Spotlight on Chinese Mandarin courses

Join us for a Chinese Mandarin course and explore Chinese language and culture. 
Would you like to learn how to give and receive greetings in Chinese Mandarin, use numbers and currency, order and pay for food in a restaurant and more? Our specialist tutors will teach you the language while also exploring the Chinese origin, traditions, and customs.
Whether you are a complete beginner or have some previous knowledge of learning Chinese Mandarin, we have courses to suit everyone delivered in our centres or online and in a real time.
Find out what it's like first hand from our students who have learnt with us.

What our learners say about us

Karen was a complete beginner at speaking Chinese Mandarin. After just 11 weeks she can now converse in Chinese.

Karen says: "I was on the Chinese Mandarin Beginners - Modular Course - A - Online and I have enrolled on the next course and the special Chinese New Year course. I was a complete beginner with no experience of Mandarin before starting this course. I have been surprised at how quickly we have all progressed in the class. We can now make our own sentences, have conversations and recognise some Chinese characters. All in 11 weeks! Credit must go to Florence Lee, our teacher, who is extremely thorough, well organised and motivating. I meet once a week with my other classmates on zoom and we go through the homework and chat about any areas which we find tricky. This has been an additional help and great fun. We are hoping to meet in real life and go to China Town in the summer. I have unexpectedly found links with other languages I have studied and widened my experience by viewing recommended films which I would not otherwise have watched. I even recognised some key Mandarin phrases in the film."

What our learners say about us

Charles is on his fifth Chinese language course with us and enjoys the support of learning among his fellow students who are at the same level.

Charles says: "I initially started taking Mandarin courses as a complete beginner with KAE in late 2020 out of an interest in Chinese culture and history; I had wanted to learn Mandarin for a while and found KAE to be a very accessible and affordable option. This is the fifth course I have taken in a series of Mandarin courses with KAE that have been incredibly enjoyable, engaging, and varied. I have learned to speak Mandarin at a beginners level with accuracy and confidence and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and challenges of learning a second language. Although attending adult classes was daunting at first, I have greatly benefited learning alongside fellow KAE students at similar levels of knowledge and proficiency. We support each other through group work, provide one another with regular feedback, share language resources, and discuss common interests such as our favourite Chinese dramas - we even once wrote and performed a play in Mandarin to our teacher as a surprise! I have never worried about falling behind in class as our teacher utilises various teaching methods to cater to different learning styles, regularly provides individual feedback, and ensures everyone has an equal opportunity to speak and practise during lessons.

From these courses, I am planning on taking the internationally recognised Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi [HSK] language proficiency exams; Mandarin is among one of the most spoken languages in the world so these qualifications will open up many career opportunities both in the UK and in mainland China. I am already applying what I have learned so far through short and simple conversations with native speakers and ordering food in Mandarin at Chinese restaurants. I am looking forward to using Mandarin at an upcoming wedding where most of the guests will be native speakers!"