by Olly RichardsOne of the keys to being able to master any foreign language is having access to high-quality study resources, and fortunately, if you’re learning Chinese, you’re spoilt for choice.
A particularly rich source of study materials is YouTube where you’ll find lessons for learners of all levels. And due to the way YouTube monetisation works, a lot of what’s available there is completely free.
However, not all of the content on YouTube is of the same standard, and there are some channels that just don’t cut it.
So, to help you sort the wheat from the chaff, here are my 16 recommendations for the best channels to learn Chinese on YouTube.
Pro Tip
By the way, if you want to learn Chinese fast and have fun, my top recommendation is Chinese Uncovered which teaches you through StoryLearning®.
With Chinese Uncovered you’ll use my unique StoryLearning® method to learn Chinese through story…not rules. It’s as fun as it is effective. If you’re ready to get started, click here for a 7-day FREE trial.
How To Choose The Best Channels To Learn Chinese On YouTube
Before I give my list of channels, let me say a few words about how to choose the right channels to learn Chinese on YouTube. Because, as I just mentioned, there are some excellent ones, but there are also quite a few duds.
When looking for a good channel to study with, perhaps the most important thing is to find one with material at your level (a key rule of StoryLearning). Remember, if the material is too easy, it won’t push you to learn anything new – but if it’s too hard, it will all just go over your head.
Next, don’t fall into the trap of believing that every native speaker is automatically an expert just because they uploaded a few videos to YouTube.
Trained and experienced teachers know how to explain language and understand why things are said in a particular way – whereas an untrained native speaker might say things that just aren’t true.
Also, trained teachers will also be able to produce videos that are much more useful and effective than those made by untrained YouTubers.
For example, somebody with no background in language teaching might upload raw lists of vocabulary with no context, or they might make videos explaining grammar with few examples and then expect you to just “get it”.
Much better are videos that present natural language in authentic contexts through things like stories, dialogues and conversations.
Finally, look for topics that interest you and choose teachers with styles you find engaging. Then use your YouTube lessons as just one of the many resources you turn to – because you won’t master Chinese just through watching YouTube videos alone.
Learn Chinese On YouTube: My Favourite YouTube Channels
Here, in no particular order, are 16 YouTube channels to learn Chinese on YouTube.
1. Yoyo Chinese
Level: Beginner to lower intermediate
Good for: All-round learning, listening, HSK
If you’re looking for a lively and fun way to get started with Chinese – and then move past the basics towards elementary level and beyond – YoYo Chinese would be a great place to start.
Enthusiastic host YoYo has now uploaded over 1,000 videos and counting, with topics such as tones, Chinese pronunciation and pinyin all covered.
The channel also features a wealth of lessons based on dialogues that are designed to help improve your Chinese through contact with authentic language.
The lessons are organised by theme, and many of them are also graded by HSK level, making it easy to find videos that match your level or interests.
You can also check out the website at www.yoyochinese.com, and YoYo is also on Instagram @yoyochinese and Facebook.
2. ChineseFor.Us
Level: Beginner to intermediate
Good for: All-round learning with structured courses
Another great resource lo learn Chinese on YouTube from beginner right up to intermediate is ChineseFor.Us.
On this channel, you’ll find several series of lessons dealing with topics such as characters, writing and tones.
The channel also includes complete courses of between around 40 and 60 lessons designed for different levels, so it’s easy to find exactly the content you need.
A typical lesson is in three parts, with the first presenting new vocabulary and the second giving you new grammatical structures.
After this, the third part takes the form of a dialogue or story containing the new vocab and structures, allowing you to see how the language works in context.
What’s good about this channel is that there is a large amount of free content. But if you particularly enjoy it, you can also subscribe to gain access to even more premium lessons.
3. Chinese Zero To Hero
Level: Beginner to intermediate
Good for: Chinese learning tips, listening
Chinese Zero to Hero is a YouTube channel hosting hundreds of individual lessons covering a whole range of topics, including all the usual ones such as tones and writing in Chinese.
Others deal with particularly thorny grammatical problems or give you useful Chinese tips and tricks.
Along these, there are also several series of dialogue-based courses that are organised by HSK level, allowing you to find content that’s just right for your Chinese ability.
This channel now has a vast amount of content, so you might not find what you’re looking for right away. But it’s a channel that will definitely repay a little digging because there’s so much useful stuff on there!
Chinese Zero to Hero also has its own website, chinesezerotohero.com and is also active on all the usual social media platforms – details can be found on YouTube.
4. Peggy Teaches Chinese
Level: Beginner to lower intermediate
Good for: All-round learning, listening, authentic conversation, Taiwanese Mandarin
Hosted by Taiwanese native Peggy, this channel helps you learn Chinese on YouTube through over 250 video lessons based on travelling around Taiwan or speaking to people in the street.
This allows you to learn more about this beautiful island and its fascinating culture, all while deepening your knowledge of Chinese.
The channel also includes lessons graded by HSK level, which is ideal if you’re preparing for an HSK exam.
Peggy is a qualified teacher, and she also hosts live lessons on her channel.
Her content is all free – although you are welcome to make donations, either through Patreon or PayPal, if you enjoy her videos. Full details are available on the channel.
5. MrYang楊家成
Level: Lower intermediate and above
Good for: Reverse learning
Here’s an intriguing possibility for Chinese learners who are up for a challenge – it’s a channel intended for Chinese speakers learning English.
That means you might need to be a bit creative about how you use it, but it provides you with a great opportunity for “reverse learning”.
As anyone who has lived abroad will confirm, you can learn a great deal about a language by paying attention to the kind of mistakes its speakers make as they try to learn English.
It can give you an insight into how their language works, and if you pay careful attention to how they construct their sentences in English – and how they sometimes get them slightly wrong – it can help you understand more about their language and how to get it right.
This makes Mr Yang’s channel well worth a look, even if you don’t make it one of your main learning resources.
6. Easy Mandarin
Level: Beginner to intermediate
Good for: Vocabulary, listening
Easy Mandarin is an excellent resource for those looking to improve their Chinese level, especially if you’re interested in enlarging your vocabulary or working on your listening.
Most of the lessons are based on street interviews dealing with a wide range of topics from eating habits to dating and marriage.
Like many of the best Chinese YouTube channels, the video lessons are all free to watch – although you are welcome to donate.
Associated channels are also available for several other languages like French, German and Korean, and they are all popular and informative – which gives you some idea of the kind of quality you can expect.
7. Learn Chinese Online
Level: Beginner to lower intermediate
Good for: Mastering the basics
Another free online resource designed to help you boost your Chinese language abilities, Learn Chinese Online provides lessons covering pinyin, tones, characters and pronunciation as well as dialogues, conversations and more.
The lessons on the channel are aimed more at lower-level learners, and examples of topics covered include introductions and expressing feelings.
Each lesson contains lots of useful language content, and dialogues are delivered at just the right speed for beginners to be able to follow without them feeling unnatural.
The vibrant animations also help you visualise the context, making each lesson easier to understand. So in short, this channel is ideal for beginners looking for extra exposure to lower-level Chinese.
New lessons are uploaded every Sunday.
8. Little Fox Chinese – Stories & Songs For Learners
Level: Elementary to intermediate
Good for: Anyone looking for challenging material that’s a bit different
If you have a younger child who is learning Chinese, Little Fox Chinese – Stories & Songs for Learners is one you’ll want to know about since it will help them make progress through fun songs and stories designed especially for kids.
In fact, the level of some of the videos is quite high. The channel seems to be aimed at, for example, children of Chinese descent growing up abroad and learning Chinese as their second native language – or children who are exposed to lots of Chinese in their daily lives growing up.
However, that also makes it an interesting challenge for adult learners who already have quite a good level of Chinese and who are up for trying something a bit different – so why not give it a go?
9. Everyday Chinese
Level: Beginner to advanced
Good for: Authentic conversational Chinese, HSK
Everyday Chinese is a channel where you can find over 1,000 stand-alone lessons covering every aspect of the Chinese language.
The channel promises to deliver authentic Chinese the way it is really used in China in situations such as ordering food, buying things at a market or simply chatting with friends.
In addition, you’ll find lessons for all abilities – from beginner to advanced – along with lessons specifically created according to the HSK levels.
In a typical lesson, you will be exposed to the new language, perhaps in the form of a dialogue, and the key vocab and grammar will then be broken down by a professional qualified teacher.
This channel has an associated website for you to check out too – everydaychinese.com – and the channel’s 500k+ subscribers should give you an idea of the success of the videos.
10. Yimin Chinese艺敏中文
Level: Beginner to advanced
Good for: All-round learning, HSK
With videos aimed at learners from beginner to advanced, Yimin Chinese is another free YouTube Chinese learning resource that can help you boost your Chinese skills, whatever your level.
Host Yimin is a US-based Chinese native speaker, and her videos are all lively and entertaining.
The videos are stand-alone lessons rather than structured courses, but that makes them ideal to dip into whenever you have a spare moment to learn a new bit of Chinese every day.
There’s also lots of HSK-based material on the channel, making this another good one to turn to if you’re preparing to take an HSK exam.
11. 每日中文课Free To Learn Chinese
Level: Lower intermediate and above
Good for: All-round learning, listening, HSK
As the name suggests, Free To Learn Chinese is a resource that will cost you nothing to use – and this time, it’s a channel dedicated to more advanced learners.
This is something you’ll be able to guess from the fact that even the introduction to the channel in the “about” section is written in Chinese characters with no translation.
There, it tells you that if you’ve been learning for many years but still can’t speak or understand as well as you’d like, this is the channel for you.
The method is based on presenting new language in short video lessons before breaking it down and explaining the main points – offering you a highly effective way of improving your Chinese skills in all areas.
12. ShuoshuoChinese说说中文
Level: Beginner to intermediate
Good for: All-round learning, listening, grammar, authentic Chinese
ShuoshuoChinese is hosted by a professional teacher – named Shuo – whose teaching method focuses especially on helping you to start thinking in Chinese rather than translating from English.
That way, you will learn how to speak a much more authentic version of Chinese than most 老外 lăo wài (foreigners) end up managing.
Her channel offers all kinds of lessons, from those focusing more on difficult Chinese grammar or pronunciation to those based on dialogues or cultural aspects.
Like all the best Chinese channels, there are also lessons designed especially for those studying for HSK exams. And the obvious passion and enthusiasm of the teacher will keep you coming back for more.
13. Chinese Buddy
Level: Beginner to intermediate
Good for: Vocabulary and listening through songs
A great way to pick up and remember new vocabulary is through songs, and that’s what Chinese Buddy is all about.
On it, you’ll find all kinds of songs to listen to and learn, including everything from famous Chinese poems to a song about stinky tofu!
Unfortunately, the owner of this site has recently taken down most of his videos from YouTube and moved them to a paid website due to revenue issues.
However, he’s still left a good selection on YouTube that can be accessed for free, and if you manage to work through all of those and find them useful, you might consider heading over to his site to access the paid material while supporting the creator who produces it for you.
14. Mandarin Click
Level: Beginner to upper intermediate
Good for: All-round learning, listening, HSK
Having been launched at the end of 2020, Mandarin Click is a relative newcomer to the world of YouTube Chinese learning resources, but there’s already a wealth of useful material on the channel.
The lessons are based around stories, with the core content consisting of the Slow Chinese series.
You’ll find videos for most levels, and there are also HSK-based lessons for those interested in taking exams.
The materials on this channel are especially useful for those interested in working on vocabulary and listening. The free content found on YouTube is also backed up by paid support material designed to help deepen your knowledge, and there’s a podcast too.
Full details are available on the channel.
15. Harbin Mandarin
Level: Beginner to lower intermediate
Good for: Tricky aspects of Chinese, vocab
Harbin Mandarin is a channel that hosts videos introducing you to the basics of Chinese as well as covering some of the biggest problems beginners are faced with and answering some of the most common questions.
For example, there’s a series of lessons on pronunciation, and you’ll also find a series of “vocab builder” lessons.
Unfortunately, this channel doesn’t offer much in the way of dialogues or other opportunities for Chinese listening practice.
However, it will help you overcome some of the obstacles that cause trouble for people when they first start learning Chinese, making it another useful resource to turn to.
16. Learn Chinese With Yi Zhao
Level: Beginner to lower intermediate
Good for: Tricky aspects of Chinese, vocab
On her channel, professional tutor Yi Zhao provides you with a range of lessons to help you on your Chinese learning journey.
A lot of the videos are vocabulary-based, and sometimes they come a little too close to giving you vocab lists without context, although her explanations are clear.
However, there are also some other videos with features on daily life in China and the type of language you need for basic daily actions like going to the bank – just the kind of thing lower-level learners will find useful.
If you like Yi Zhao’s videos, you can also book one-to-one lessons with her via Verbling to practise what you’ve learnt. Looking for other Chinese tutoring options? Check out these Chinese tutoring websites.
Learn Chinese On YouTube: Lots Of Great Resources
What I’ve given you here is a selection of channels I think are among the best available to learn Chinese on YouTube– but of course, you may find many others.
YouTube is an excellent – and usually free – resource that can really help give your Chinese learning a boost.
And even with just half of the materials I’ve mentioned here, you probably have more than you could ever study, whatever your current level in Chinese.
