The new HSK finally has a date: December 13, 2026. What each level now requires, why two sets of word counts are in circulation, what happens to old certificates, and what to do next.
Six levels or nine? The HSK changes on December 13, 2026. Here is what each level asks of you under both formats, straight from the official papers, plus a 2-minute check of where you stand.
HSK PREPNo examiner, no conversation: in the HSKK you listen and speak into a recorder. Here is each level minute by minute, what the markers listen for, practice sentences to repeat, and what replaces it on December 13, 2026.
BEGINNER ROADMAPWhere do you start, what's in lesson one, and where should you be in six months? A complete from-zero roadmap with a month-by-month plan, honest difficulty ratings, and the mistakes that sink most beginners.
APP COMPARISONSHelloChinese, SuperChinese, Duolingo, Pleco, Du Chinese, Anki… and Myra. There's no best app for everything — there's a best app for your job. An honest comparison table, plus how to combine them.
APP COMPARISONSHelloChinese is the most polished beginner Chinese course on mobile. Myra is the only app built around a Vietnamese speaker's advantages. Here's where they actually differ — and which side you're on.
APP COMPARISONSSuperChinese has the long HSK path and AI speaking practice. Myra has the cognate bridge and per-word tone scoring. One is built for all of Asia, one for Vietnamese speakers only — here's where that shows.
APP COMPARISONSPraktika gives you lifelike AI avatar tutors to talk to. But Chinese also needs tones, characters, and a curriculum. These two apps aren't actually running the same race.
APP COMPARISONSBoth built in Vietnam, both teach Chinese — but one is a structured course from zero and the other is a listening gym built on real videos. An honest comparison, and why using both makes sense.
TONES & PRONUNCIATIONTones scare people off before they even start — but they're really just four shapes and a few rules. A plain-language guide to the four Mandarin tones, the three traps that trip up almost every beginner, and how to actually practice them.
1,200 words, 15 minutes a day. A detailed week-by-week plan, self-check milestones, and the right moment to sign up for the real exam.
再想也想不出。Why do native speakers say it so tersely while you keep rambling on? One pattern, ten minutes to learn, and you sound noticeably more natural.
Retrieval practice, spaced repetition, and dual coding: the science behind Myra's 41 games, explained in plain language.
Why slowing the audio down doesn't help, why you should listen twice before looking at the text, and how to do a "third listen with the text".
The most common words for meetings, email, and small talk at work — grouped so they stick, with the character breakdowns that make them memorable.
One app wants you to open the app every day. One app wants you to actually speak Chinese. Those two aren't always the same thing.
Enough, if those 15 minutes are structured. Not enough, if it's just 15 minutes of swiping cards. Where's the line?
Most Chinese characters combine a meaning clue and a sound clue. Once you can see the pattern, new characters stop looking like random strokes.
Beta users vote on what we write next, inside the app.