How to Start Learning Chinese: Your First 7 Days
A small, practical first-week plan using greetings, food, numbers, and short sentences.
Start small enough to repeat
This plan is a starting routine, not a promise of fluency. Aim for about 10–15 focused minutes a day. It is fine to repeat a day.
Day 1: Hear the sounds
Read the beginner tone guide. Listen to 你好、谢谢 and 再见 and repeat them. Treat pinyin as a pronunciation system, not as English spelling.
Day 2: Introduce yourself
Practice:
Example
你好，我叫安娜。
Hello, my name is Anna.
Replace Anna with your own name. A Chinese name is optional.
Day 3: Learn a few foods and drinks
Choose five items you actually like. Put them into:
Example
我想喝茶。
I would like to drink tea.
Example
我想吃面条。
I would like to eat noodles.
Day 4: Count useful quantities
Review zero to ten, then compare 二 and 两.
Example
我要两杯茶。
I would like two cups of tea.
Day 5: Ask one practical question
Example
这个多少钱？
How much is this?
Focus on the whole phrase first, then connect it with the numbers you know.
Day 6: Read, listen, then hide the text
Choose a short greeting exchange. Read it, listen again, and try responding without looking. Return to the text when you need help.
Day 7: Make a tiny conversation
Combine a greeting, your name, a request, and thanks. Ask a patient speaker for one specific correction, such as whether a particular word was clear.
Keep reviewing next week. Remembering ten useful expressions and using them is more valuable than scrolling past a hundred unfamiliar ones.