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Focused Practice

Drill the skills that matter. Get smart, focused practice that actually sticks.

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Learn with a certified teacher who nudges you toward fluency without overwhelming you.

Curated Resources

I did the digging so you don’t have to. Just the most useful Mandarin resources, all in one spot.

What is

the Practice Room?

Effective learning starts with focused practice, and it should be fun, too! The Practice Room tackles common pain points with engaging explanations, bite-sized exercises, audio clips, and quizzes. You’ll also find printable study logs and handouts to help you stay organized and keep track of your progress.

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Meet Stephanie

Hi, I’m Stephanie, a certified Chinese teacher. With over 8 years of teaching experience, I help learners make real, lasting progress, without the anxiety of chasing the illusion of “perfect fluency.” My mission is to guide you toward those “aha!” moments through personalized guidance, honest feedback, and a space where mistakes are just part of the fun.

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Why learn with Stephanie?

Hear it from my students

Kevin L.

Stephanie is an outstanding tutor of Chinese. She is highly encouraging, which I believe is one of the most important attributes of a teacher. She makes the sessions enjoyable, fostering intrinsic motivation to continue learning. Her positive attitude is everything, setting the tone for productive and engaging lessons. I would strongly recommend Stephanie to anyone seeking a one-on-one tutor.

Leland Z.

Stephanie always has a positive attitude and never makes me feel rushed when practicing conversation. She is also very good at guessing what I am trying to say, even when I get tones or even the entire pinyin wrong. I’m not quite sure how she does it! Another very important quality is that she always has clear, nuanced answers to my questions, even when they are from somewhere random and not from the text.

Edwin O.

I would recommend Stephanie highly! She’s completely on top of the material, and is kind, positive, patient, and challenges just the right amount. She’s also a trained musician and has a good sense of teaching tones etc. in Mandarin. She seems to truly enjoy teaching, and that makes the lessons very fun!

Practice Room

Learner favorites

  • Break your hé addiction

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    steph.mandarin

    Upgrade your speech Note 1: Break your 和 hé addiction Practice Goals: One of the most common words overused by beginner Chinese learners, especially native English speakers, is 和 (hé). This happens because the English word “and” is far more flexible than 和. While using 和 incorrectly might not always lead to major misunderstandings,…

  • Fix your 4th tone

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    steph.mandarin

    Fine-tune your tones Note 5: Fix your 4th tone Practice Goals: I’ve lost count of how many students I’ve seen try to pronounce the 4th tone by yelling as loudly—and as angrily—as possible, only to miss the falling pitch entirely. The “angry tone” analogy can be a useful starting point, but it doesn’t take…

  • Fix your 3rd tone

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    steph.mandarin

    Fine-tune your tones Note 4: Fix your 3rd tone Practice Goals: “How do I even tell the 3rd tone apart from the 2nd and 4th?” “What do I do when I have a bunch of 3rd tones in a row?” “Why can’t I pronounce the 3rd tone correctly?” In today’s Practice Note, we’re going…

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