Four great Youtube channels to help you learn Mandarin

Youtube is an amazing resource for all language learners, and let’s face it; how many of us are on Youtube throughout our day anyway? Youtube can be a useful tool without really feeling like we’re putting in the effort to practice. Is your interest piqued? Here are some of the best Youtube channels to help you learn Mandarin.

 

Yoyo Chinese

Yoyo Chinese is a popular Youtube channel with 266,000 subscribers. Yoyo sells itself on teaching with real-life Mandarin, since its interactive lessons and roleplays are all filmed in China with real people. You can learn about vocabulary, how to perfect your pronunciation, and how to use different question particles in sentences. There are lots of short series for you to work through ranging from learning certain phrases, characters, and even those ‘real life’ conversations we mentioned initially. Our favourite videos are part of the conversation courses, which give you another of those real life conversations in a real setting, then break the conversation down for easy understanding. If you are looking for a range of videos that are anywhere between 30 seconds and 10 minutes long to fit into your learning schedule, Yoyo Chinese is a great choice.

 

Learning Mandarin? Check out our free placement test to see how your level measures up!

 

Chinese Class 101

For a more ‘formal’ look at learning Mandarin, Chinese Class 101 is perfect. If you’re wanting a blast of vocabulary then there are lots of videos to view, like this one on 600 important Mandarin words. There are series on idioms, real-life phrases, and even study advice, like this video on how to keep motivated with your learning. We particularly enjoy the lessons where you learn some more practical skills along with Mandarin, like this one which is a recipe for you to cook. And finally, one of the most useful things on Chinese Class 101 is the Monthly Dose, which are videos of up to two hours in length covering vocabulary, grammar, study tips, and plenty more besides. 268,000 subscribers benefit from Chinese Class 101’s teaching methods; why not join them?

 

 

Chels Teaches Chinese

Looking for a more unconventional channel to help you learn Mandarin? You are definitely in the right place with Chels Teaches Chinese! Chels is a lively character whose enthusiasm you can feel through the screen. She teaches through short videos covering everything from phrases to grammar. Chels also gives you these lessons which target certain subjects for vocabulary and give you a little burst of Chinese culture at the same time. You can learn about the vocabulary for flights, for example, and also learn how the words can be broken down and used to create other words. While you watch this video you get an insight into how to, for example, navigate your way around a typical Chinese airport. Chels also helps you practice reading Mandarin through narrating short stories, which she translates and repeats sections of as she goes through. Chels Teaches Chinese only has a small number of subscribers at 4,500, and her fast pace of speaking might not be ideal for your first exposure to Youtube as a Mandarin learning tool. Though beyond beginner level, Chels Teaches Chinese feels more like you are being taught bits of Mandarin over conversations with a friend than any formal lesson; this is a great, fun way to learn!

 

 

Learn Chinese With Emma

If you like the idea of learning with friendly videos over formal ones, Learn Chinese With Emma is definitely worth checking out. 174,000 subscribers seem to think so, anyway! Rather than focus on traditional grammar and vocabulary lessons, Emma gives you short videos on specific subjects that cover both of these things along with a little further information about Chinese culture. There are tongue-twisters, vlogs where you get to see everyday life in China with Emma and her friends, and those subject videos we mentioned; try this one on the weather, or the names of flowers in time for Valentine’s Day, for example. Learn Chinese With Emma is a very laid back channel to practice Mandarin with, so if you want something easy for your learning schedule, definitely give this one a watch!

How is your Mandarin practice going? Are you already incorporating Youtube into your studies, or have we inspired you to give some a look? We hope so! If you’d like a little help with your Mandarin studies, feel free to drop us a quick enquiry to see how our tailormade courses work.