Foundations
The sound system first: the four tones, the neutral tone, tone pairs, third tone sandhi and the basic stroke order rules.
5 lessons
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Learn Mandarin Chinese free: HSK 1 and 2 mastery course
Learn Mandarin Chinese for free with a mastery course built on the official HSK 3.0 word lists for levels 1 and 2. You start with tones and pinyin, then unlock words, characters and grammar only once you have mastered what they build on.
Every word comes with pinyin, a plain English meaning, real example sentences from Tatoeba and the characters it is written with. Characters have stroke order animations and writing drills.
Practice runs in your browser. Spaced review schedules each word to come back right before you would forget it. Progress stays on your device, with no account.
Take the placement quizStart from the beginning
Updated
- 1221 words
- 599 characters
- 16 grammar lessons
- 176 concepts
- 3475 example sentences
Levels
HSK 1
HSK 1 covers about 500 everyday words: pronouns, numbers, family, food, time and the most common verbs. It is enough for simple, slow conversations.
486 words · 299 characters · 13 lessons
HSK 2
HSK 2 adds about 770 words for daily life: shopping, travel, weather, health and describing people and things.
735 words · 300 characters · 3 lessons
Grammar and pronunciation lessons
- The four tones Foundations
- The neutral tone Foundations
- Tone pairs in two-syllable words Foundations
- Tone changes: 3rd tone, 不 and 一 Foundations
- Stroke order basics Foundations
- 了 (le): completed actions and changes HSK 1
- 的 (de): possession and describing nouns HSK 1
- Question words: 什么, 谁, 哪儿, 几, 怎么 HSK 1
- 吗 (ma): yes/no questions HSK 1
- 吧 (ba): suggestions and checking HSK 2
- 比 (bǐ): comparisons HSK 2
- 呢 (ne): "and you?" and ongoing actions HSK 2
- Measure words: 个, 本, 杯 and friends HSK 1
- 想, 要, 会, 能: want, will, can HSK 1
- 有 (yǒu): "to have" and "there is" HSK 1
- 在 (zài): where something is or happens HSK 1
- 是 (shì): saying "A is B" HSK 1
- 也 and 都: "also" and "all" HSK 1
- 没 / 没有 (méi yǒu): "did not" and "do not have" HSK 1
- 不 (bù): saying "not" HSK 1
- 很 + adjective: "is big", "is good" HSK 1
Most common words
- 我 I
- 的 of
- 了 completed action marker
- 你 you
- 是 to be
- 他 he
- 不 no
- 一 one
- 在 to exist
- 个 classifier used before a…
- 这 this
- 很 very
- 她 she
- 吗 question particle for…
- 有 to have
- 我们 we
- 会 can
- 想 to think
- 人 person
- 要 to want
- 去 to go
- 好 good
- 什么 what?
- 说 to speak
FAQ
How many words are in HSK 1 and HSK 2?
In the HSK 3.0 standard (2021), level 1 has 500 words and level 2 adds 772. This course follows those lists.
Do I need to learn characters to learn Mandarin?
You can start with pinyin, but reading needs characters. This course shows characters from day one, with pinyin, and adds stroke order drills for the most common ones.
Is it really free?
Yes. The course, the word pages and the practice engine are free. Progress is saved in your browser, so there is nothing to sign up for.
Which HSK version is this?
The word lists follow the HSK 3.0 standard published in 2021 (levels 1 and 2). The exam syllabus announced for later years may differ slightly.
What grammar does the Mandarin course cover?
16 lessons so far: 了 (le): completed actions and changes; 的 (de): possession and describing nouns; Question words: 什么, 谁, 哪儿, 几, 怎么; 吗 (ma): yes/no questions; 吧 (ba): suggestions and checking; 比 (bǐ): comparisons; 呢 (ne): "and you?" and ongoing actions; Measure words: 个, 本, 杯 and friends; 想, 要, 会, 能: want, will, can; 有 (yǒu): "to have" and "there is"; 在 (zài): where something is or happens; 是 (shì): saying "A is B"; 也 and 都: "also" and "all"; 没 / 没有 (méi yǒu): "did not" and "do not have"; 不 (bù): saying "not"; 很 + adjective: "is big", "is good".