It’s no secret that learning a new language takes time.
It’s also no secret that most of us don’t have a lot of free time.
It’s not even the actual course work that takes so much time, it’s the practice. For every hour you spend in class or learning online, you should spend another hour studying.
Fortunately, there is a way to slip into vital practice time.
You can use these TV apps to improve your Mandarin listening and reading skills on the bus, during your break from work, while at the gym, and in just about any situation when you have a little free time. and you can pop. in headphones.
we found the best chinese tv apps for android so you don’t have to waste any more time scouring the google play store. look these!
download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable pdf that you can take anywhere. click here for a copy. (download)
why should i use chinese tv apps to learn mandarin?
- Watching TV shows in Mandarin can help you improve your listening skills. Because Chinese dramas, sitcoms, and other shows are scripted, you can focus on your listening skills. Chinese to English translation in real time. if he watches unscripted variety shows, he can practice listening to Mandarin as it is spoken in everyday conversation.
- If you want to watch at your own pace, TV apps make it easy. If you have to spend a full half hour sitting in front of your TV, it’s easy to put off watching Chinese shows . however, with an app, you can watch whenever you have a few minutes to spare! Using dedicated apps to watch TV in Mandarin makes improving your language skills easier than ever.
- You can learn a lot about Chinese culture through television. Reading books and consuming other types of Chinese media can certainly help you improve your language skills and cultural knowledge. but when it comes to TV shows, you’ll be amazed at how much real-world cultural insight you’ll gain.
youku
If you already spend a bit of time enjoying Chinese TV, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of youku or even used it before.
youku is china’s top rated video streaming provider…and for good reason. this service is packed with virtually every type of video you’d want to watch in Mandarin. From series to movies, variety shows and documentaries, there’s sure to be something you’ll love. in this app.
youko is free to download with premium paid options available. The navigation is quite easy to work with if you have a solid understanding of Chinese characters, but if you are more of a novice, this can be a bit difficult to understand.
Because the vast majority of youku content is in Mandarin with Chinese subtitles, intermediate and advanced users would benefit most from using youku.
with youku, we suggest checking:
- 武动乾坤之冰心在玉壶 (wǔ dòng qián kūn zhī bīng xīn zài yù hú) — “martial universe.” lin dong’s life is changed forever when he becomes a martial arts master who must lead an army to fight an ancient evil.
- 回到明朝当王爷之杨凌传 (huí dào míng cháo dāng wáng yé zhī yáng líng chuán) — “back to the ming dynasty as the lord of yang ling” aka “royal highness. ” a fantastic and dramatic adaptation of the traditional Chinese play.
- 我不是药神 (wǒ bù shì yào shén): “I am not a drug dealer”, also known as “dying to survive”. a man with cancer smuggles drugs to help chemotherapy patients in his hometown.
chinese television
china tv is a channel based tv application. Most of the channels available for free are CCTV channels, which mainly feature news and documentaries. some of these channels have Chinese subtitles, while others don’t have subtitles at all, so advanced learners will likely benefit more from this app.
china tv is a very useful chinese tv application because it is quite fast and the ads are minimal. if you fancy casually watching a channel like you would cable TV, this one is worth checking out.
here are some channels to try on china tv:
- anime 24/7. This channel features animated programs in Chinese with Chinese subtitles, as well as Japanese anime dubbed and subtitled in Chinese.
- cctv-1. news, documentaries and variety shows.
- sinovision. fashion and lifestyle news, variety shows, documentaries and cooking shows.
viki
Rakuten’s Viki app is another popular streaming site that you’ve probably come across if you enjoy watching Chinese TV. In addition to offering Mandarin-language dramas and movies, you can also find content in Korean, English, and Japanese.
This app is unique in that it’s very easy to navigate if you’re not that good at reading Chinese yet as most of the interface is in English. Also, almost all videos have multiple subtitle options that almost always include English and Chinese.
You can download viki for free and access exclusive content by signing up for your exclusive viki membership. you can even try a viki pass for a week risk-free.
when browsing viki, we suggest looking at:
- 稍息立正我愛你 (shāo xí lì zhèng wǒ ài nǐ) — “attention, love!” a young man and woman were destined for love since they were born.
- 我的極品男友 (wǒ from jí pǐn nán yǒu) — “best man”. Three talented but ultimately selfless brothers romantically deal with their emotions when they meet the perfect girl.
- 愛上哥們 (ài shàng gē men) — “bromance”. a young woman has been raised as a boy in a gang since she was young, but now another young woman has in love with her.
芒果tv國際 (máng guǒ tv guó jì) — mango tv international
mango tv international is a TV app with a few extra bells and whistles, perfect for those who want a slightly more decadent Chinese TV experience. these include:
- an easy to use interface
- simultaneous English and Chinese subtitles on almost all video content in the app
- featured and recommended channels
- premium content through a membership
- decent technical support for Chinese and English speakers
- YouTube style short video programs
- a wide variety of movies, shows, clips and short videos
If you don’t live in mainland china, you can’t download shows, so you’ll have to watch them in the app. However, the consistent HD videos, fast load time, and simultaneous subtitles make this a great TV app for any level of learning. but keep in mind that beginners may have a bit of trouble navigating since everything is in 汉字 (hàn zì), Chinese characters.
using the mango tv international android app, we suggest searching for:
- 凉生，我们可不可以不忧伤 (liáng shēng, wǒ men kě bù kě yǐ bù yōu shāng) — “liang sheng, can we not be sad?” a woman with a sad history deals with the sudden onslaught of suitors as an adult.
- 如若巴黎不快乐 (rú ruò bā lí bù kuài lè) — “if paris isn’t happy.” a young woman is wronged by a romantic partner and a mysterious man helps her recover.
- 我们的四十年 (wǒ men de sì shí nián) — “our forty years.” the story of a man who grew up loving television and film and who achieves his dreams as a producer.
鳳凰秀 (fèng huáng xiù) — phoenix shows
the goal of phoenix shows (also known as phoenix tv or phoenix television) is to broadcast Chinese news, entertainment and sports around the world. It seems to work: This Hong Kong-based broadcasting company is one of the largest Cantonese and Mandarin-language TV stations in the world with an average of 360 million viewers. If you want the best resource for finding Mandarin-language news programs and broadcasts, Phoenix shows are worth checking out for their sheer volume of coverage alone.
Your application doesn’t disappoint either. you can enjoy a lot of content without buying your premium membership, making it a great option for students on a budget who want a lot of variety. advanced students will likely get the most out of it of this app, as it is completely in Chinese, with English subtitles few and far between.
of the phoenix shows, we suggest watching:
- 鲁豫有约 (lǔ yù yǒu yuē): “a date with lu yu”. a classic and consistently entertaining variety show from mainland china.
- 火力无限 (huǒ lì wú xiàn) — “unlimited firepower.” described as “the first all-star reality show of China’s military-civilian integration experience.”
- 燃新闻 (rán xīn wén) — “hot news”. a news program on culture, economics, and world news.
These Chinese TV apps for android are helpful to brush up your Mandarin Chinese reading and listening skills. better yet, you can enjoy them anywhere!
download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable pdf that you can take anywhere. click here for a copy. (download)