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YouTube channels to learn Chinese, by level

Our channels

Both of our channels are in Spanish. We put them first because we make them, but if you don't speak Spanish, the English channels further down will be more useful for lessons. Our stories and songs still work as listening practice, because they come with English subtitles.

Manu Shi: how to study, pronunciation and vocabulary

Manu Shi is Maca's son. His channel, @manushi1, has 93,600 subscribers and 54 long videos (October 20, 2026). He speaks Spanish, and many videos also have an English title. He gives study tips, teaches pronunciation and vocabulary and shows what China is like today: his most-watched video, about the university entrance exam, has more than 1.8 million views. If you speak some Spanish, these four are a good start (the English titles are our translations):

1. «Si Tuviera que Empezar Chino desde Cero... ¿Cómo lo haría?» (“If I Had to Start Chinese from Scratch... How Would I Do It?”): if you're on day one, a plan for where to begin (more than 275,000 views).
2. «Te enseño a Pronunciar Correctamente "Z C S J Q X"» (“I'll Teach You to Pronounce 'Z C S J Q X' Correctly”): six pinyin consonants that are easy to mix up. Pair it with our guide to the hard sounds of pinyin.
3. «El Último Video de TONOS Chinos que Necesitarás Ver» (“The Last Chinese Tones Video You'll Ever Need to Watch”): the tones, explained in Spanish (more than 100,000 views). For the English version, see the 4 Mandarin tones explained.
4. «Top 100 Palabras Chinas más Usadas para Aprender y Cómo Estudiarlas» (“Top 100 Most Used Chinese Words to Learn and How to Study Them”): a base of vocabulary and a way to study it.

MacaLaoshi Chinese: stories and songs

Maca's channel, @macalaoshichinese4233 (8,320 subscribers), has short original stories with our own illustrations and subtitles in Spanish and English. Lili and her brother Mike star in them:

• “Un Gatito” (A Kitten; 一只小猫 yī zhī xiǎo māo) and “¿Qué le pasó a Mike?” (What Happened to Mike?): for HSK 1 and 2.
• “¿Quién se Robó mi Tofu?” (Who Stole My Tofu?): Detective Lili looks for a missing piece of tofu.
• “¿Cuán lejos está?” (How Far Is It?; 离多远 lí duō yuǎn): for HSK 2 and 3.

The app's songs are there too, “The Lighthouse of My Heart” (我心里灯塔 wǒ xīnli dēngtǎ) and “Study With You” (跟你一起学 gēn nǐ yīqǐ xué), which you can play at the end of this guide.

And to practice what you watch: our app

Videos train your ear, but words stick when you practice them. That's why we made Macalaoshi: you collect words and characters from HSK 1 to HSK 4, with pinyin and audio, level them up and face the bosses to save this world from the Empress with the power of Chinese characters. It's not a kids' game: it's a challenge that pushes you to make progress. Manu shows you how it works in the app tutorial.

Other useful channels

All of them posted videos in 2025 or 2026 (we checked on October 20, 2026). The level is approximate: one channel often has videos at several levels.

Explained in English

Only in Chinese

How to study with videos

• Subtitles in three stages. First in your own language, to understand; then in Chinese, to connect the sound with the characters; finally, with none. We explain it in how to learn Chinese with TV shows.
• Pause and repeat. Stop the video after a short sentence and say it out loud, copying the rhythm and the tones.
• Note down a few words. Three to five per video, with their pinyin, and review them the next day.

Music works the same way: see songs to learn Chinese. And if you'd rather listen without a screen, on the commute or while cooking, there are the podcasts to learn Chinese.

Improve your Chinese with Macalaoshi Flashcards

Maca Laoshi's app for learning characters, with audio, pinyin and stroke-by-stroke writing.

• 1,300+words and characters
• HSK 1–4by level
• Freeto start

Download for free

Learn with our songs

We made them for Macalaoshi. Singing along is a fun way to practice pronunciation and review vocabulary.

The Lighthouse of My Heart 我心里灯塔

Study With You 跟你一起学

Frequently asked questions

What is the best YouTube channel to learn Chinese?

It depends on your level and language. Our own channels, Manu Shi (more than 93,000 subscribers) and MacaLaoshi Chinese, are in Spanish. In English, Everyday Chinese, Grace Mandarin Chinese and ChinesePod cover beginners, and Lazy Chinese and Mandarin Corner give you real Chinese once you have a base.

Which YouTube channel is good for learning Chinese from scratch?

In English, Grace Mandarin Chinese has a beginner course and Everyday Chinese has HSK 1 vocabulary with example sentences. Mandarin Blueprint is built around a method for learning characters. If you speak Spanish, Manu Shi's video on how he would start Chinese from zero is a good first step.

Can you learn Chinese only with YouTube?

You can make a lot of progress in listening, but with videos alone it's hard to keep your study organized. Add a course or a plan, review your vocabulary and talk with someone who can correct you.

Should I watch the videos with subtitles?

Yes, in three stages: first in your own language to understand, then in Chinese to connect sound and characters, and finally with no subtitles to train your ear.

Which channels are only in Chinese, for listening practice?

Lazy Chinese, with slow, clear Chinese; Mandarin Corner, with street interviews and subtitles in Chinese, pinyin and English; and Learning Chinese through Stories, with stories by level.

This guide in other languages: Español · Português · Français · Deutsch · Italiano · 日本語 · 한국어