Everyday Mandarin Chinese
Speak conversational Mandarin and decode essential written characters with confidence. Master the four tones, construct clear sentences without grammar traps, and navigate real-world signs and menus.
Like Duolingo, but for Everyday Mandarin Chinese. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
21 levels across 3 sections, about 42 minutes end to end, roughly 8 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Sounds, Tones, and First Words; Building Everyday Sentences; and Reading the Written Word. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Everyday Mandarin Chinese
- In Mandarin, changing pitch contour completely changes the word's definition
- The four tones represent distinct pitch shapes: flat high, rising, low dip, and sharp drop
- The syllable 'ma' yields entirely unrelated words depending solely on the tone applied
- Pinyin uses the Roman alphabet as a pronunciation guide, not direct English phonetic equivalents
- Letters like 'c', 'q', and 'x' represent sounds unique to Mandarin (e.g., 'c' sounds like 'ts' in 'cats')
- Reading Pinyin like English phonetics leads to unintelligible pronunciation
- The neutral tone has no fixed pitch mark and is pronounced light and brief
- Neutral tones prevent speech from sounding robotic by providing rhythmic pacing
- Common words like the second syllable of 'bàba' or grammatical particles use the neutral tone
- 'Xièxie' consists of a sharp falling 4th tone followed by a light neutral tone
- Practicing standard greetings builds muscle memory for sharp drop and release pitch habits
- Tone contours in core phrases must feel fluid rather than haltingly exaggerated
- Pronouncing two consecutive dipping 3rd tones is physically awkward to maintain at conversational speed
- The first third tone automatically shifts into a rising second tone ('ní hǎo') when spoken
- Pinyin spelling usually remains written with the original tones even when spoken tone shifts
- Chinese 'j', 'q', and 'x' spread the tongue flat against the hard roof of the mouth
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Everyday Mandarin Chinese the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
What kind of pitch shapes make up the four tones in Mandarin?
Get it right to open this lesson and 20 more in the app.
Where Everyday Mandarin Chinese takes you
- 1
Sounds, Tones, and First Words
- First Exchanges and Navigating Tones
- Conquering Tricky Sounds and Pronunciation
- 2
Building Everyday Sentences
- Sentence Structure Without Conjugations
- Asking Questions and Directing Dialogue
- Numbers, Transactions, and Practical Needs
- 3
Reading the Written Word
- Decoding Characters Through Strokes and Radicals
- Reading Signs, Menus, and Public Notices
3 sections · 7 units · 21 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
Everyday Mandarin Chinese is taught in the Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Everyday Mandarin Chinese today.
Download Tomo, search Everyday Mandarin Chinese, and play your first lesson in under a minute.