Travel to China
A practical guide to ordering food in Mandarin: key menu words for cooking methods and flavours, useful phrases from getting a table to paying the bill, popular breakfast and regional dishes, and how to compliment the chef.
Chinese Culture
The Spring Festival (春节, Chinese New Year) follows the lunar calendar, so its date changes each year. This guide covers the zodiac, New Year greetings, traditional food and customs such as cleaning, shopping, family reunions, the CCTV Gala, firecrackers and red envelopes.
Chinese Vocabulary
A guide to saying goodbye in Mandarin, from casual 拜拜, 再见 and 明天见 to formal farewells such as 告辞, 后会有期, 一路顺风 and 慢走, with pinyin, meanings and notes on when each expression fits.
Chinese Characters
A step-by-step guide to typing Chinese: how pinyin, five-stroke and handwriting input methods work, how to install a Chinese keyboard on your computer or phone, how to type ü, select the right characters and enter whole words and phrases.
Learn Chinese
A comprehensive roadmap for learning Mandarin from a long-time learner: why many people give up, how to set goals and beat procrastination, classes vs self-study, and a phase-by-phase plan covering tones, characters, listening, speaking and reading.
Inside ChineseSkill
A first-person interview with Yan Jiayu (Sherry Yan), the Mandarin voice heard in ChineseSkill lessons at the time of publication. She talks about her MA in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages, how she prepares recordings and working with the team.
![HSK 3 Vocabulary List [PDF]](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/3a/ce3ad4cc-87ad-4eb1-9430-650fbd60a7a3/content/images/size/w600/chineseskill-migration/be/be1c8857d4195fb3-3.png)
HSK
This article presents the 300-word HSK 3 vocabulary list used when it was published, with characters, pinyin and English meanings. HSK 3 builds on HSK 1 and 2 words; check the current official syllabus before your exam.
HSK
This article presents the HSK 2 vocabulary list used at publication: 150 new words combined with the 150 HSK 1 words, each with characters, pinyin and English meaning. Check current official HSK materials before using it for exam preparation.
HSK
This article presents the 150-word HSK 1 vocabulary list used when it was published, with characters, pinyin and English meanings. Study each word with pronunciation and an example, and confirm the current official HSK syllabus before your exam.