Mandarin for adults who mean business.
Structured courses in spoken and written Chinese, taught in Dutch or English. No apps, no gamification — just consistent weekly practice that actually builds the language.
Find the right starting point
Most people come to us for one of three reasons. Pick yours — we'll show you what usually makes sense.
Chinese for professional contexts
If your company works with Chinese partners or suppliers, or you need to navigate business correspondence and calls, the practical focus of our professional track is probably a good fit. We work from real email patterns, meeting formulas and number vocabulary early on — not textbook dialogues about buying train tickets.
Basic Mandarin before a trip
Twelve to sixteen sessions before a longer stay in China, Taiwan or another Chinese-speaking region. We cover tones from week one, common survival phrases, and how to read enough characters to get around. The goal is practical confidence, not a passing grade on a certificate.
Learning for personal reasons
Maybe you want to understand a partner's family, have a long-standing interest in Chinese history, or simply find the writing system fascinating. Our general Mandarin track moves at a realistic pace — challenging enough to actually progress, slow enough that you don't drop out after three months.
Four ways to learn Chinese with us
All courses run in Dutch or English, depending on the group. Lesson materials are included. No language school politics — small classes, real contact hours.
Evening group classes
Weekly two-hour sessions in groups of 4 to 8 students. We keep groups small enough that everyone gets speaking time. New cohorts start every September and February.
Course detailsOne-to-one lessons
Flexible scheduling, your pace, your vocabulary priorities. Good option if you have a specific professional deadline or just learn better without a group dynamic.
See ratesLive online lessons
Same instructors, same structure, video call. We use shared documents for writing practice and screen sharing for character study. Works better than you'd expect.
Online formatChinese for business
Focused on professional vocabulary, formal correspondence patterns and meeting etiquette. Often booked by companies for one or two employees with a specific need.
Business ChineseCommon questions
No, all our beginner groups start from zero. If you have some background — even just a few months of self-study — we do a short informal check before placing you in a group, to make sure the level is right.
Mandarin (Putonghua), which is the standard spoken form used across mainland China, Taiwan, and in most international business contexts. Cantonese is a different spoken language — we don't teach it, though the characters overlap partly.
With two hours of class per week and some review at home, most students can handle simple introductions, numbers, and practical phrases by the end of the first term (roughly 20 hours of class time). Holding a real conversation takes longer — typically two to three terms of consistent work.
We teach simplified characters (used in mainland China and Singapore), which are more practical for most learners. Traditional characters are introduced for context in intermediate levels, but the writing focus stays on simplified.
For group courses, we normally start new students with a new cohort — catching up mid-term in a class that has already built momentum is genuinely difficult. Individual lessons can start any time. Get in touch and we'll find the best option.
Things worth reading
Why tones trip up Dutch speakers — and how to fix that
Dutch intonation is sentence-level; Mandarin tones work at the syllable level. That shift is harder than it sounds.
What to say in a Chinese business meeting when your Mandarin is still basic
A short list of formulas that hold up even at A1 level, and some things to avoid.
A guide to the hanzi writing system for complete beginners
Radicals, stroke order, and why learning the system actually helps — rather than just memorising lists.
Not sure which course fits?
Send us a message and we'll respond within two working days — no phone call required.