Race Across the World: Three of the best apps to learn Mandarin - with show set to start in China

• Race Across the World’s fifth season will premiere this week
• Competitors will start their first leg of the race on the Great Wall of China, heading south to India
• For viewers interested in learning more about the Chinese language and culture, there are plenty of helpful apps available
• Most are free to download, but you can upgrade to a premium subscription too

Race Across the World will take viewers to China tonight - and it’s bound to leave some intrepid watchers wanting more.

The show’s eagerly anticipated fifth season is set to premiere on at 9pm Wednesday, April 23 on BBC One. Five teams of two will once again conquer language barriers and explore new countries on a shoestring budget - without the help of their phones - for the chance to win a £20,000 grand prize.

This season will kick off on the Great Wall of China, with teams racing 14 thousand kilometres to the southernmost tip of India. Although a competition, the hit series is about adventure and embracing the world and all it has to offer at heart - and viewers back home will no doubt find themselves curious to learn more about some of the destinations on show.

Some might find their interests piqued by the Chinese language and culture in tonight’s premiere, so we’ve created a list of apps you can use to start learning Mandarin (sometimes just called the ‘Chinese’). To do this, we’ve sorted through the most popular free ‘education’ apps in the Apple App Store for users in Great Britain (as of Wednesday, April 23), and curated a list of language apps which offer courses in Mandarin.

This means that we’ve excluded some high-rated education apps, including those primarily aimed at teaching other languages, classroom and revision apps. Although we sorted by free, it’s worth noting that most have either additional features or membership options which you’ll need to pay for.

Here are some of the top-rated education apps for Apple devices which can help you start your Chinese-speaking journey:

1. Duolingo

Perhaps one of the world’s best known and most popular language apps, Duolingo is currently ranked 2nd overall for iPhone education apps in Great Britain, with a rating of 4.7 stars out of 5 by more than 750 thousand users. Chinese is just one of more than 40 languages it offers, along with music theory and maths lessons.

Duolingo has a unique, bite-sized lesson format, which effortlessly pivots between reading, writing and listening exercises to help users build a solid foundation in their chosen language. Its ‘gamified’ lessons and colourful cast of characters keep you coming back for more, encouraging learners to build a habit of regular practice.

One recent user who is studying French described the app as “the best way” to learn a language. “I’m making a trip to Paris in a week’s time now. So, with the extra knowledge in the back of my mind, [I'll be] able to provide my family the ability for me to speak and order things for them.”

While classified as free, this app does offer in-app purchases and paid subscriptions. Duolingo is suitable for children aged 4 and up. You can find it in the Apple App Store here.

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2. Mondly

Another far-reaching language learning app with more than 40 course options - including Chinese - Mondly is also popular with users in Great Britain. It is currently ranked 18th overall in education apps, with a ranking of 4.7 stars out of 5 by more than six thousand users.

With a focus on conversational skills, Mondly offers hundreds of lessons sorted by topic - from food, to weather, to travel. It also offers fun features like weekly quizzes and monthly challenges, as well as a chatbot feature so that learners can practice conversations using what they’ve learned.

In a review, one user wrote that the app was “very good for starting a new language”. They said that within six weeks of starting Japanese lessons, “Mondly had me understanding spoken and written words and phrases very quickly… After a few months I was able to understand and participate in conversations online and IRL with Japanese speakers”.

While classified as free, this app does offer in-app purchases and paid subscriptions. Mondly is suitable for children aged 4 and up. You can find it in the Apple App Store here.

3. HelloTalk

HelloTalk is a little different than the other language apps on the list, and is more useful for users who already have a good grasp on the basics of the Chinese language (possibly after taking lessons for a few weeks on one of the others). It is currently ranked 32nd overall for education apps, with a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 by nearly six thousand users.

HelloTalk connects users to native speakers of their chosen language via livestreams or its chatroom feature, with Mandarin being one of more than 150 languages on offer. The app equips learners with tools like translation and instant captions so that they can learn by chatting, and matches them up to suitable conversation partners based on proficiency. Its emphasis on connecting with native speakers can also provide an extra layer of cultural insight - which other learning apps may lack.

One user who used the app to both learn and teach wrote in a review that they had even met their boyfriend on it. “I learned to speak English, found a new country, discovered a new culture - and one of the most special and important [people] in my life.”

While classified as free, this app does offer in-app purchases and paid subscriptions. HelloTalk is suitable for children aged 9 and up. You can find it in the Apple App Store here.

You can meet the teams taking part in Race Across the World in 2025 here. Or remind yourself of when series 5 will start on the BBC and how to watch it here.