Xiaogua Chinese Avis 

I have been studying Chinese for a month and the immersion definitely works as phrases and words are in my head now. I dont feel pressure of memorisation and the visuals and repetitive words are a big help.

After 18 months of self study, I had reached a plateau. Not sure how to continue and I felt a bit stuck.
This has been exactly what I needed to get back on track with a solid learning plan. If I had the budget, I would absolutely continue my learning with Xiaogua Chinese. However, the tools I've been given during this time have been amazing, and I'm excited to see where the next 18 months of study can take me.

I LOVE XIAOGUA CHINESE!

I'm probably biased since I've been with them for more than a year, and have chosen to continue studying with xiaogua chinese.

If you're looking for something less traditional than studying from textbooks, super structured learning, then xiao gua is it. It's a program that's particularly geared towards learning passive vocabulary and then integrating it so it becomes active vocabulary through repeated exposure and speaking it out loud with your 1:1 lessons and small groups.

This type of program requires you to really dig deep and draw on internal motivation to get as much out of it as you can. At first, learning chinese feels overwhelming but trust the process and you'll progress so much.

With a month of use so far, I've gone from listening to Advanced Beginner to Intermediate level !

The "goal progress" bar also does a good job persuading me to clock a full 30 minutes (sometimes I'm tempted to quit early after one 15 minute intermediate video, but the progress bar nudges me to finish my time (I choose Advanced Beginner and Lower Intermediate episodes).

I do still listen to the "easier" levels. With "Advanced Beginner", I challenge myself to only watch the video and not follow the Chinese character script.
This is a very good program of videos! The variety of speakers also helps against "fatigue" (not watching the same person talk for 30 minutes / day forever).

I also study Japanese, but the material I use for Japanese is "scattershot" across YouTube making it more difficult to find. 1) I must search for the Japanese videos on YouTube 2) I must interpret what level the video probably is 3) and I must deal with YouTube ads.

To close the review, I will say I was already "Advanced Beginner" level in Chinese, but that was primarily in reading Chinese with extremely poor listening comprehension. Xiaogua Chinese has enabled me to advance from needing Chinese subtitles even for raw beginner spoken Chinese to being able to follow Intermediate-level conversation by ear after about a month (of daily listening for 30 minutes / day).

I’ve been studying with Xiaogua Chinese for a month and I’ve improved my speaking a lot! The program gave me a lot of confidence in my speaking ability. Before joining the program, I had been learning Chinese on and off for years without a proper method or goal. The teachers and materials of Xiaogua helped me focus on specific topics and just speak without thinking too much. I also really like the fact that you can communicate with other learners from all over the world which makes you realise you are not alone. It’s a costly program, but you definitely improve a lot even with low effort (I’m a rather lazy person myself) and a lot of useful materials are curated for you. I’d like to thank my 1:1 teacher Yuanyuan for her great help and patience with me 😊

老师们都是很好的老师。他们都会让你在学习过程中感到很轻松、很自在。只要坚持下去，你的口语一定会有进步！

I generally like the course, but could appreciate a little more structure.

The introductory coaching call was very helpful. We assessed my Chinese level and Oskar gave me advice on my current learning approach as well as free resources to leverage to add more structure to my learning. As an intermediate level Chinese learner, I stilled gained a lot of knowledge from understanding how important consistency and repetition is in my approach. My biggest takeaway is that intentional practice of learning words at my level is better than just exposing myself to the language.

Xiaogua Chinese group classes are my favorite! It’s such a fun and easy-going place to learn, with friendly classmates from all around the world and diverse backgrounds. The lessons are engaging, and the teachers feel more like friends than instructors.

I’ve been using the Xiaogua Chinese YouTube channel, and it has been really helpful for my learning even though I’m not a complete beginner. The teachers speak slowly and clearly, which makes it much easier to follow along and catch things I might miss in faster content. I like that they use simple words and repeat important phrases, so I can reinforce what I already know while still picking up new things.

The videos feel natural and not too overwhelming, even when I don’t know every word or character. It helps me get more comfortable with listening to real Chinese instead of just focusing on memorizing vocabulary. I’ve also noticed that my listening skills are improving, and I can understand more each time I watch.

Overall, this channel is great for learners who want to build their understanding in a more relaxed and natural way. It makes learning feel less stressful and more enjoyable. I am looking forward to joining the Xiaogua Chinese school/course.

I knew that having an 1:1 instructor would help me learn Mandarin, but I am truly surprised at how well it's working out. I think the biggest takeway is the daily practice makes a huge difference. Even if I have a busy day and can only do 10-15 minutes, it makes such a difference. The best practice for me is watching the recaps of my meetings with my instructor - this is super helpful.

I want to share my experience with Xiaguo Chinese - it’s been great! The team's willingness to help and their attentiveness to the learner’s needs is excellent. They take the time to listen and figure out the best approach to improve the learning process.

They provide insightful tips for learning and do an excellent job simplifying the entire process. They care deeply about helping learners succeed.

I have been studying Chinese with the Xiaogua Chinese team for three months now, and Iam amazed at how much I am improving. I have been struggling alot with my speaking and listening skills but Xiaogua Chinese have help me alot these past months! My speaking and listening improved alot! Being able to see real progress motivates me to keep on learning. I really enjoy my group sessions, one on one session with Mengmeng Laoshi. Every sessions is fill with so much fun and learning and I love it!

The interface is easy to use and to find videos at your current Chinese listening level.

At first, I was hesitant to contact Xiaogua because I came across their content on social media and honestly wasn't sure if it was a legit programme. But I'm so glad that I did. I've been taking in-person Mandarin courses on & off for several years (mostly Continuous Ed classroom type) and just really struggled with finding a pace and method that works for me. I'd also see a lot of influencer/polyglot types online and their suggestions felt unrealistic for my setup.

I just finished 6 months of learning at Xiaogua & will most probably come back by the end of the year. Started at beginner and now in lower intermediate. I really loved my experience with them for 3 reasons:

1) The Comprehensible Input method really clicked for me. Being able to listen & watch interesting content that is within my level or slightly higher really helped me learn in a practical and fun way. They provided access to so much well-curated content (not just theirs but also from other teachers/creators) which I really appreciated because I don't have time to wade through all the stuff out there online.

2) The quality of all the teachers I came into contact with in the programme is amazing. I met with my 1-1 teacher Fan Fan every week. She was genuinely supportive and caring. She's clearly a super experienced teacher and was able to push and guide me effectively. Same thing for the 3 or 4 other teachers that I met in the weekly group sessions. We also had great check-ins & masterclasses with Zhifei, Weixuan, and Oskar. Great team!

3) Lastly, but also very important for me, was the overall quality of the community of learners that I was able to connect with in the group sessions and in the Slack chats. People were serious about their efforts to learn but were also kind and supportive of each other. People share helpful resources that they come across and little tips that work for them.

The programme is a bit more expensive than other options I've come across but I found it to be totally worth it given the amount of tailored support that you receive. If anything, I would just love to have even more group session times during the day in my timezone but I know that is something they're working on.

Having completed other Chinese learning programs and methods in the past, I must admit I started my journey with Xiaogua Chinese with a bit of hesitation. I had been stuck at the lower-intermediate level for years, hovering somewhere around HSK 2 or 3. Now, two months into this program, I am genuinely surprised by how much I am learning. Xiaogua Chinese uses materials that are current, dynamic, and actually relatable to real life. Because the content is carefully graded, I can choose material at my level (or slightly simpler) to reinforce my vocabulary and boost my confidence, or I can pick something more difficult to keep challenging myself. To me this is extremely important, because it makes the self-study portion of the learning experience enjoyable and relevant.
Furthermore, the combination of 1-on-1 tutoring and small group sessions has been a game-changer. I love that every week I get individual sessions to address my specific questions and needs, while also learning from different teachers and my classmates in the group classes.
Finally, I love how Xiaogua creates a true community where students and teachers share the experience and celebrate everyone’s wins, big or small. As a reminder to fellow learners: while the program is indeed fantastic, true progress depends on the work you put in on your own to review and challenge yourself.
In short, I can’t recommend Xiaogua Chinese enough!

I just wanted to say thanks to Xiaogua Chinese. I started almost complete beginner and ended about lower intermediate which I was very happy about. My one on one classes were with Teacher Fan Fan. I cannot say enough great things about her. Meeting twice a week you become more friends than teacher/student , trying to discuss everything even personal. Lots of good laughs along the way. Some of the videos we talked about were very funny. I had group classes with Yuan yuan, Mengmeng, and Luna. All amazing teachers in their own right. Everyone trying to help you become more comfortable with speaking. I would highly recommend this to anyone wishing to improve their spoken Chinese. I am looking forward to attempting conversations on an upcoming trip to China. Wishing everyone continued success in their Chinese journey.
Scott W.

the experince was amazing ! not only the teach made me feel welcome but also caught all the issues that i was worried about and many more. i am definitely happy with the outcome with that consultation.

I've been with Xiaogua Chinese for a year now, and I am amazed at how much my Chinese fluency has improved. If you are looking for a method that takes you out of traditional academic/formal language study, XG and comprehensible input is worth a try. With them, I have found a renewed sense of joy learning Chinese in a low-stress informal setting where I can focus on what I need and discuss topics that interest me. All the teachers are also wonderful and professional.

I love working with Xiaogua Chinese! I signed-up for 1 year and loved every moment of it. Learned so much and progressed in my Chinese.