Free Chinese learning resources

SayMei runs fourteen Chinese learning tools, all of them in the browser. None ask for a signup, an email address, or a card, and each answers a different question: how is this pronounced, is this sentence right, which measure word do I need, what can I print tonight. Start from the question you actually have.

Writing and worksheets

The worksheet generator takes English, pinyin, or hanzi you type and returns a printable tracing sheet with stroke order, in simplified or traditional script. If you only need paper, blank practice grids print 田字格, 米字格, and 井字格 squares on A4 or US Letter.

Pronunciation and tones

Four tools cover sound, and they build on each other. The pinyin chart is the map: choose an initial and a final, hear the tones that syllable actually takes, then hear it inside a real word. The tone trial records you and puts your pitch shape next to the model's. Tone pairs come next, because tones are hardest in combination, not alone. Then the tone sandhi checker shows where the written tone and the spoken tone part company: when two third tones meet, the first is said as a rising second tone, so 很好 is written hěn hǎo and said hén hǎo; 不 shifts from bù to bú before a fourth tone; and 一 inside a compound is yì before first, second, and third tones but yí before a fourth, though ordinals such as 第一 keep yī.

Grammar and sentences

Paste a sentence you wrote and the grammar checker returns a verdict, the smallest correction rather than a rewrite, a more natural spoken version, and drills. The sentence bank answers the next question — how do people actually use this word — and the measure word finder handles the classifier Mandarin requires between a number or 这/那 and its noun: 三本书, 这个人. 个 is the common default, not a universal one.

Levels and vocabulary

The pinyin converter goes both ways, hanzi to tone-marked pinyin and pinyin back to likely characters. The HSK gap checker measures the words you already know against the newer HSK 3.0 bands and names what to learn next, and the level compass settles which framework to track at all — HSK, TOCFL, CEFR, or ACTFL.

Everyday phrasing

Two tools exist for moments that go wrong in conversation: days of the week in 星期, 周, and 礼拜, and polite phrasing, where 对不起, 不好意思, and 抱歉 are not interchangeable apologies.

Everything works signed out. With a free profile, any word you meet is one tap from spaced-repetition flashcards — and when reading about a pattern stops helping, take it into speaking practice.

Frequently asked questions

Are the SayMei Chinese tools really free?

Yes. All fourteen run in the browser with no signup, no email address, and no card. A free profile is only needed to save words to flashcards or to carry your worksheet history across devices — signed out, that history stays on the device you made it on. Live speaking minutes with Mei Lin are the one metered part of SayMei.

Which tool should I use to fix my pronunciation?

Start with the pinyin chart to hear a syllable in isolation, use the tone trial to record yourself and compare pitch shapes, then move to tone pairs, since most tone errors appear when two syllables meet. The tone sandhi checker explains why a phrase is spoken with different tones than the dictionary shows.

Can I print Chinese worksheets without making an account?

Yes. The worksheet generator builds a printable PDF from words you type in English, pinyin, or hanzi, with tracing grids and stroke order. Blank 田字格, 米字格, and 井字格 grid paper is a separate one-click download when you just need practice paper.

Do these tools work for HSK preparation?

The HSK gap checker compares words you know against the newer HSK 3.0 vocabulary bands and returns a bridge plan, and the level compass helps you choose between HSK, TOCFL, CEFR, and ACTFL before you commit to a syllabus. The worksheet generator can print any HSK word list for handwriting practice.

What is the difference between the pinyin chart and the pinyin converter?

The pinyin chart is for exploring sounds: you browse syllables by initial and final and listen to them. The pinyin converter is for text you already have — paste Chinese characters to get tone-marked pinyin, or paste pinyin to get the characters it most likely represents.