Little Mandarin: Learn Chinese through culture and real life

S2E5 Your Birthday in Chinese🎂 (How to Say Dates Naturally in Mandarin) —Essential Mandarin Lesson 5

🎓 Learn Mandarin with Me — 1-on-1 on Preply! 💸 Get 30% OFF your first class 🔗 ⁠https://preply.com/en/?pref=NjkzNjk1Mw==&id=1753189602.091521&ep=⁠ [https://preply.com/en/?pref=NjkzNjk1Mw==&id=1753189602.091521&ep=⁠] 📋 Check out my full profile: 🔗 ⁠https://preply.com/en/tutor/2970664 [https://preply.com/en/tutor/2970664] This episode is part of the Essential Mandarin series on Little Mandarin Season 2, designed to take you from complete beginner to real-life everyday Mandarin. In Lesson 5, we’re learning how to talk about dates and birthdays in Mandarin — and also how Chinese ways of expressing time are deeply connected to the natural world. You’ll learn how 日, 天, 星期, 月, and 年 work in Mandarin, how to say full dates naturally, and how to talk about your birthday with confidence. We’ll also explore why time words in Chinese often connect to the sun, the moon, the sky, and traditional ways of understanding the calendar — including why Chinese New Year does not always fall on the same date as January 1st. By the end of this episode, you’ll be able to say dates, talk about birthdays, and understand time expressions in Mandarin in a much deeper and more interesting way.

S2E4 Count to 99 Without Panic🔢 (Numbers in Mandarin Made Simple) —Essential Mandarin Lesson 4

🎓 Learn Mandarin with Me — 1-on-1 on Preply! 💸 Get 30% OFF your first class 🔗 ⁠https://preply.com/en/?pref=NjkzNjk1Mw==&id=1753189602.091521&ep=⁠ [https://preply.com/en/?pref=NjkzNjk1Mw==&id=1753189602.091521&ep=⁠] 📋 Check out my full profile: 🔗 ⁠https://preply.com/en/tutor/2970664 [https://preply.com/en/tutor/2970664] This episode is part of the Essential Mandarin series on Little Mandarin Season 2, designed to take you from complete beginner to real-life everyday Mandarin. In Lesson 4, we’re learning how to count from 0 to 99 in Mandarin — one of the most practical and satisfying steps for beginners. You’ll learn how Mandarin numbers are built, how to say numbers more confidently with Pinyin, and how to use them in real life for things like phone numbers and years. We’ll also look at a fun cultural topic: why Chinese people care so much about numbers, and how ideas of luck, sound, and symbolism shape the meanings of numbers like 4, 8, and 9. By the end of this episode, you’ll be able to count more confidently in Mandarin and start noticing numbers everywhere around you.

Bonus: Full Pinyin Pronunciation Practice🎧 (Initials, Finals, and Repeat with Me)

🎓 Learn Mandarin with Me — 1-on-1 on Preply! 💸 Get 30% OFF your first class 🔗 ⁠https://preply.com/en/?pref=NjkzNjk1Mw==&id=1753189602.091521&ep=⁠ [https://preply.com/en/?pref=NjkzNjk1Mw==&id=1753189602.091521&ep=⁠] 📋 Check out my full profile: 🔗 ⁠https://preply.com/en/tutor/2970664 [https://preply.com/en/tutor/2970664] This bonus gives you extra Pinyin pronunciation practice after Lesson 3. We’ll go through the full Pinyin chart together — finals, initials, and simple repeat-with-me practice — to help you hear the sounds more clearly and build a stronger pronunciation foundation. Pinyin Chart Initials (23): b, p, m, f d, t, n, l g, k, h j, q, x zh, ch, sh, r z, c, s y, w Finals (24): a, o, e, i, u, ü ai, ei, ui, ao, ou, iu ie, üe, er, an, en, in un, ün, ang, eng, ing, ong Start with the finals, then move on to the initials, and finally put them together with me in a guided pronunciation practice.

S2E3 Why One Sound Can Mean Four Different Things🎵 (An Easy Introduction to Pinyin and Tones) —Essential Mandarin Lesson 3

🎓 Learn Mandarin with Me — 1-on-1 on Preply! 💸 Get 30% OFF your first class 🔗 ⁠https://preply.com/en/?pref=NjkzNjk1Mw==&id=1753189602.091521&ep=⁠ [https://preply.com/en/?pref=NjkzNjk1Mw==&id=1753189602.091521&ep=%E2%81%A0] 📋 Check out my full profile: 🔗 ⁠https://preply.com/en/tutor/2970664 [https://preply.com/en/tutor/2970664] This episode is part of the Essential Mandarin series on Little Mandarin Season 2, designed to take you from complete beginner to real-life everyday Mandarin. In Lesson 3, we’re starting with one of the most important foundations in Mandarin: Pinyin and tones. Why can one sound mean four different things in Mandarin? In this episode, we explore how tones work, why they are part of the word itself, and how Pinyin helps you read and pronounce Mandarin more clearly. You’ll also hear a seasonal warming-up around Lìxià, the traditional Start of Summer in China, and learn why Chinese ways of marking the seasons can feel a little different from what many English speakers expect. By the end of this episode, you’ll better understand what Pinyin is, why tones matter so much, and how to start hearing Mandarin more accurately from the very beginning. 🎧 Bonus: stay to the end for extra Pinyin pronunciation practice.

S2E2 Your Name, Your Country, Your Story Starts Here🌍 (How to Introduce Yourself in Mandarin) —Essential Mandarin Lesson 2

🎓 Learn Mandarin with Me — 1-on-1 on Preply! 💸 Get 30% OFF your first class 🔗 ⁠https://preply.com/en/?pref=NjkzNjk1Mw==&id=1753189602.091521&ep=⁠ [https://preply.com/en/?pref=NjkzNjk1Mw==&id=1753189602.091521&ep=⁠] 📋 Check out my full profile: 🔗 ⁠https://preply.com/en/tutor/2970664 [https://preply.com/en/tutor/2970664] This episode is part of the Essential Mandarin series on Little Mandarin Season 2, designed to take you from complete beginner to real-life everyday Mandarin. In Lesson 2, we’re learning how to introduce yourself in Mandarin: how to say your name, where you’re from, and how to begin telling your story. You’ll learn 我叫…, 我是…, and 我是…人, and we’ll also look at a small but important cultural detail — why Chinese names usually put the family name first. By the end of this episode, you’ll be able to give a simple self-introduction in Mandarin with more confidence.