What you'll learn
Begin your journey into the Mandarin Chinese language and culture with our Mandarin Chinese courses online!
This beginner-friendly course offers a clear and supportive introduction to Mandarin Chinese — no prior experience required. From your very first class, you’ll start learning practical, everyday Mandarin, building confidence step by step.
Mandarin Chinese is often more logical than people expect. There are no verb conjugations, no plurals, and no grammatical gender, making it accessible for beginners. You’ll learn how the language works through Pinyin (the phonetic system used to represent sounds), while gradually being introduced to commonly used Chinese characters.
As a tonal language, Mandarin places strong emphasis on listening and pronunciation. With guidance from an experienced tutor, you’ll learn to recognise and use tones accurately, communicate using simple sentence structures, and understand how spoken and written Mandarin work together.
Alongside language skills, you’ll also gain insight into Chinese culture and everyday communication, helping you use the language more naturally and confidently.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this Mandarin Chinese: Beginners Level 1 course, participants will have developed practical skills and knowledge in areas such as:
- Understanding the relationship between Pinyin and Chinese characters
- Recognising and accurately pronouncing Mandarin tones
- Greeting people and introducing yourself and others
- Asking and answering simple questions about personal information
- Using basic sentence structures and negative forms
- Expressing possession and belonging
- Using common measure words in context
- Saying numbers, including phone numbers and age
- Talking about time, days, and dates
- Recognising and using basic Chinese characters and vocabulary
- Demonstrating introductory understanding of Chinese culture and communication
Course content
What will be covered in this Mandarin Chinese: Beginners Level 1 course?
During the course, participants will be guided through key concepts, techniques and approaches that typically include:
Topics
- Greetings and introductions
- Names, countries, and nationalities
- Pinyin and pronunciation
- Numbers, dates, and time
- Family and everyday vocabulary
- Introduction to Chinese culture
Language skills
- Listening and pronunciation practice, including tones
- Speaking through guided conversations
- Reading and recognising basic characters
Grammar
- Basic sentence structures
- Asking simple questions
- Forming negative sentences
- Introduction to measure words
Content may vary slightly depending on class pace, participant interests, and instructor approach.
Intended audience
Who is this Mandarin Chinese: Beginners Level 1 course for?
This course is suitable for:
- Complete beginners with no prior Mandarin experience
- Learners interested in Chinese language and culture
- Travellers or those with personal connections to Chinese-speaking regions
- Anyone curious about learning a tonal language
- Learners looking to build practical communication skills for everyday or workplace interactions
Course venue
Online via Zoom
Zoom details will be provided with your enrolment confirmation.
Requirement: A device with a stable internet connection
Course materials
What to bring to class
- Notebook and pen
- Course textbook (see below)
Textbook
Students are required to purchase one of the following textbooks (please check which is required for your class):
- Integrated Chinese Level 1, Part 1 (4th Edition)
ISBN: 9781622911356
or
- Easy Peasy Chinese: Mandarin Chinese for Beginners
ISBN: 9780241513279
We recommend purchasing your textbook once your course has been confirmed (usually within three working days of the proposed start date). The textbook is not included in the enrolment fee.
Please check to see which textbook is required for your class
We recommend purchasing your textbook after the confirmation of your course (usually within three working days of the proposed start). The enrolment fee does not include the textbook.
Certificate of completion
Achievement Recognition
Students who attend at least 80% of the course will receive a Certificate of Attendance from Sydney Community College.
This certificate recognises your commitment to learning Mandarin Chinese and can support your personal or professional development.
Additional information
Mandarin Chinese bundle
- Enrol in three Mandarin Chinese language courses and receive an automatic 15% discount
What's next?
What other Mandarin Chinese classes do we offer?
After completing this course, you can continue your learning with our Mandarin Chinese: Beginners Level 2 course, where you’ll expand your vocabulary, sentence structures, and confidence using Mandarin in everyday situations.
Enrol in both Mandarin Chinese Course: Beginners Level 1 and Beginners Level 2 and save 10% using the promo code GROUP10 at checkout. Please visit our discounts page for full details. Please visit our discounts page for full details.
Course testimonials
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Nick said: Our Tutor Fang was great, she made the learning experience very enjoyable. The course was all on zoom that’s why I rate the venue.5 I would like to continue my Mandarin lessons next year. Thanks also for the ability to get the video recording of the class I missed it made it easier to ‘catch up’ on what I had missed
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Marcus said: Dedication of tutor and the ability to illustrate how words combine to produce more than what the text book provides- very helpful. Thank you.
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sonia said: Loved the course and the ability to complete via Zoom! The tutor was excellent. Great at explaining things, very patient. Due to work commitments it was important to be able to access recordings, which I did from time to time. Have re-enrolled.
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Frankie said: I did the taster with the tutor and she was great at explaining. I missed that term so signed up for the next term. Unfortunately my work and travel for it then got in the way. If I had had some idea of The language to start with I probably could have kept up but I didn’t. I tried keeping up by ordering the recordings but didn’t get back to them. So totally my fault that I didn’t get through it, the course was still great.
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Kerrie said: Although the course was delivered via Zoom our tutor was able to engage the whole class, making lessons most interactive and interesting. I felt participants learnt a lot, particularly with explanation of cultural situations that enhanced our understanding. I would be happy to continue with Zoom lessons.
Course tutors
Fang Zhao
Great reasons to enrol in a short course with us
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Enrol online 24/7 with a safe, convenient 3-step process.
Quality instructors
Our educators bring first-hand experience and knowledge, with up-to-the-minute practices from diverse industries.
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Classes Online Courses
<p>Begin your journey into the Mandarin Chinese language and culture with our <a href="https://www.sydneycommunitycollege.edu.au/courses/learn-language/mandarin">Mandarin Chinese courses</a> online!</
...<p>Begin your journey into the Mandarin Chinese language and culture with our <a href="https://www.sydneycommunitycollege.edu.au/courses/learn-language/mandarin">Mandarin Chinese courses</a> online!</
...If there isn't a class to suit you, please join our waitlist and we will notify you when we have places available. Join waitlist for Mandarin Chinese Course: Beginners Level 1
If there isn't a class to suit you, please join our waitlist and we will notify you when we have places available. Join waitlist for Mandarin Chinese Course: Beginners Level 1
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