Start here · 第一周
How to start learning Chinese?
Week one is one spoken line you can say twice, not a nine-step course. The 2,200 class hours to an ILR 3 can wait. Open one line in the sentence bank.
Written September 28, 2026. This page does not time a student of ours.
Adults type how to start learning Chinese when the pile is already there: an app, a textbook, a video, a tutor they have not booked. The search is asking for a first week, not a miniature course.
This page names one job. Open one line in the tone sentence bank and say it twice, including the same-tone trap. That is week one for a complete beginner on this shelf. The rest of a beginner syllabus can wait.
Week one is one line
Week one, on this page, is one spoken line from the sentence bank, said twice.
That bank already holds eight lines. Each one carries a same-tone trap and a one-tone trap. The first line is 你好 / nǐ hǎo. The sentence bank labels that line as the greeting most apps ask for. Saying it twice is not the same as having learned a greeting.
The sentence-bank page is the workbench. It already tells you how to run one item. This page does not reprint those steps. It only says which job belongs to this week: one line, the as-written take, then the trap.
If a speaking exercise is already open, that is enough equipment. You do not need a new course in order to start.
What this week is not
A beginner search often wants a first week that covers sounds, a word list, characters, and a scene. That is a course outline wearing a week-one label.
An HSK 1 syllabus is that kind of outline. This page does not start one. The Start Here shelf already refuses a promise that a starting plan will carry you to a named exam level.
The current U.S. State Department language-training page lists Category IV as “88 weeks (2200 class hours)”, aimed at “an integrated score of 3 (Speaking + Listening) on the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale.” Those 2,200 class hours to an ILR speaking-and-listening 3 are not this week's stick. The hours note already names that denominator.
A second download is not this week's work either. The fastest-way note already treats a new app as a pile, not a shorter job. This page does not rank a starter app.
What a pass is actually measuring
A green check on a speaking app is not a listener hearing the right tones.
The matching page is what a Chinese tone checker is actually measuring. This page does not score you. If the as-written take and the same-tone trap both pass, you learned something about the score. That reading belongs on the checker note. Keep the sentence bank as the line you can say twice.
Characters wait without a promise
“Should I learn pinyin or characters first” is a different search from how to start learning Chinese. Writing is a real beginner wall. This week's work is speech.
This page will not write a forever rule that characters stay untouched. It will not start a character syllabus either. Characters stay on their own calendar. The hardness note already treats writing as a different job from the current State hours.
What waits until another page
A split between studying alone, a structured course, and a teacher is still unwritten. The return path after a long gap is how to start learning Chinese again. A second-week syllabus is not this page's job. Until the teacher split exists, this page will not pretend it does.
| The beginner search | What this week actually is |
|---|---|
| A nine-step course | One line from the sentence bank |
| An HSK 1 word list | Not this week's stick |
| 2,200 class hours | An ILR speaking-and-listening 3, not week one |
| Best starter app | This page does not rank apps |
| Pinyin versus characters forever | This week is speech; characters stay on their own calendar |
What this page will not tell you
It will not hand you a daily timetable. It will not promise that 你好 is already yours. It will not name a starter app. Open one line in the sentence bank.
Questions that still sit on the table
How to start learning Chinese?
Open one line in the sentence bank and say it twice.
What should I learn first in Chinese?
Learn one spoken line you can say twice, including its same-tone trap. A word list and a character list are other jobs. The 2,200 class hours to an ILR speaking-and-listening 3 are not a first-week syllabus.
Should I learn pinyin or characters first?
This week's work is speech: one line from the sentence bank, written in pinyin with tone marks. Characters are a different job, and they stay on their own calendar. This page will not write a law that you must never look at a character this week. It also will not start a character count. The hardness note already treats writing as a different job from the current State hours. Open the sentence bank if the job in front of you is a line a person can hear.
How to start learning Chinese as a complete beginner?
The beginner job on this page is the same as the title: one line from the sentence bank, said twice. You do not need a finished method pile before you open that page. You do need a way to say the line out loud. If a speaking exercise is already on the phone, use it. This page does not rank a starter.
Do I need an app in week one?
This page does not rank apps.
Sources
- U.S. Department of State, “Foreign Language Training” (read 28 September 2026). Category IV still lists “88 weeks (2200 class hours)” to an integrated speaking-and-listening 3.
Open one line in the sentence bank and say it twice, trap included. An ILR speaking-and-listening 3 is a later exam than week one.
Version 1. Recheck when the sentence bank changes its line count, when the State Department page changes the Category IV row, or every six months.