From online challenges to everyday life, Chinese language draws global interest

In September 2026, researchers from Beijing Foreign Studies University and the University of Göttingen published a study showing how TikTok has become a popular platform for learning Chinese, with the hashtag #LearnChinese surpassing 5 billion views.

Titled "From short videos to global learning: A data-driven analysis of the ecosystem of Chinese language learning on TikTok," the study analyzed 75,188 Chinese-learning videos and found that such content is increasingly interactive and entertainment-oriented, often blending language learning with cultural experiences.

For many learners, the classroom is no longer the only place to explore Chinese.

Chinese songs, cultural references and playful online challenges are sparking interest in Chinese among people around the world on social media. What might once have seemed difficult – from pinyin and tones to Chinese characters and grammar – has become a source of entertainment and interaction on social media.

In spring 2025, a wave of Mandarin pronunciation challenges swept across TikTok. In the challenge, people tried to pronounce Chinese words correctly to advance to the next round. The words ranged from animal names and fruits to popular Chinese expressions.

A participant in one video struggled through multiple attempts to pronounce Xiongmao, the Chinese word for panda, sparking discussion in the comments about Mandarin pronunciation and how to master its tones. The video received more than 400,000 likes.

Chinese music has also found an enthusiastic audience online. In early 2026, a video of an elderly Chinese woman joyfully singing Yue Lai Yue Hao (Getting Better and Better) went viral on TikTok. The lyrics celebrate improvements in everyday life, with lines about bigger homes, higher incomes and better working conditions. Her lively performance and the song's catchy melody helped the video gain attention, prompting other users to share their own versions.

The popularity of such videos is reflected in the geographic spread of Chinese-learning content.

According to the study, the top 5 countries and regions by the number of Chinese-learning videos posted on TikTok were South Korea, the United States, Vietnam, Indonesia and Japan. The list highlights the strong presence of Asian countries alongside the English-speaking country.

Everyday experiences inspire interest in Chinese

Ordering food and drinks in Chinese, for example, has become an opportunity for cross-cultural exchange as more international visitors travel to China.

According to China's National Immigration Administration, border authorities recorded 23.27 million cross-border trips by foreign nationals in the third quarter of 2026, up 15.6% year on year. As international travel to China grows, visitors are increasingly encountering the language in restaurants, shops and everyday interactions.

A South Korean user shared an amusing experience on X in February after ordering milk tea in China. The user said that some tea shops gave their drinks names that sounded like poetry, citing "on the way back to Yunnan, clouds hang low" as an example. The phrase was a playful rendering of Gui Yunnan Yun Man Pu'er, the name of a milk tea made with Pu'er tea, a specialty of Yunnan Province.

The post prompted discussion, with one commenter saying that such distinctive Chinese-style expressions made ordering drinks an enjoyable experience in itself.

For some, this curiosity is inspiring more structured language study. Duolingo, a language-learning platform, ranked Mandarin as the eighth most popular language on its platform in its 2025 Language Report.

Interest is growing across South America, Asia and Europe. Mandarin was the fastest-growing language on Duolingo in 12 countries in 2025, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and Türkiye.