Best podcasts and YouTube channels to learn Chinese

Theme-based, progressive audio lessons with transcripts that work in audio-only form, a gentle start for complete beginners.

Stories told entirely in Chinese, often paired with a second episode discussing the story, graded from novice through advanced.

A hundred super-beginner stories in slow, friendly Mandarin with plenty of visual support, made to be understood before you've learned much at all.

A comprehension-based teacher whose gentle zero-beginner playlists, Mandarin visits with her chickens included, let you start listening from literally nothing.

Some of the best Chinese-only comprehensible input on YouTube, story videos you can follow with almost no English; the same creator's podcast runs under the name Comprehensible Chinese.

Slow, HSK-graded stories with everything labelled by level, so you always know exactly what you can handle next.

Rare male-voiced comprehensible input for beginners, with simple drawings that carry the meaning; only thirteen videos, but precious ones.

Beginner listening with no English at all, made understandable through gestures, props and images, usable from your very first day.

A small comprehensible-input channel whose beginner playlist needs no vocabulary or prior knowledge to enjoy.

One of YouTube's most popular channels about the Chinese language: pronunciation analysis, natural phrases and learning tips, mostly in English.

A Taiwanese teacher taking apart tones, pronunciation and the phrases people really use. Explained in English, so it works long before you can follow a whole conversation.

Calm comprehensible-input videos in two tracks, beginner and intermediate-plus, so the channel grows with you.

Stories told twice, once at natural pace and once slowly with characters and Pinyin, so early learners can climb between the two.

Videos labelled intermediate but really upper beginner, with less hand-holding: a good bridge when beginner content starts feeling easy.

Chinese taught with real personality: story and listening playlists that stay almost entirely in Chinese, pitched at upper beginners.

Story videos mostly or entirely in Chinese in lots of formats, games and picture talks included, spanning beginner to intermediate.

Two best friends chatting naturally about everyday topics, like eavesdropping on real Mandarin conversation.

Long, natural monologues entirely in Chinese, each episode tagged with a difficulty rating so you can find your level.

Casual, unscripted monologues in Taiwanese Mandarin, ideal for tuning your ear to Taiwan's accent and everyday phrasing.

Scripted monologues for intermediate learners, with the harder words patiently explained in Chinese.

Nathan talks in slow, clear Chinese about everything from daily life to history, an ideal first step into podcast listening.

Everyday Taiwanese Mandarin at a pace a learner can follow, on ordinary life in Taiwan. No new episodes are coming, but the back catalogue is still worth every hour.

A vast archive built up since 2007; the intermediate and advanced feeds are where the real value is.

Genuine unscripted dialogues spanning daily life to global politics, with native guests and the occasional advanced learner.

Three teachers chatting naturally about China, culture and society for intermediate learners and up; also an excellent podcast.

Street interviews and real conversations with dual subtitles, everyday Mandarin at the speed people actually speak it.

Short daily-expression episodes and interviews in clear, natural Mandarin, one genuinely useful phrase at a time; also runs as a podcast.

An entertaining, well-produced intermediate playlist built around travel and interviews that lives up to the channel's name.

A British learner who reached advanced Mandarin and shares how, in Chinese, so you improve your method and your listening at once.

An American who built a life in Taiwan, talking about food, family and everything that surprised her, in fluent Mandarin with subtitles. Real Taiwanese speech with something to hold onto.

Business stories for native listeners: two hosts trade hour-long deep dives into famous companies and founders, in real conversation.

Native-level culture conversations about film and TV that wander far beyond the screen, usually one to two hours long.

Long, wide-ranging science-fiction discussions from classic novels to Chinese TV, made for native sci-fi fans.

Short daily business-news episodes, a way to stay current and grow professional vocabulary at the same time.

Real people telling their own life stories in their own voices, roughly nine hundred episodes of authentic Chinese.

A daily morning news show in full-speed Mandarin, world headlines and Taiwanese ones side by side. This is the one to reach for when you are pushing toward C1.

Roundtable's legendary predecessor: roughly five thousand episodes of three-way talk from 1998 to 2017, still superb listening.

A Beijing teacher explaining science, maths and the news to native speakers with a whiteboard, fascinating input once your Mandarin is strong.

A beloved roundtable talk show where guests debate culture and society, full-speed natural Mandarin for advanced ears.

Product reviews for native viewers that are fun even when you don't care about the gadget, in fast, natural Mandarin.

Interviews and deep dives on learning Chinese, with guests who bring more than just their own story.

Olle's own podcast and channel about how to learn Mandarin effectively: strategy, problem-solving and getting more from the hours you put in.

Lively episodes on how to learn Mandarin, each with an interview to keep you encouraged and inspired.

Probably the best-produced grammar explainers on YouTube, organized by HSK level, with the higher levels taught in Chinese.

Real-world street Mandarin dissected: accent comparisons and phrase breakdowns that show how people actually speak.

How Chinese characters really work, explained by the team behind the Outlier character dictionary.

Chinese language and culture videos since 2009, from Taiwan travel to street interviews, over three hundred videos deep.

Popular, clearly explained videos about Chinese vocabulary, grammar and culture, mostly in English with plenty of native examples.

The character-app team's channel, with some of the clearest videos on how Chinese characters and vocabulary actually work.

One of the longest-running learner channels: lessons, real conversations with native speakers, pronunciation and characters.