Learn Mandarin by speaking it, tones and all
Mandarin looks impossible from the outside — thousands of characters, four tones — and surprisingly friendly from the inside: no verb conjugations, no plurals, no gendered nouns. The fastest way in is through your ears and mouth, with pinyin as a bridge, and characters coming later at your own pace.
Free to download on iPhone. Plans and prices are shown in the app before you pay anything.
What makes Mandarin Chinese worth it — and what makes it hard
More native speakers than any other language
Mandarin is the first language of more people than any other in the world, and the official language of mainland China and Taiwan, and one of the official languages of Singapore.
Grammar is simpler than you fear
Verbs never change form: "I go", "she goes" and "they went" all use 去 (qù). Time is shown with words like "yesterday" or the particle 了 (le), not with endings. Word order does most of the work.
Tones are the real challenge
The same syllable can mean different things depending on pitch — mā (mother) and mǎ (horse). Tones cannot be learned from reading; you have to hear them and have your own corrected.
A tutor you talk to, focused on what trips Mandarin Chinese learners up
In every language, your Bliss tutor explains in the language you already speak, has you say the Mandarin Chinese out loud, and corrects the sentence you just said. For Mandarin Chinese specifically:
Pinyin with tone marks on every line
Every Mandarin phrase Meilin gives you comes with its pinyin, tone marks included, so you can say it before you can read the characters.
Tone tips on the words you actually use
When your tone slips, Meilin tells you which one and how to fix it — on the phrase you just said, not in an abstract drill.
Explained in your language
Beginners hear the explanation in the language they already speak, with one short Mandarin phrase at a time to repeat. No wall of characters on day one.
Meilin is Bliss’s native Mandarin tutor: patient, precise and gentle, from Shanghai. She is the default when you pick Mandarin; the other seven tutors can teach it as well.
Mandarin Chinese phrases for your first week
Ten phrases for your first week, with pinyin. The tone marks matter — say them out loud.
- 你好 nǐ hǎo Hello Two third tones in a row: the first one rises, so it sounds like "ní hǎo".
- 谢谢 xièxie Thank you
- 多少钱？ duōshao qián? How much is it?
- 我要这个 wǒ yào zhège I want this one Point and say it — it works in any shop or market.
- 太贵了 tài guì le That’s too expensive
- 买单 mǎidān The check, please
- 我听不懂 wǒ tīng bu dǒng I don’t understand (what I hear)
- 请再说一遍 qǐng zài shuō yí biàn Please say it again
- 没关系 méi guānxi It’s fine / No problem
- 我在学中文 wǒ zài xué Zhōngwén I’m learning Chinese
Learning Mandarin Chinese with Bliss: questions, answered
Do I need to learn Chinese characters to start speaking?
No. Meilin gives every phrase in pinyin with tone marks, so you can start speaking right away. The characters are shown alongside, and you can pick them up gradually.
How long does it take to learn Mandarin?
The US Foreign Service Institute puts Mandarin in its hardest group for English speakers, at about 88 weeks of full-time study for professional proficiency. Basic spoken exchanges come much sooner, especially with daily speaking practice.
Does Bliss teach simplified or traditional characters?
Meilin is from Shanghai and writes simplified characters, the standard in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between Bliss and the Meilin app?
The Meilin app is Meilin teaching Mandarin only. Bliss includes her plus seven other tutors and nine other languages in one app.
Learning more than one language?
Bliss teaches ten languages with the same tutors. Switch language whenever you want — no second app, no restart.
Start speaking Mandarin Chinese today
Download Bliss free on the App Store, pick Mandarin Chinese, and say your first sentence to Meilin.