4 stages of a general Chinese course
A general Chinese course teaches everyday Mandarin, the standard Chinese of mainland China and Taiwan, without a fixed exam or job goal. Most syllabuses follow the levels of the HSK, China's official proficiency test. Under the new HSK 3.0, which launches worldwide on 13 December 2026, levels 1 to 3 form the elementary band, levels 4 to 6 the intermediate band and levels 7 to 9 the advanced band. General courses usually cover the first two bands.
| Course stage | Main content | HSK orientation |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Pinyin, the four tones, first characters | before HSK 1 |
| Elementary | short dialogues, basic grammar, simple texts | HSK 1 to 3 |
| Intermediate | longer conversations, texts without Pinyin | HSK 4 to 6 |
| Advanced | news, specialist texts, formal writing | HSK 7 to 9 |
Pinyin is the official romanisation of Mandarin with tone marks.
How the HSK levels relate to the CEFR, the European scale with six levels from A1 to C2, is disputed among teachers. Taiwan's test committee SC-TOP links the six levels of its own exam, the TOCFL, to A1 to C2 and states how many course hours each level takes.
The figures count hours of Chinese courses. Learners in a Chinese-speaking country need about half as many hours, probably because they use Chinese every day outside class.
3 hurdles that general Chinese courses must solve
Three features of Mandarin decide how a general course has to work. Grammar is not among them, because Chinese verbs have no endings.
1 Tones
Mandarin is a tone language, so the pitch of a syllable changes its meaning. A general course trains tones from the first lesson with listening drills and recordings of your own voice. A conversation course corrects them in free speech, where many learners slip back into the melody of their first language.
2 Characters
Chinese has no alphabet, and each character stands for one syllable. Some courses practise handwriting, others focus on recognising characters and typing them through Pinyin input. Reading and typing matter most in daily life, and handwriting helps you remember the shapes.
3 Listening at natural speed
Many Chinese syllables sound alike, and tones blur when people speak fast. Good courses add dialogues at natural speed from the intermediate stage on.
A course that teaches Pinyin only and postpones characters feels faster at first, and your reading falls behind. Ask how many new characters each unit introduces before you book.
General course or conversation course for Mandarin
A general course follows a syllabus with grammar, vocabulary, characters, listening, reading, writing and speaking. A conversation course concentrates on free speaking and usually expects that you already handle simple everyday dialogues. For Mandarin the timing matters more than for most European languages, because without a base of tones and measure words you understand too little to talk freely.
Measure words are short words between a number and a noun. You say san ben shu for three books, and Mandarin has dozens of them.
- ✓A conversation course gives you more speaking time and trains tones in real dialogues.
- ✓Topics follow your interests, such as travel, food or family.
- ✓A native-speaker teacher corrects your pronunciation on the spot.
- ✗Many conversation courses work with Pinyin only, so your reading falls behind.
- ✗Without a syllabus, you pick up measure words and particles by chance.
Many learners therefore start with a general course and add one conversation lesson a week once they can order food, ask for directions and talk about their family.
4 course formats for general Chinese online
Online formats differ mainly in who corrects your tones and how much you speak.
| Format | What it does for Mandarin | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| One-to-one video lesson | teacher corrects tones live | higher price per hour |
| Small group of 4 to 8 | fixed rhythm, syllabus by HSK level | little speaking time |
| App with spaced repetition | daily review of characters and words | almost no free speech |
| AI tutor | speaking practice without appointments | tone scores not always reliable |
Spaced repetition means that the app shows you a character again just before you are likely to forget it. An AI tutor is a program that talks with you and scores your pronunciation with speech recognition.
Beijing time is UTC+8 all year. Learners in Europe reach teachers in China most easily in the morning, and learners in the Americas in the evening.
One or two live lessons a week for tones and speaking, plus an app for characters on the other days, cover the three hurdles of Mandarin at a moderate price.
Chinese courses for children and heritage learners
Children learn Chinese online in shorter lessons than adults, with songs, pictures and games for tones and first characters.
For school students there is a separate exam. Chinese Testing International (CTI), the organiser of the HSK, runs the YCT (Youth Chinese Test). According to CTI, the YCT assesses how primary and secondary school students use Chinese as a second language. The written test has four levels, the speaking test has two levels, elementary and intermediate, and the two tests are independent of each other.
Heritage learners grow up with Chinese at home. Many of them understand and speak a Chinese language but read few characters. A beginner course bores them in speaking and overwhelms them in reading. Heritage classes or one-to-one lessons with a focus on characters and written Chinese suit them better.
Check which Chinese the family speaks. Spoken Cantonese from Hong Kong differs so much from Mandarin that speakers rarely understand each other. Families from Taiwan or Hong Kong also write traditional characters, while mainland China uses simplified characters.
About 130 course hours in a first year with 3 lessons a week
With three hours of class a week you collect about 130 classroom hours a year. SC-TOP, the committee behind Taiwan's TOCFL exam, estimates 240 to 480 course hours for level A1 outside Chinese-speaking countries, so that pace takes two to four years to A1. Daily self-study and intensive phases shorten this time.
A typical week combines live lessons with short daily practice.
| Activity | Format | Time per week |
|---|---|---|
| Tones and speaking | live lesson, one-to-one or small group | 2 to 3 x 60 minutes |
| Characters and words | app with spaced repetition | 5 x 15 minutes |
| Listening | podcasts or textbook dialogues | 3 x 20 minutes |
| Typing or writing | Pinyin input or workbook | 2 x 15 minutes |
Before you book, decide whether you learn simplified or traditional characters and which goal you want to reach in the next two years, such as HSK 3 or a level of the TOCFL. Both decisions shape the textbook, the word list and the teacher you need.
Frequently asked questions about general online Chinese courses
How many course hours does a general online Chinese course need to reach B1?
A general online Chinese course needs about 720 to 960 course hours to reach CEFR level B1 outside Chinese-speaking countries, according to SC-TOP, the committee behind Taiwan's TOCFL exam. For learners in a Chinese-speaking country, SC-TOP estimates 360 to 480 hours. B1 is the third of six levels on the European scale from A1 to C2.
Should a general Chinese course start with Pinyin or with characters?
A general Chinese course should start with Pinyin and the tones and add characters within the first weeks. Pinyin is the official romanisation of Mandarin and shows the tone of every syllable. Learners who read only Pinyin for months later struggle with menus and emails.
Is a Mandarin conversation course suitable for complete beginners?
A Mandarin conversation course suits complete beginners only in part, because free speaking needs a base of tones, measure words and core vocabulary. Most learners start with a general Chinese course and add conversation lessons once they handle simple everyday dialogues.
Which Chinese exam is designed for children and teenagers?
The YCT (Youth Chinese Test) is the Chinese exam designed for primary and secondary school students. Chinese Testing International, which also runs the HSK, offers a written YCT with four levels and a separate speaking test with two levels.
Do general online Chinese courses teach simplified or traditional characters?
Most general online Chinese courses teach simplified characters, which mainland China, Singapore and Malaysia use. Courses with traditional characters suit learners heading for Taiwan or Hong Kong. Ask before you book, because switching scripts later takes extra practice.
How many hours per week should I plan for a general online Chinese course?
For a general online Chinese course, plan two to three live lessons a week plus daily review of characters. With three hours of class a week you collect about 130 classroom hours a year, and SC-TOP estimates 240 to 480 course hours for level A1 outside Chinese-speaking countries.
Sources
The information is based on these sources. Check fees and dates with the provider before you register.