Guided Learning Paths

This site has hundreds of free tools and no obvious order to use them in. A path fixes that: a numbered sequence of pages that already exist, each with one line on why it comes now, and a tick box so you can see how far you have got. No sign-up.

100% Free

Not sure where you are?

Five honest questions, about a minute. You get a recommended path and a starting HSK/CEFR level. Nothing is submitted or stored.

Take the placement quiz

Choose a path

Absolute beginner → HSK 1 31 steps

Chinese from Zero

You have never studied Chinese. Start here and do these thirty things in this order.

10–12 weeks at 20–30 min/day
steps done
Start this path
Some pinyin already → HSK 1 pass 23 steps

Pass HSK 1

You can read pinyin and know a few words. This is what is left between you and the certificate.

6–8 weeks at 30 min/day
steps done
Start this path
HSK 1 → HSK 2 pass 22 steps

Pass HSK 2

You have HSK 1. This is exactly what HSK 2 adds — and nothing that it doesn't.

8–10 weeks at 30 min/day
steps done
Start this path
Any level — reading and handwriting 23 steps

Characters from Zero

Characters are not thousands of unrelated pictures. They are a few hundred parts, recombined.

8 weeks at 20 min/day
steps done
Start this path

How the paths work

A path is not a course and it does not contain any content of its own. It is a curated order for pages that already exist on this site — the pinyin chart, the tone trainer, the HSK word lists, the grammar library, the stories, the games. What a beginner is usually missing is not material; it is a defensible answer to "what should I do next?"

Every step links to one free page and says in one line why it belongs at that point. Tick it off when you have done it. The progress bar and the completion badge fill in as you go.

Progress is saved in your browser only. There is no account, no cookie and no server record — the same approach as the study streak and the dark-mode setting. If you use a different device or clear your browser data, the ticks start again. Everything on this site works without an account, and that is deliberate.

Learning Chinese — frequently asked questions

Where should I start when learning Chinese?

With the sounds, not the characters. Two weeks on pinyin and tones makes everything afterwards easier, and skipping it produces pronunciation habits that take years to unlearn. The Chinese from Zero path starts exactly there.

How long does it take to learn Chinese?

HSK 1 takes most learners 40–60 hours — about two to three months at 30 minutes a day. HSK 4, the level most universities and employers ask for, is commonly cited as 300–600 hours. See how long it takes to learn Chinese for the full picture.

Do I need an account to use these paths?

No. This site has no accounts at all. Your ticked steps are stored in your own browser's local storage and are never sent anywhere.

Should I learn characters or speaking first?

Both, but not equally at first. Spend the first month mostly on sound and vocabulary, then add characters steadily rather than in a block. If characters are already your bottleneck, take the Characters from Zero path instead.