Step 0
Pinyin — Sounds & Tones
The starting point for every learner: read any syllable out loud and hear the four tones correctly. No characters needed.
Open the Pinyin guideLearn Chinese: A Step-by-Step Path
Five stations from your very first sound to reading real Chinese: pinyin first, then HSK 1-3, HSK 4-6 and HSK 7-9, and finally the living dictionary of characters, words and idioms. Follow them in order — or use the self-check below to find your starting point.
Step 1
Beginner HSK 1-3
After this stage you can read pinyin out loud, greet people, introduce yourself and handle everyday exchanges.
Step 2
Intermediate HSK 4-6
After this stage you can discuss familiar topics, describe experiences and read short messages and notices.
Step 3
Advanced HSK 7-9
After this stage you can read news and literature, discuss professional topics and express opinions precisely.
Step 4
Beyond HSK — the Living Language
Word lists are the map, not the journey. Read real characters, words and idioms in the full dictionary — every page has stroke order, radicals, audio and example sentences.
14,810 characters338,056 words30,895 idioms
Where am I?
Three honest answers place you on the path. When in doubt, start one step earlier — review is cheap, gaps are expensive.
1. Can you look at a syllable like zhuāng and read it out loud?
2. Can you understand an everyday sentence like 我喝茶 (wǒ hē chá — "I drink tea")?
3. Can you read a short news paragraph without a dictionary?
How to use Zidian
Every stage of the path runs on the same free tools.
Dictionary
Look up any character, word or chengyu — stroke order, radicals, pinyin and English meanings. Browse the dictionary
Audio everywhere
Every pinyin card and dictionary entry has Listen buttons — normal and slow speed — in a native voice, so you never have to guess a sound.
Practice sheets
Print 田字格 worksheets for any character with stroke order — the fastest way to learn writing. Open the sheet maker
HSK badges
Dictionary pages show where each word sits in the HSK levels, so you always know whether it is worth learning now. See the lists
Why this order? Pinyin makes every later word pronounceable; the HSK lists turn "studying Chinese" into measurable milestones; the dictionary then turns lists back into real reading. Most learners need a few weeks on pinyin, then roughly three months per HSK band — but there is no deadline: move on when a stage feels easy.
Ready for the first step? Start with Pinyin → Already know pinyin? Open HSK 1 →