中文 · 你好
Learn Chinese online with a private tutor
Grammar far simpler than most learners expect, with tones and characters carrying nearly all the difficulty — both of which need live correction.
- Native name
- 中文
- Speakers
- 1100M
- Hours to fluency
- ~2200
- Lesson length
- 25 / 50 / 80
How long does Chinese actually take?
The US Foreign Service Institute has been timing this for decades, and the figure everyone quotes is only half of what they publish. FSI puts Chinese at 88 weeks — 2200 classroom hours for an English speaker to reach professional working proficiency. But FSI also states that a typical week is 23 hours in class and 17 hours of self-study, so the real total is closer to 3696 hours of work. The pace below divides that full total rather than the classroom half, which is why these numbers are longer than the ones you have seen elsewhere:
One lesson a week
about 28.4 years
≈2.5 hours a week including homework
Two lessons a week
about 14.2 years
≈5 hours a week including homework
Intensive — daily
about 4.7 years
≈15 hours a week including homework
Worth saying plainly: that figure is for full professional proficiency, which is a much higher bar than most learners need. Holding a real conversation in Chinese usually arrives at somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the way in.
What the Chinese levels mean
Teachers describe lessons using the Common European Framework. If you do not know your level, a teacher will place you in the first ten minutes of a trial.
- A1Beginner
Introduce yourself and handle very simple, predictable exchanges.
- A2Elementary
Cope with routine tasks — shopping, directions, simple description of your background.
- B1Intermediate
Handle most travel situations and explain opinions on familiar topics.
- B2Upper-intermediate
Hold a fluent, spontaneous conversation with a native speaker without strain on either side.
- C1Advanced
Use the language flexibly for social, academic and professional purposes.
- C2Proficient
Understand virtually everything heard or read, and express yourself with precision.
Kinds of Chinese lesson
Teachers list what they specialise in, so you can match on purpose rather than on price alone.
Chinese tutors for beginners
Teachers who work with absolute beginners every day and can run a first Chinese lesson entirely in a language you share.
Conversational Chinese tutors
Lessons that are mostly you talking. For learners who can read Chinese but freeze when someone answers back.
Business Chinese tutors
Meetings, email, negotiation and presentations — Chinese for the situations your job actually puts you in.
Chinese tutors for kids
Teachers experienced with children, who keep Chinese lessons short, build them around games, and keep a parent in the loop.
Chinese exam preparation tutors
Teachers who know the Chinese exam formats, mark to the real rubric, and work backwards from your test date.
Intensive Chinese courses
Several Chinese lessons a week with homework between them, for learners with a deadline rather than a hobby.
Native Chinese speaking tutors
Teachers who grew up speaking Chinese, for accent work, idiom and the register textbooks never cover.
Chinese grammar tutors
Focused work on the Chinese structures that keep breaking, with exercises built from your own mistakes.
Chinese exams teachers prepare for
HSK
Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi
Questions about learning Chinese
How long does it take to learn Chinese?
The US Foreign Service Institute puts Chinese at roughly 2200 hours of study to reach professional working proficiency for an English speaker. At two lessons a week plus homework — call it five hours — that is about 8.5 years. Conversational comfort arrives much earlier, usually somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the way in.
How much do Chinese lessons cost?
Each Chinese teacher decides which lesson lengths they offer and sets a price for each — you see both before booking. Many teachers also sell lesson packages at their own price, usually cheaper per lesson. If you are still choosing, you can top up your wallet instead and spend the balance with any teacher — nothing is tied to one person.
Should I learn Chinese with a native speaker?
For pronunciation, idiom and register, yes — a native ear catches things a textbook cannot. For grammar explanations early on, a teacher who learned Chinese as a second language themselves is often clearer, because they remember finding it hard. Many learners use both, and there is no rule against switching.
Can I learn Chinese from absolute zero?
Yes. Filter for teachers who work with beginners and your first lessons will be run partly in a language you already share, shifting into Chinese as you gain ground. You do not need to prepare anything beforehand.
Which Chinese exams can I prepare for?
Teachers on KoloLingo prepare learners for HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi). Exam-prep teachers mark to the real rubric and plan backwards from your test date.
Free Chinese guides
All Chinese guides →- GrammarA1
Mandarin tones: what they are, and why your ear needs a teacher for this
Mandarin's four tones plus the neutral one change word meaning entirely. What each does, how they shift when combined, and why self-study struggles.
- CostAny level
How much do Chinese lessons cost?
What platforms publish for Mandarin tutors, and why Chinese contains the single strongest argument for paying a teacher of any language on this site.
- ExamHSK 1–9
HSK levels explained: the new syllabus, counted
The HSK syllabus in force since July 2026, counted from its own lists: what each level adds, and how few characters you must write by hand.