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Online, one to one
Mandarin Lessons in Australia 澳大利亚中文课 Àodàlìyà Zhōngwén kè
One-to-one Mandarin lessons online, with a native speaker who grew up in Sydney. Booked in your time zone and priced in Australian dollars.
★ 5.0 rating · 10+ years teaching · lessons in AEST, ACST and AWST
Why Australians learn Mandarin
Australia’s most-spoken language after English
Mandarin lessons in Australia are no longer about a far-off country. At the 2021 Census, 685,274 people spoke Mandarin at home, more than any other language except English, and 1,390,639 reported Chinese ancestry. It is the language of neighbours in suburbs from Box Hill to Hurstville, of business with Australia’s largest partners, and for many families of grandparents. The story of how it got here is told in the history of Chinese Australians.
School rarely gets anyone there. Most children who start Chinese at school drop it before Year 12, as our guide to Mandarin for kids in Australia explains. One-to-one lessons give you the hours and the attention a class cannot.
Find your path
Who these lessons are for
Mandarin lessons in Australia for four kinds of learner, each with its own starting point.
Professionals and business
Meetings, email and relationships with Chinese partners, in a register that sounds professional.
See Business Mandarin For your childrenFamilies and kids, age 5 and up
One-to-one lessons from age 5, with the Year 12 rules and starting age explained.
Read the parent’s guide For your familyHeritage learners
You understand it at home but answer in English. Rebuild speaking, reading and writing.
Mandarin or Cantonese? From zeroBeginners and travellers
Tones, pinyin and everyday conversation, or the Mandarin you need for a trip to China.
See Basics and TravellerEvery state and territory
Lessons wherever you are in Australia
Mandarin lessons in Australia are online and live, so the only thing your city changes is the time on the clock.
How it works
Three steps to your first Mandarin lesson
1
A free intro call
Thirty minutes to talk about your goals and your level. No obligation and no sales pitch.
2
A plan for you
A course and a schedule built around what you want Mandarin for, from a first trip to an HSK date.
3
Weekly lessons online
Live one-to-one lessons on Zoom or Google Meet, with early morning, evening and weekend times available.
Courses and prices
Mandarin lessons in Australia, priced in AUD
Pay by the hour with no lock-in contract, or take a package as a planned block of lessons.
旅行lǚxíng
Traveller
Practical Mandarin for your next trip to China: everyday phrases, cultural know-how and survival vocabulary.
- Travel vocabulary and phrases
- Ordering food, shopping and directions
- Cultural etiquette and context
Or a 6-week package, six 1-hour lessons: A$300
入门rùmén
Basics
Start from zero. Build confidence in tones, pinyin, essential vocabulary and everyday conversation.
- Pronunciation and the four tones
- 300+ everyday phrases, first 150 characters
- Aligned to new HSK 1–2
Or a 4-week starter term, 8 hours with the booklet included: A$500
中级zhōngjí
Intermediate
Build on your foundations: grammar, vocabulary and reading for real-world situations.
- Grammar structures and particles
- An 800+ character reading base
- Aligned to new HSK 3–5
Or a starter term, 8 hours: A$480
商务shāngwù
Business Mandarin
Mandarin for meetings, email and relationships with Chinese partners, in a register that sounds professional.
- Meeting and negotiation language
- Introductions, titles and business cards
- Industry vocabulary for your work
Or an 8-week package, eight 2-hour lessons: A$1,120
考试kǎoshì
HSK Preparation
Structured preparation for HSK 1 through 6, built around your band and your exam date.
- Band-specific vocabulary and grammar
- Past-paper practice with feedback
- A study plan mapped to your exam date
Or a 4-week monthly pack, 8 hours: A$560
A customised WillyChina booklet, kept up to date for you, is a one-off A$100. Full details are on the courses page.
Meet your teacher
Will: born in China, raised in Australia
Will grew up in Sydney between two languages, and has taught Mandarin for more than ten years to students in over twenty countries. He is a native speaker of both Mandarin and English, so the language is explained from inside the culture you already live in.
Lessons are rated 5.0 by students. Read Will’s own story.
What students say
From learners across Australia
★★★★★“I’ve tried apps, YouTube, and group classes — nothing compared to having a native speaker focused entirely on me. Will picked up on exactly where I was struggling with tones and fixed it within two sessions.”
★★★★★“I’d thought about learning Mandarin for years but always assumed it’d be too hard. Will’s Basics course proved me wrong. Within months I was hearing tones clearly, holding simple conversations, and actually enjoying the process. Brilliant teacher, structured approach, never overwhelming.”
★★★★★“The evening slots work perfectly around my schedule in Brisbane. Will is incredibly patient, genuinely encouraging, and makes even the most complicated grammar feel manageable. Highly recommend to anyone serious about learning Mandarin.”
Questions
FAQs
Can I take Mandarin lessons from anywhere in Australia?
Yes. These are Mandarin lessons in Australia taught fully online, so all you need is a reliable internet connection, whether you are in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin, Canberra or regional Australia.
What times are lessons available?
Lessons are booked in your local time, in AEST, ACST or AWST, with early morning, evening and weekend slots available. Talk through your preferred times on the free intro call.
How much are Mandarin lessons in Australia?
Lessons are A$50 an hour for Traveller and Basics, A$60 for Intermediate, and A$70 for Business Mandarin and HSK Preparation, with no lock-in contract. Packages run from A$300, and the free 30-minute intro call costs nothing.
Do you teach children?
Yes. Lessons for children start from age 5, run from 30 minutes to 2 hours, and parents can sit in on request. The parent’s guide to Mandarin for kids in Australia covers what schools teach and the Year 12 Chinese rules.
Should I learn Mandarin or Cantonese?
For most learners in Australia, Mandarin: it overtook Cantonese in Australian homes between the 2006 and 2011 Census. If your aim is to speak with Cantonese-speaking family, that changes the answer.
How long does it take to learn Mandarin?
Most students hold simple conversations within three to six months of weekly lessons, and reach comfortable fluency in twelve to eighteen months.
Get started with a free intro call
No obligation — just a 30-minute chat about your goals. We’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
Sources. Language and ancestry figures are from the ABS 2021 Census; school figures from Jane Orton’s 2016 report for the Australia-China Relations Institute.
Photographs by Dan Freeman and from the WillyChina library.
Keep reading
More on Mandarin lessons in Australia
Mandarin for kids in Australia
What schools teach, the Year 12 rules and when to start.
CommunityChinese Australians
History, suburbs, language and the people.
LanguageMandarin or Cantonese?
Which one Australia speaks, state by state.
ExamsHSK test centres in Australia
Where to sit the HSK, fees, deadlines and the new format.