Face-to-face classes available now - Learn Mandarin / Japanese / Korean in London - 0208 935 5183
Top 6 YouTube Channels for Mandarin Learners
1. Mandarin Corner
Educational
Entertaining
Cultural Elements
Ideal Language Level: HSK1-HSK5
Mandarin Corner is one of the best channels out there for learning Mandarin Chinese. It contains hundreds of videos including actual lesson content, vocabulary lists, audio recordings, podcast content and interviews.
Not only is the content easy to follow, it is also split into levels using the HSK system. This is great for anyone who knows their current HSK level (if you don’t you can test yourself for free here) or is planning to take the exam because you can study all the necessary words and phrases and then listen to them being used in context. This means students can familiarise themselves with characters, grammar and the correct pronunciations all in one place!
Furthermore, the content included on this channel is interesting and easy for learners of all levels to follow without getting bored. You can learn all sorts of interesting things about Chinese culture and etiquette. In short, these are lessons you will want to keep coming back to.
2. CCTV纪录
Educational
Entertaining
Cultural Elements
Ideal Language Level: HSK4+
CCTV is one of the major TV networks broadcasting in China. Their YouTube channel is full of their TV shows and is a great way for more advanced learners to find audio and visual content that shows mandarin being spoken at real life speeds (HSK audio files are often much slower than reality) and using real life language.
The range of content on this channel is huge but we particularly recommend a show called “A Bite of China” or 舌尖上的中国. This show explores the massive variety of food in China as well as its history and place in China’s cultural roots.
A vast range of regional dialects, accents and cultural values are on display here and all shows come with Chinese subtitles so you can keep up if your Chinese reading level is high enough. The show has won multiple awards for its content. Good luck watching it and not getting hungry!
3. MYBY孟言布语
Educational
Entertaining
Cultural Elements
Ideal Language Level: HSK3+
MYBY is created by a team of non-native Chinese learners who have reached an advanced level of fluency. The hosts themselves are an American and an English guy who have both lived in Asia from a young age and like to discuss everything from cultural differences to celebrities using Mandarin in films.
The content is fun and interesting and often humorous. The discussions take place entirely in Mandarin with both English and Chinese subtitles at the bottom of the page so you can understand what they’re talking about and follow the correct character usage.
Although not native speakers, the two hosts use of tones is extremely good and their language is more informal than you would find in an HSK textbook, which some people would argue makes it more useful. In fact, the language they use is likely to be encountered in everyday life in China and Taiwan, especially amongst young people and in the media.
4. Chineasy
Educational
Entertaining
Cultural Elements
Ideal Language Level: HSK1-HSK4
Chineasy is a system for learning Chinese characters developed by Taiwanese entrepreneur ShaoLan. The system cleverly uses images to help you remember the characters and start to build up knowledge in your head in a similar way that native Chinese speaking children do when they learn the language.
The Chineasy system has gained a lot of popularity over the years and there is an associated book and even an app (check out the app here) that you can download for free.
While the system is designed primarily for learning characters, it can also help with other elements of the language such as grammar and intonation. Check it out and see how easy Chinese characters can actually be.
5. Peggy Teaches Chinese
Educational
Entertaining
Cultural Elements
Ideal Language Level: HSK1+
Peggy is a Taiwanese native speaker who creates content devoted to helping Chinese learners. Her videos vary from interviews with Chinese speaking expats to detailed analysis of different accents in Mandarin. The information in the videos is informative and fun, meaning it's very easy to keep watching once you start.
Furthermore, Peggy offers more educational lesson style content to help students with specific aspects of language learning. resources such as MP3s and PDFs are provided to support the lessons and all the videos are of a very high quality.
One of the distinct advantages offered by Peggy's channel is that she teaches both traditional and simplified Chinese characters, meaning you can choose which style is more useful to help you reach your language goals.
6. Xiaomanyc小马在纽约
Educational
Entertaining
Cultural Elements
Ideal Language Level: HSK1+
Xiao ma is an American Mandarin language learner who films himself in different situations speaking to Chinese people in fluent Mandarin. Although the concept sounds simple, it’s surprisingly entertaining as he often highlights the surprise at which people react to his Chinese language. For example, he can be found haggling for food in food markets and ordering dishes like a pro in Chinese restaurants.
Not only is Xiao Ma’s Chinese very good, he also uses his channel to introduce people to elements of Asian culture that they may not be familiar with, such as interesting food or pop bands.
Anyone watching this channel can see what’s possible for a non-native Mandarin student to achieve and will likely be motivated by it. The people he speaks with are always friendly and welcoming and he gains a lot of respect for speaking the language so well.
Now you have explored some of the best channels out there to improve your Mandarin knowledge, why not supplement that learning by booking a course with one of our expert teachers?
We offer private and group classes both in our London offices and online. Contact us anytime with questions.
Happy learning! We hope to see you soon :)