{"id":182664,"date":"2014-01-18T09:24:49","date_gmt":"2014-01-18T14:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/chinese-podcasts\/"},"modified":"2025-01-17T06:52:38","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T11:52:38","slug":"chinese-podcasts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/chinese-podcasts\/","title":{"rendered":"17 Awesome Chinese Podcasts For Learners of Any Level (Updated For 2025)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Podcasts are an excellent way to improve your Chinese listening skills<\/a>. Today, I’m going to introduce some of my favorite Chinese podcasts that you might not have heard of.<\/p>\n

Some are native podcasts and others are meant to teach you Mandarin. I recommend using a mix of both.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Beginner Chinese Podcasts
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

1. \u9752\u6625\u611b\u6d88\u9063\u00a0\u2014 The Pastimes of Youth<\/a>\"\u9752\u6625\u611b\u6d88\u9063\u00a0\u2014<\/a><\/h3>\n

Title in pinyin: <\/strong>q\u012bng ch\u016bn \u00e0i xi\u0101o qi\u01cen<\/em><\/p>\n

Best for:<\/strong> Taiwanese culture<\/p>\n

One thing I love about Taiwanese talk shows is that they\u2019re always very relaxing\u2014it almost seems like dropping in on a conversation between friends, so it always gives you a homely feel. Great for a weekend listening session to learn Chinese through podcasts.<\/p>\n

Typical of Taiwanese talk show hosts, this podcast takes on a very conversational tone. It\u2019s also targeted at a younger audience, so the dialogue is a lot less formal and easier to listen to.<\/p>\n

Started by two college students, this show is pretty popular in Taiwan, and it basically talks about life issues from the eyes of younger people. <\/strong>So you can really see how Taiwanese people live their daily lives, their cultural values, beliefs and so on.<\/p>\n

2. MandarinBean<\/a>\"MandarinBean\"<\/a><\/h3>\n

Best for:<\/strong> Podcast-style lessons<\/p>\n

MandarinBean is designed as a program rather than a straight podcast. It teaches multiple levels of Chinese (HSK 1-6) all through podcasts. <\/strong>That means you can use MandarinBean as a beginner and then continue to use the program as you move through the intermediate and advanced stages.<\/p>\n

While there are a few free lessons, to get the best of MandarinBean, you have to sign up. There’s a monthly subscription fee, but each lesson comes with a transcript, notes and English translations.<\/p>\n

Each podcast’s transcript is also available in traditional and simplified characters, plus pinyin. Learners can also adjust the speed of the podcast to be faster or slower.<\/p>\n

3. Coffee Break Chinese<\/a>\"coffee<\/a><\/h3>\n

Best for:<\/strong> Conversation-style lessons for beginners<\/p>\n

Coffee Break Chinese follows a specific structure and a course curriculum that guides you from one level to the next. Levels are broken down into “seasons.” The Chinese podcast only has one season so far\u2014the beginner season\u2014and it’s made up of 40 lessons.<\/p>\n

What makes Coffee Break Chinese different from many audio courses is that it doesn’t follow a “listen and repeat” structure. The episodes are hosted by a native speaker and a learner, where the learner asks questions and the native speaker introduces new vocabulary, culture and grammar concepts. So like in the name, it’s supposed to give off “coffee talk with a friend” vibes.<\/p>\n

Each lesson is 15-20 minutes long, and you can access all of them for free on their website or Spotify<\/a>. But you can also pay a one-time price for the online course if you want more. This includes bonus audio for each lesson, PDF lesson notes, quizzes and video lessons.<\/p>\n

If Coffee Break Chinese sounds of interest to you, I recommend checking out our full review here:<\/p>\n

Coffee Break Languages Review: Takes You to the Advanced Level, but Pricey<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n