Intermediate Course
In this course, learners who have finished the Beginner course (说汉语) start with conversations depicting international student life at a Chinese university, then broaden to topics such as hobbies, food, and travel, as well as further education, careers, and city life. It suits those who have studied Chinese for about 1–2 years, or who are at around HSK Level 4 and want to move up a step.
Who this course is forFOR YOU
You’ll move on to conversation practice about the various situations in the textbook, using the words and sentence patterns you learned at the beginner level. This course is recommended if any of the following apply to you.
- Those who have finished the Beginner course (说汉语) and want to move on to the next textbook
- Those who have studied up to around HSK Level 4 and want to aim for HSK Level 5
- Those who have studied Chinese for about 1–2 years at university, at high school, or on their own
- Those who want to learn more expressions for everyday situations such as student life abroad, shopping, transportation, and travel
- Those who want to study a wide range of topics with the textbook, from hobbies and food to further education, careers, and city life
Curriculum OverviewCURRICULUM
You’ll work through all 3 volumes and 52 lessons of Peking University Press’s 中级汉语口语 (3rd edition) in order. It starts with conversations depicting the life of international students at a Chinese university, and expands to topics such as hobbies, food, and travel, as well as further education, careers, and city life.
Learning the basic situations of student life abroad中级汉语口语 1, Lessons 1–10
Centered on international students at a Chinese university, these lessons cover getting acquainted, course registration, starting a new life, private tutoring, transportation, phone calls, the post office, house hunting, shopping, and photos. Lesson 1 is “来，认识一下儿,” and Lesson 8 is “我在校外租了房子.”
Expanding to cultural and seasonal topics中级汉语口语 1, Lessons 11–20
Through themes such as home visits, expressing thanks, cooking, music, travel and mountain climbing, weekends, modesty, student life abroad, study methods, and the Spring Festival, you’ll learn expressions related to student life and Chinese customs.
Learning about hobbies and everyday topics中级汉语口语 2, Lessons 1–8
Covers giving advice, kung fu, chatting with a driver, treating someone to a meal, reading, soccer, hobbies, and TV. For example, “读书是一种享受” is about reading.
Learning about food, clothing, health, and travel中级汉语口语 2, Lessons 9–16
Covers eating habits, clothing, appearance, physical condition, dragon boat racing, the theater of the absurd, travel plans, and travel routes. The focus is on concrete topics related to daily life and hobbies.
Expanding to further education, careers, and city life中级汉语口语 Advanced Volume, all 16 lessons
Covers vacations, asking for repairs, ordering food, car repairs, the internet, going to graduate school, Youth Day, children’s schooling, buying and renting cars, having children, city life, job hunting, journeys, stories, crosstalk (xiangsheng), and farewells. In “买车不如租车,” the topic is whether to buy or rent a car.
Every four lessons, each volume includes a “Spoken Language Knowledge” section and a “Common Spoken Expressions” section. Spoken Language Knowledge covers tone changes, modal particles, the neutral tone, erhua (r-coloring), stress, idiomatic expressions, xiehouyu (two-part allegorical sayings), and more; Common Spoken Expressions covers situation-specific phrases for greetings, requests, thanks and apologies, opinions and suggestions, congratulations, travel, self-recommendation, negotiation, and more.
TextbooksTEXTBOOK
Main textbookPeking University Press: 中级汉语口语 (Intermediate Spoken Chinese), 3rd edition
This textbook starts with conversations set in the life of international students at a Chinese university, and broadens to hobbies and sports; food, clothing, and health; travel; and further education, careers, and city life. Each lesson includes the conversation text, new words with English translations, notes on expressions, and read-aloud and substitution drills.
- 中级汉语口语 1 (3rd edition)20Lesson
- 中级汉语口语 2 (3rd edition)16Lesson
- 中级汉语口语 Advanced Volume (3rd edition)16Lesson
52 lessons in total: 20 in 中级汉语口语 1, 16 in 中级汉语口语 2, and 16 in 中级汉语口语 Advanced Volume. In addition to the topics and expressions in the main texts, each volume also covers “Spoken Language Knowledge” and “Common Spoken Expressions.”
- Student life abroadCourses, housing & study
- Shopping & transportationIncluding phone & post
- Hobbies & sportsReading, music & soccer
- Food, clothing & healthCooking, appearance & physical condition
- TravelPlans, routes & farewells
- Further education, careers & city lifeThe future & daily life
About purchasing the textbooks
*The NetChai Shop ships within Japan only. If you live outside Japan, please purchase from an online bookstore or similar retailer in your country.
This textbook has an edition in your language. If you buy it outside Japan, please choose the edition in your language.
🛒Purchasing Textbooks
You can purchase the textbooks from our Chinese Textbook Purchase Page .
*The NetChai Shop ships within Japan only. If you live outside Japan, please purchase from an online bookstore or similar retailer in your country.
This textbook has an edition in your language. If you buy it outside Japan, please choose the edition in your language.
Course GoalsGOAL
- Can explain things that happened around you in coherent Chinese, including the background and reasons
- Can keep a conversation going by listening to the other person’s views and responding with questions, agreement, disagreement, and suggestions
- Can state your opinion on familiar cultural and social themes, connecting them to your own experience
Target levels are a learning guideline and do not guarantee passing any exam. This course focuses on conversation practice. HSK reading and writing, and the reading, writing, and translation sections of the Chuken test, each require separate exam preparation tailored to their question formats.
Next steps after completing the courseNEXT STEP
After finishing the 52 lessons, you can choose a course based on the situations you want to strengthen. Move on to Advanced to build the ability to speak logically even on difficult themes, Business Chinese to focus on workplace expressions, or HSK Prep to prepare in line with the exam format.
- Advanced to exchange views on a wide range of themes and refine your natural expressions
- Business Chinese to learn the conversation skills you need for workplace situations
- HSK Prep to work through practice questions matched to your target level
If you’d like to check your current HSK level, please try our free assessment. → Free HSK Level Check If the intermediate materials still feel difficult, take the Beginner first to solidify your expressions before moving on.
How lessons workLESSON STYLE
Each lesson is a 25-minute one-on-one session with a Chinese tutor who speaks Japanese. After going over the text and new words you’ve prepared, you’ll discuss the content with your tutor and expand the conversation to your own experiences and opinions.
- Rather than stopping at reading aloud and pronunciation checks, you’ll repeatedly ask and answer questions using expressions from the text
- If a sentence was hard to say, your tutor corrects it and you say it again, changing the word order or word combinations
- Lessons run every day from 6:00 a.m. to midnight, so you can study on your smartphone or computer whenever it fits your life
FAQFAQ
Can I start without having taken the Beginner course?
The course is a good fit if you have finished the Beginner course (说汉语), have studied Chinese for about 1–2 years, or are at around HSK Level 4.
Where is English used in the textbooks?
New words in the textbooks come with English translations, and the notes on expressions are also in English. Each lesson has a Chinese dialogue text and exercises such as reading aloud and substitution drills.
How many books and lessons are there?
There are 3 books with 52 lessons in total: 中级汉语口语 1 has 20 lessons, 中级汉语口语 2 has 16, and 中级汉语口语 提高篇 has 16.
Where can I buy the textbooks?
You can check how to order on the textbook purchase page. Please have the volume you will use ready before your lessons start. → About purchasing the textbooks
*The NetChai Shop ships within Japan only. If you live outside Japan, please purchase from an online bookstore or similar retailer in your country.
This textbook has an edition in your language. If you buy it outside Japan, please choose the edition in your language.
Is this course alone enough to pass the HSK or the Chuken (Japan's Chinese Proficiency Test)?
It helps build a foundation in speaking and practical language skills, but it does not guarantee that you will pass. For HSK reading and writing, or Chuken translation, please also prepare with past papers and exam-specific materials.
Try it free first and feel the joy of “I actually spoke Chinese!” for yourself
In a trial lesson, you can see how difficult the intermediate textbook is and try talking with a tutor. Even if you're not sure it matches your current level, you can choose a course after actually speaking.
2 trial lessons1,680yen→free
