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Starvard University · Mandarin Chinese 101
You will speak basic, well-pronounced Mandarin for greetings, numbers, shopping, and simple conversation. We start with sounds, not characters: the four tones and pinyin come first, then phrases you can use on day one, then a small, honest set of characters. Every Chinese word in this course is given in characters with tone marked pinyin, so you always know how it sounds.
Hello, my name is Finn, and I'm going to help you understand this course.
Here it is, explained like you are 10:
Mandarin is the most spoken language in the world, and you say it with musical pitches called tones. The same sound can mean mother or horse, just by changing its tune. That sounds hard, but the system is small and friendly: four tones, a spelling system called pinyin that uses our alphabet, and grammar with no verb endings to memorize. This course teaches you sounds first, then real phrases.
Mandarin grammar is kinder than its reputation. Verbs do not change for past or future, nouns do not change for plural, and word order does most of the work: subject, verb, object, much like English. The real work is listening and tones, and that work pays off fast, because a few dozen well pronounced phrases cover greetings, introductions, numbers, shopping, food, and directions.
This course gives you a real start, not fluency, and it says so proudly. Fluency takes years of listening and speaking. A real start takes weeks: correct tones on core words, polite phrases that open doors, and the confidence to keep going. Characters arrive late in the course, in a small taught set, because speaking first is how you will actually use the language when you travel, shop, and make friends.
The whole course in brief
What you will be able to do after this course
This course gives you a real start, not fluency.
The eleven lessons
Lesson 1
Mandarin Chinese is the native language of more people than any other language on earth, and it is the standard spoken language of China and Taiwan. If you want one Chinese language to learn first, this is the one. People will tell you it is the hardest language in the world. The honest truth is more useful: some parts are genuinely hard, and some parts are surprisingly easy, and knowing which is which will save you a lot of fear.
The hard parts are real. Mandarin is a tonal language, so pitch changes meaning, and lesson 2 will make you practice that from the start. The writing system uses characters instead of an alphabet, and there are thousands of them. Sounds like the pinyin letters q, x, and zh do not exist in English and need training. None of this is hidden from you in this course, because pretending otherwise would set you up to quit.
The easy parts are just as real. Mandarin verbs never change form: there is no conjugation, no past tense ending, no agreement to memorize. Nouns do not change for plural, and there are no articles like a or the to worry about. Basic word order is subject, verb, object, the same shape as English. Most learners can greet, introduce themselves, count, shop, and order food within weeks. That is the goal here: a real, honest start that you can build on for years.
Lesson 2
Every Mandarin syllable carries a tone, a pitch pattern that is part of the word itself. Change the tone and you change the word. The classic example is the syllable ma. With a high flat tone, mā means mother. With a rising tone, má means hemp. With a dipping tone, mǎ means horse. With a sharp falling tone, mà means to scold. A fifth, light neutral tone, written with no mark, makes ma a question particle. Same letters, five different words.
The first tone is high and level, like singing one steady note: mā. The second tone rises, like the end of an English question when you say really: má. The third tone dips down and then rises a little, a low scooping sound: mǎ. The fourth tone falls sharply from high to low, like a firm command: mà. In pinyin the marks are a macron over the vowel for the first tone, an acute accent for the second, a caron for the third, and a grave accent for the fourth.
Practice tones in pairs and in real words from the very beginning, never as an afterthought. Say mā, má, mǎ, mà slowly, record yourself, and compare. Listen for tones when native speakers talk, even when you cannot understand the words yet. Your ear learns faster than you think. Most beginner mistakes are tone mistakes, so ten honest minutes of tone practice a day will do more for your Mandarin than an hour of memorizing vocabulary with no sound.
Lesson 3
Pinyin is the official system for writing Mandarin sounds with the Roman alphabet. It was created so learners, children, and computers could handle the language before mastering characters. Every syllable in this course is written in pinyin with its tone mark, and if you can read pinyin accurately, you can pronounce any new word you meet in a dictionary or textbook. Pinyin is a tool for sound, not a replacement for characters, and it is a very good tool.
A pinyin syllable has an initial, the opening consonant sound, and a final, the vowel part that follows and carries the tone mark. Some letters match English, but several do not. The letter c sounds like the ts in hats, z like the ds in fads, and zh like the j in Joe with the tongue curled back. The letters q and x are softer: q is close to the ch in cheat said with a smile, and x is close to the sh in sheet, also with a smile. The letter r sits between an English r and the soft French j.
The tone mark always sits on a vowel in the final, never on the initial. If a syllable has an a or an e, that vowel usually takes the mark, as in hǎo and xiè. Otherwise the mark goes on the last main vowel, as in shuǐ and liù. Learn the tricky spellings early, practise reading lists of syllables aloud, and pinyin will quickly stop looking like a code and start sounding like a language.
Lesson 4
Now you can start speaking. The most useful greeting is 你好, nǐhǎo, which means hello. It is made of 你, nǐ, you, and 好, hǎo, good: you good. To greet a group you say 你们好, nǐmen hǎo, hello everyone. In the morning people say 早上好, zǎoshang hǎo, good morning. Thank you is 谢谢, xièxie, with the second syllable light. Goodbye is 再见, zàijiàn, which literally means see you again. Sorry or excuse me is 对不起, duìbuqǐ.
To introduce yourself, say 我叫, wǒ jiào, followed by your name: wǒ jiào means I am called. You can also say 我是, wǒ shì, I am, for a role or nationality, for example 我是学生, wǒ shì xuésheng, I am a student. To ask a name politely, say 你叫什么名字, nǐ jiào shénme míngzi, what is your name. A warm reply to meeting someone is 很高兴认识你, hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ, nice to meet you, though you can keep it shorter while you are learning.
Ask how someone is with 你好吗, nǐ hǎo ma, how are you. A natural answer is 我很好, wǒ hěn hǎo, I am very well, or 还好, háihǎo, pretty good. Notice that 很, hěn, very, often sits before adjectives even when you only mean the plain quality, so wǒ hěn hǎo is the normal way to say I am well. Practise these phrases out loud until they feel automatic, because greetings are where every conversation, and every friendship, begins.
Lesson 5
Mandarin numbers are beautifully regular. Learn the digits first: 一 yī one, 二 èr two, 三 sān three, 四 sì four, 五 wǔ five, 六 liù six, 七 qī seven, 八 bā eight, 九 jiǔ nine, and 十 shí ten. After ten the system builds itself: eleven is 十一, shíyī, ten one; twenty is 二十, èrshí, two ten; twenty three is 二十三, èrshí sān. One hundred is 一百, yìbǎi. Once you see the pattern, you can say any number you are likely to need.
Money uses the same numbers. The everyday word for money is 钱, qián, and prices are usually counted in 块, kuài, the spoken word for yuan, or in 元, yuán, in writing. To ask the price of anything, point and say 这个多少钱, zhège duōshao qián, how much is this. The answer will come back in the same pattern: a number, then kuài. Practise hearing prices slowly, because numbers in shops arrive fast, and asking someone to repeat is always allowed.
Time also follows a clean pattern. 点, diǎn, means o clock, so 三点, sān diǎn, is three o clock. Half past is 三点半, sān diǎn bàn, with 半, bàn, meaning half. Days are 星期, xīngqī, plus a number for the weekday: 星期一, xīngqīyī, is Monday, and 星期天, xīngqītiān, is Sunday. Now is 现在, xiànzài, today is 今天, jīntiān, tomorrow is 明天, míngtiān, and yesterday is 昨天, zuótiān. With numbers, money, and time working, daily life in Mandarin suddenly feels manageable.
Lesson 6
Mandarin sentences are built from a few sturdy patterns, and this lesson gives you the main ones. The basic order is subject, verb, object, just like English. 我爱你, wǒ ài nǐ, means I love you: wǒ is I, ài is love, nǐ is you. 我喝茶, wǒ hē chá, means I drink tea. The verb never changes, whatever the subject and whatever the time. If you know the words, you already know the sentence.
To say when something happens, Mandarin puts the time before the verb. 我今天去商店, wǒ jīntiān qù shāngdiàn, means I go to the shop today, with jīntiān, today, sitting between the subject and the verb qù, go. Place words usually come before the verb too, often with 在, zài, at or in: 我在家吃饭, wǒ zài jiā chī fàn, I eat at home. The pattern to remember is subject, time, place, verb, object. It feels strange for a week and then completely natural.
To make a sentence negative, put 不, bù, before the verb: 我不是学生, wǒ bú shì xuésheng, I am not a student. Notice that bù changes its tone to bú before another fourth tone word like shì; this tone change is normal and you will absorb it by listening. For past events, Mandarin often adds 了, le, after the verb or at the end to show something is completed: 我吃了, wǒ chī le, I ate. Start simple, and add these pieces one at a time.
Lesson 7
Questions in Mandarin are simple to build, which is good news, because you will ask hundreds of them. The easiest pattern adds the particle 吗, ma, to the end of a statement to make a yes or no question. 你是学生, nǐ shì xuésheng, you are a student, becomes 你是学生吗, nǐ shì xuésheng ma, are you a student. Answer by repeating the verb: shì means yes here, bú shì means no. Mandarin has no single word for yes that fits every question, so echoing the verb is the natural habit.
A second pattern puts both choices in the sentence: verb, 不, verb. 你去不去, nǐ qù bú qù, are you going or not. This pattern is common in speech and needs no 吗 at the end. Use one pattern or the other, not both in the same sentence. With a little practice, choosing between them becomes automatic, and native speakers will understand either one perfectly well.
For open questions, Mandarin uses question words that stay in the place of the answer, instead of moving to the front as in English. 什么, shénme, what, stays after the verb: 你吃什么, nǐ chī shénme, what are you eating. 谁, shéi, means who, 哪儿, nǎr, means where in northern speech, with 哪里, nǎlǐ, used more widely, and 为什么, wèi shénme, means why. 怎么样, zěnmeyàng, asks how something is. Because the question word stays in place, you can build questions from statements you already know, just by swapping one word.
Lesson 8
Food is where your Mandarin will get its warmest welcome. The word for rice, and by extension a meal, is 饭, fàn, and cooked rice is 米饭, mǐfàn. Tea is 茶, chá, water is 水, shuǐ, and noodles are 面条, miàntiáo. To say you want something, use 我要, wǒ yào, I want, followed by the item: 我要一杯茶, wǒ yào yì bēi chá, I want a cup of tea. The word 杯, bēi, is the counting word for cups and drinks.
Restaurants run on a few kind phrases. 请给我, qǐng gěi wǒ, please give me, is politer than wǒ yào and always safe. The menu is 菜单, càidān. To call the server, people say 服务员, fúwùyuán, waiter or server. When the food arrives and it is good, say 好吃, hǎochī, delicious; for drinks the matching word is 好喝, hǎohē. These two small compliments will earn you big smiles, so learn them well and use them honestly.
Useful extras cover most situations. 不要, bú yào, means I do not want, handy for saying no chili, 不要辣, bú yào là, with 辣, là, meaning spicy hot. 热, rè, is hot in temperature and 冷, lěng, is cold. When you finish, ask for the bill with 买单, mǎidān, may I pay please. Practise a full order out loud before you travel: greeting, one dish, one drink, a compliment, and the bill. That tiny script is real Mandarin, used by real people, every single day.
Lesson 9
Getting around is mostly a matter of asking where, then understanding left, right, and straight. The polite opener is 请问, qǐngwèn, excuse me, may I ask. Follow it with a place and 在哪里, zài nǎlǐ, is where: 请问,车站在哪里, qǐngwèn, chēzhàn zài nǎlǐ, excuse me, where is the station. 车站, chēzhàn, is a station, 机场, jīchǎng, is airport, 酒店, jiǔdiàn, is hotel, and 银行, yínháng, is bank. Near is 近, jìn, and far is 远, yuǎn, so you can ask 远吗, yuǎn ma, is it far.
Answers use a small set of direction words. 左, zuǒ, is left and 右, yòu, is right, so 左转, zuǒ zhuǎn, means turn left and 右转, yòu zhuǎn, turn right. 一直走, yìzhí zǒu, means go straight ahead. 前面, qiánmiàn, is in front, 后面, hòumiàn, is behind, and 旁边, pángbiān, is beside. 里边, lǐbiān, is inside. If an answer comes too fast, say 请慢一点, qǐng màn yìdiǎn, please speak a little slower. People are usually delighted to help a learner who tries.
For transport, 出租车, chūzūchē, is a taxi, 公共汽车, gōnggòng qìchē, is a bus, and 地铁, dìtiě, is the subway. To tell a driver where to go, say 我去, wǒ qù, I am going to, plus the place. Keep your hotel name and address written in characters on your phone to show drivers; that backup is standard practice even for advanced speakers, and it turns a hard listening test into an easy ride.
Lesson 10
Characters are pictures that became words, and you do not need thousands of them to start. This lesson teaches a small set properly, and shows you a wider set to recognize. The taught set is: 人 rén person, 大 dà big, 小 xiǎo small, 山 shān mountain, 水 shuǐ water, 日 rì sun and day, 月 yuè moon and month, 口 kǒu mouth, 手 shǒu hand, 心 xīn heart, 天 tiān sky and day, 中 zhōng middle, 国 guó country, 我 wǒ I and me, 你 nǐ you, and 好 hǎo good. Sixteen characters, each one common, each one worth learning well.
Stroke order follows general rules you can state in words. Write top before bottom, left before right, and horizontal strokes before vertical strokes. Write the outside of a box before the inside, and close a box last. In 人, the left falling stroke comes before the right falling stroke. In 大, the horizontal stroke comes first, then the vertical, with the two falling strokes built around it. In 小, the middle vertical hook comes first, then the left dot, then the right dot. In 口, you write the left vertical, then the top and right as one turning stroke, then the bottom line closes the box last. Practise slowly, in the right order, and the characters will feel balanced instead of scrambled.
Beyond the taught set, aim to recognize about fifty characters in total by sight. Add the numbers 一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九 十, the words 中国 Zhōngguó China, 中文 Zhōngwén Chinese language, 男 nán man, 女 nǚ woman, 门 mén door, 车 chē vehicle, 马 mǎ horse, 鱼 yú fish, 鸟 niǎo bird, 木 mù wood, 林 lín forest, 火 huǒ fire, 土 tǔ earth, 王 wáng king, 目 mù eye, 米 mǐ rice, 茶 chá tea, and 书 shū book. Recognition is enough at this stage: see the character, know the meaning and the sound. Writing fluency grows later, character by character.
Lesson 11
Time to put it all together. Read this short conversation aloud, slowly, with tones. A greets B in a shop in the morning. A says: 早上好, zǎoshang hǎo, good morning. B answers: 早上好, nǐ hǎo, good morning, hello. A introduces herself: 我叫 Anna, wǒ jiào Anna, 我是学生, wǒ shì xuésheng, my name is Anna, I am a student. B asks: 你是中国人吗, nǐ shì Zhōngguó rén ma, are you Chinese. A answers: 不是, bú shì, 我是美国人, wǒ shì Měiguó rén, no, I am American.
The conversation moves to shopping. A asks: 这个多少钱, zhège duōshao qián, how much is this. B answers with a price, for example 二十块, èrshí kuài, twenty yuan. A says: 我要这个, wǒ yào zhège, I will take this one, and 谢谢, xièxie, thank you. Notice how much of this course appears in a few lines: greetings, names, the ma question pattern, a bú shì answer, numbers, money, and the wǒ yào pattern. Nothing here is decorative. It is the course, working.
Finish with a friendly close. A asks one more question: 请问,车站在哪里, qǐngwèn, chēzhàn zài nǎlǐ, excuse me, where is the station. B answers: 在前面,不远, zài qiánmiàn, bù yuǎn, it is ahead, not far. A says: 谢谢,再见, xièxie, zàijiàn, thanks, goodbye. B replies: 再见, zàijiàn. Practise this dialogue with a partner or a recording until you can play both parts without reading. Then change the name, the item, the price, and the place, and make it your own. That is how a first conversation becomes a habit, and a habit becomes a language.
Sources
This course is original beginner material written for Starvard, checked against standard references for the pinyin system, the four tones and their marks, and core vocabulary and sentence patterns. The tone and pinyin facts were sanity checked against established pinyin references, including the FSI style tone descriptions preserved in public course materials.
Graduation
You judged the difficulty honestly, learned the four tones and how to read pinyin, and built greetings, introductions, numbers, money, and time. You practised the core sentence patterns and question forms, ordered food, asked for directions, met your first characters with their stroke order, and held a short conversation from greeting to goodbye.
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