Chapter 6 of 7 · All eight weeks
The eight-week plan
What to do each week, a 25-minute day, and what to do after a missed one.
Every Chinese word on this page is tappable. Try .
The plan takes eight weeks at about 25 minutes a day. Short sessions on most days do more than long sessions now and then.
Week by week
Each week has one focus. The chapters tell you what to learn; this tells you when. If a week runs long, take the extra time.
Week 1
Sounds
- Read how Mandarin works
- Say the four tones out loud
- Start a beginner course
Week 2
Pinyin
- Play through every sound
- Learn the everyday tone changes
- Keep the course going
Week 3
Characters and first words
- Learn twelve common parts
- Start flashcards, ten new words a day
Week 4
First sentences
- Learn 是, 的 and 吗
- Write five sentences of your own
Open one Beginner story, and tap what you don’t know.
Week 5
More patterns
- Learn 了 and measure words
- Finish the 180-word starter deck
Week 6
Into HSK 3.0 level 1
- Carry on through the HSK 3.0 level 1 deck
- Read a short story twice this week
Week 7
A reading habit
- Keep your flashcards daily
- Read a Beginner or Easy story most days
Week 8
Check-in
- Take the eight-sentence check
- Choose your reading level
Take the eight-sentence check and choose your level.
A 25-minute day
Fifteen minutes of flashcards, and ten of a beginner course or reading. Pick a time you can keep: with the morning coffee, on the commute, before bed. If 25 minutes is too much, make it 10.
One beginner course, for now
For the first weeks, a guided course gives you tone feedback and introduces characters and grammar in order. HelloChinese and SuperChinese are both good; Duolingo works if you already use it; an HSK 1 textbook works on a budget. Pick one. As short sentences start to feel easy, give more of your ten minutes to reading.
Missed days
Missed days are normal. Pick up where you left off, and don’t double the next session to make up for it. On a busy day, five minutes of review is enough.
What to expect
The first weeks are full of new ideas at once: tones, parts, patterns. Around weeks six to eight, you start to recognize common words without translating them, and you can read short sentences in one go. For some people this takes a few more weeks.
Today’s assignment · 15 min
Choose your daily time and your two tools: one flashcard app and one beginner course. Set a reminder if it helps. Then finish the first two lessons of the course.
