials, 31 finals, the 16 whole syllables, four-tone drills, spelling practice, a record-and-compare tool and two quizzes.
Same syllable, four pitches — four different meanings. Start with these.
③ HSK 1 core vocabulary
The starter words that cover most of HSK 1. Tap the speaker on any row to hear it, then say it back out loud.
| 汉字 | Pinyin | English | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我 | wǒ | I / me | |
| 你 | nǐ | you | |
| 他 / 她 | tā | he / she | |
| 我们 | wǒmen | we | |
| 这 | zhè | this | |
| 那 | nà | that | |
| 哪（儿） | nǎ(r) | where | |
| 谁 | shéi | who | |
| 什么 | shénme | what | |
| 多少 / 几 | duōshao / jǐ | how many / how much | |
| 一 … 十 | yī, èr, sān, sì, wǔ, liù, qī, bā, jiǔ, shí | one … ten | |
| 零 / 百 | líng / bǎi | zero / hundred | |
| 今天 | jīntiān | today | |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow | |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday | |
| 上午 / 下午 | shàngwǔ / xiàwǔ | morning / afternoon | |
| 年 / 月 / 日 | nián / yuè / rì | year / month / day | |
| 星期 | xīngqī | week | |
| 点 | diǎn | o'clock | |
| 分钟 | fēnzhōng | minute | |
| 爸爸 / 妈妈 | bàba / māma | dad / mum | |
| 儿子 / 女儿 | érzi / nǚ'ér | son / daughter | |
| 老师 / 学生 | lǎoshī / xuésheng | teacher / student | |
| 同学 / 朋友 | tóngxué / péngyou | classmate / friend | |
| 医生 | yīshēng | doctor | |
| 先生 / 小姐 | xiānsheng / xiǎojiě | Mr / Miss | |
| 是 | shì | to be | |
| 有 | yǒu | to have | |
| 在 | zài | at / to be in | |
| 去 / 来 | qù / lái | to go / to come | |
| 看 | kàn | to look / watch | |
| 吃 / 喝 | chī / hē | to eat / to drink | |
| 说 / 读 / 写 | shuō / dú / xiě | to speak / read / write | |
| 认识 | rènshi | to know (a person) | |
| 会 / 能 | huì / néng | can / be able to | |
| 想 | xiǎng | to want to | |
| 喜欢 / 爱 | xǐhuan / ài | to like / to love | |
| 做 | zuò | to do / make | |
| 买 | mǎi | to buy | |
| 叫 | jiào | to be called | |
| 住 | zhù | to live | |
| 学习 / 工作 | xuéxí / gōngzuò | to study / to work | |
| 好 | hǎo | good | |
| 大 / 小 | dà / xiǎo | big / small | |
| 多 / 少 | duō / shǎo | many / few | |
| 高兴 | gāoxìng | happy | |
| 漂亮 | piàoliang | pretty | |
| 忙 | máng | busy | |
| 热 / 冷 | rè / lěng | hot / cold | |
| 贵 / 便宜 | guì / piányi | expensive / cheap | |
| 人 / 名字 | rén / míngzi | person / name | |
| 中国 / 北京 | Zhōngguó / Běijīng | China / Beijing | |
| 水 / 茶 | shuǐ / chá | water / tea | |
| 菜 / 米饭 | cài / mǐfàn | dishes / rice | |
| 苹果 | píngguǒ | apple | |
| 钱 | qián | money | |
| 学校 / 商店 | xuéxiào / shāngdiàn | school / shop | |
| 饭店 / 医院 | fàndiàn / yīyuàn | restaurant / hospital | |
| 出租车 / 飞机 | chūzūchē / fēijī | taxi / airplane | |
| 谢谢 | xièxie | thank you | |
| 再见 | zàijiàn | goodbye |
④ Simple reading · with Pinyin & English
Read it, hear it, then read it aloud yourself. Every sentence has its own speaker; the button in the corner plays the whole passage.
自我介绍 · Self-introduction
我的一天 · My day
⑤ Mini audio lessons · listen & repeat
⑥ Quick practice
Tap a question to reveal the answer — and the speaker to hear the sentence.
“我是学生。” means…
✅ I am a student. — 我 wǒ (I) + 是 shì (am) + 学生 xuésheng (student).
Which word means “thank you”?
✅ 谢谢 (xièxie). The usual reply is 不客气 (búkèqi) — “you're welcome”.
How do you say “I drink tea”?
✅ 我喝茶 (wǒ hē chá) — 喝 hē (drink) + 茶 chá (tea).
“明天” refers to…
✅ Tomorrow (míngtiān). 昨天 (zuótiān) is yesterday, 今天 (jīntiān) is today.
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Good questions
Everything you might want to know before your first lesson.
Check full policy on FAQ page →Can I reschedule a lesson?
Yes — free of charge up to 12 hours before class, from your account or by replying to any email from me. Inside 12 hours the lesson is charged.
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Ruby
Mandarin teacher
About Me
Ni hao! I'm Ruby — your Mandarin teacher
- 🌍 Students from the US, UK, Europe and beyond
- 🕑 Lessons in your local time zone
- 🎯 Beginner-friendly｜Kids & adults｜HSK 1–5｜Travel & culture｜Business Chinese
- ⭐ All 109 student reviews rated 5★
Hi! I'm Ruby, from Wuhan — China's historic "River City". I taught Chinese to international students at Huazhong University of Science and Technology for 3 years, and I've been teaching online for over 5 years — 2,600+ lessons, with all 109 of my student reviews rated 5★ (top 5% of Chinese tutors on a leading global platform).
My teaching philosophy
You don't need to be perfect to start — you just need to start. My lessons are conversation-first: you speak from the very first class, mistakes are welcome, and I correct gently and clearly.
Confidence first. Less pressure, more real conversation.
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