Lumi KidsMandarin Chinese for kids
After Spanish, Mandarin is the language Americans most want schools to offer. Lumi Kids teaches it in Taiwan Mandarin with traditional characters; below are the 64 first words with Lumi's voice, the characters and their pinyin.
Guides for Mandarin families
- Best Age to Learn a Second Language: A Guide for Parentsis it too early or too late?
- How to Raise a Bilingual Child: Methods That Fit Real Familiesfor families who speak Mandarin or Cantonese at home
- Best Language Learning Apps for Kids in 2026: Parent's Guidehow to choose an app for a 4- to 9-year-old
- Dual Language Immersion: Pros, Cons and How to Help at Homefor families considering a Mandarin program
Why Mandarin Chinese?
Mandarin is the second language Americans most want schools to offer: 20% of US adults call it extremely or very important, behind Spanish at 53% (Pew Research Center, 2026). Yet few elementary schools teach it, about 1% of public ones (NCES, January 2024), so for most children it starts at home, in a weekend Chinese school or in an immersion program.
Many families choose it for a family connection: Chinese is the most spoken home language in the US after English and Spanish (Census Bureau). Grandparents who speak Mandarin are the best practice partners a child can have, even if they speak another Chinese language as well.
Mandarin is less hard for young children than adults expect. There are no verb endings, no plural forms and no masculine and feminine words. The new part is the tones, and children who hear them early simply copy them, the way they copy a melody.
The 64 first Mandarin words
These are the 64 words of the Seed level, in traditional characters with their pinyin. Tap a card and Lumi says the word in Taiwan Mandarin. The marks over the vowels are the tones: listen for them rather than reading them. If your child's school uses simplified characters, the spoken words are the same, but some characters look different: 媽媽 is written 妈妈, 謝謝 is 谢谢.
Tap a card and Lumi says the word; ▶ next to a sentence reads it, and “Play all in order” plays a whole group. Voices: Lumi (AI-generated voice).
8 words · 8 sentences
Hello World · 世界，你好！
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 你好， 我 是 Lumi！Nǐ hǎo, wǒ shì Lumi! | Hello, I am Lumi! | |
| 再見， 下次 見！Zàijiàn, xiàcì jiàn! | Goodbye, see you! | |
| 是的， 我 很 喜歡！Shì de, wǒ hěn xǐhuān! | Yes, I like it! | |
| 不要， 謝謝 你。Búyào, xièxie nǐ. | No, thank you. | |
| 非常 謝謝 你！Fēicháng xièxie nǐ! | Thank you very much! | |
| 請 幫 我。Qǐng bāng wǒ. | Please help me. | |
| 你 是 我 的 朋友。Nǐ shì wǒ de péngyǒu. | You are my friend. | |
| 早安， 親愛 的 Lumi！Zǎo'ān, qīn'ài de Lumi! | Good morning, Lumi! |
8 words · 8 sentences
Colors · 顏色
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 蘋果 是 紅色 的。Píngguǒ shì hóngsè de. | The apple is red. | |
| 天空 是 藍色 的。Tiānkōng shì lánsè de. | The sky is blue. | |
| 太陽 是 黃色 的。Tàiyáng shì huángsè de. | The sun is yellow. | |
| 青蛙 是 綠色 的。Qīngwā shì lǜsè de. | The frog is green. | |
| 我 喜歡 橘色。Wǒ xǐhuān júsè. | I like orange. | |
| 葡萄 是 紫色 的。Pútáo shì zǐsè de. | The grapes are purple. | |
| 小豬 是 粉紅色 的。Xiǎozhū shì fěnhóngsè de. | The pig is pink. | |
| 雲 是 白色 的。Yún shì báisè de. | The cloud is white. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Numbers · 數字
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 我 有 一 顆 蘋果。Wǒ yǒu yì kē píngguǒ. | I have one apple. | |
| 我 看到 兩 隻 鴨子。Wǒ kàndào liǎng zhī yāzi. | I see two ducks. | |
| 三 個 氣球！Sān gè qìqiú! | Three balloons! | |
| 四 個 杯子蛋糕。Sì gè bēizi dàngāo. | Four cupcakes. | |
| 五 顆 星星！Wǔ kē xīngxīng! | Five stars! | |
| 六 顆 草莓。Liù kē cǎoméi. | Six strawberries. | |
| 七 條 魚。Qī tiáo yú. | Seven fish. | |
| 八 朵 花。Bā duǒ huā. | Eight flowers. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Animals · 動物
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 貓 喵喵 叫。Māo miāomiāo jiào. | The cat says meow. | |
| 狗 很 開心。Gǒu hěn kāixīn. | The dog is happy. | |
| 鳥 會 飛。Niǎo huì fēi. | The bird can fly. | |
| 魚 會 游泳。Yú huì yóuyǒng. | The fish can swim. | |
| 馬 很 大。Mǎ hěn dà. | The horse is big. | |
| 牛 哞哞 叫。Niú mōumōu jiào. | The cow says moo. | |
| 獅子 很 強壯。Shīzi hěn qiángzhuàng. | The lion is strong. | |
| 兔子 在 跳。Tùzi zài tiào. | The rabbit jumps. |
8 words · 6 sentences
My Family · 我的家人
Mandarin has separate words for older and younger siblings. The cards show 妹妹 (mèimei, younger sister) and 弟弟 (dìdi, younger brother); an older sister is 姐姐 (jiějie) and an older brother 哥哥 (gēge).
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 我 愛 我 的 媽媽。Wǒ ài wǒ de māma. | I love my mom. | |
| 我 的 爸爸 很 高。Wǒ de bàba hěn gāo. | My dad is tall. | |
| 奶奶 烤 餅乾。Nǎinai kǎo bǐnggān. | Grandma bakes cookies. | |
| 爺爺 說 故事。Yéye shuō gùshì. | Grandpa tells stories. | |
| 寶寶 很 小。Bǎobao hěn xiǎo. | The baby is small. | |
| 這 是 我 的 家人。Zhè shì wǒ de jiārén. | This is my family. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Food · 食物
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 我 吃 一 顆 蘋果。Wǒ chī yì kē píngguǒ. | I eat an apple. | |
| 香蕉 是 黃色 的。Xiāngjiāo shì huángsè de. | The banana is yellow. | |
| 我 喜歡 麵包。Wǒ xǐhuān miànbāo. | I like bread. | |
| 我 喝 牛奶。Wǒ hē niúnǎi. | I drink milk. | |
| 早餐 吃 一 顆 雞蛋。Zǎocān chī yì kē jīdàn. | An egg for breakfast. | |
| 起司 很 好吃。Qǐsī hěn hǎochī. | Cheese is yummy. | |
| 請 給 我 水。Qǐng gěi wǒ shuǐ. | I want water, please. | |
| 生日 快樂！吃 蛋糕 囉！Shēngrì kuàilè! Chī dàngāo luo! | Happy birthday cake! |
8 words · 8 sentences
My Body · 我的身體
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 摸摸 你 的 頭。Mōmo nǐ de tóu. | Touch your head. | |
| 我 有 兩 隻 眼睛。Wǒ yǒu liǎng zhī yǎnjing. | I have two eyes. | |
| 這 是 我 的 鼻子。Zhè shì wǒ de bízi. | This is my nose. | |
| 張開 你 的 嘴巴。Zhāngkāi nǐ de zuǐba. | Open your mouth. | |
| 我 用 耳朵 聽 聲音。Wǒ yòng ěrduo tīng shēngyīn. | I hear with my ears. | |
| 拍拍 你 的 手！Pāipai nǐ de shǒu! | Clap your hands! | |
| 跺跺 你 的 腳！Duòduo nǐ de jiǎo! | Stomp your feet! | |
| 我 的 頭髮 是 捲 的。Wǒ de tóufǎ shì juǎn de. | My hair is curly. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Toys & Home · 玩具和我的家
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| 我 踢 球。Wǒ tī qiú. | I kick the ball. | |
| 汽車 跑 得 很 快。Qìchē pǎo de hěn kuài. | The car is fast. | |
| 我 玩 我 的 娃娃。Wǒ wán wǒ de wáwa. | I play with my doll. | |
| 我 讀 一 本 書。Wǒ dú yì běn shū. | I read a book. | |
| 我 抱 我 的 泰迪熊。Wǒ bào wǒ de tàidí xióng. | I hug my teddy bear. | |
| 我 睡 在 床 上。Wǒ shuì zài chuáng shàng. | I sleep in my bed. | |
| 坐 在 椅子 上。Zuò zài yǐzi shàng. | Sit on the chair. | |
| 這 是 我 的 房子。Zhè shì wǒ de fángzi. | This is my house. |
The four tones and other new sounds
| Tone or sound | How it sounds |
|---|---|
| First tone: ā | High and level, like holding a note: 媽 mā (mom) in 媽媽 māma. |
| Second tone: á | Rising, like a surprised "what?": 魚 yú (fish). |
| Third tone: ǎ | Low, dipping down: 狗 gǒu (dog), 好 hǎo in 你好 (hello). |
| Fourth tone: à | Sharp and falling, like a firm "no!": 四 sì (four), 再見 zàijiàn (goodbye). |
| Neutral tone | Short and light, with no mark: the second syllable of 爸爸 bàba (dad). |
| x and q | x is close to "sh" with a smile (謝謝 xièxie); q is close to "ch" (請 qǐng, please). |
| ü | Round your lips for "oo" and say "ee": 綠色 lǜsè (green). |
How to practice Mandarin at home
- Listen first, every day. Play one word group from this page at breakfast; tones are learned by ear, not from the marks.
- Sing. 兩隻老虎 (liǎng zhī lǎohǔ, "Two Tigers") is sung to the tune of "Frère Jacques", so your child already knows the melody.
- Use family names. 爸爸, 媽媽, 爺爺, 奶奶: if grandparents are around, let them use these every day.
- Leave reading for later. Characters can wait until your child is comfortable with the sounds; pinyin helps parents follow along.
How Lumi teaches Mandarin
In Lumi Kids your child starts at Seed, the first of four levels (Seed, Sprout, Sapling and Tree, 72 worlds in all). The 64 words on this page are Seed's eight worlds. Every world has at least six exercises: learn the words, listen and tap, card match, true or false, listen in order and talk with Lumi; higher levels add sentence building, stories and role play. Lumi explains in English and says the new words in Taiwan Mandarin.
The app teaches Mandarin by listening and speaking. The cards show the traditional characters with pinyin, so children meet the characters early without having to read them.
Seed and Sprout are free, with 60 seconds of live talk to try. Lumi Plus unlocks Sapling and Tree and adds 10 minutes of live talk a week: $14.99 a month or $119.99 a year, and the yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers (App Store US, checked October 5, 2026). Before live talk is turned on, the app tells you, the parent, that Lumi is an AI. Lumi Kids does not record or store your child's voice. More about the app.
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages (checked October 5, 2026) and from the app itself.
- Pew Research Center (August 3, 2026): What do Americans think about language learning in US schools? (October 5, 2026)
- ACTFL (March 2026): The State of K-12 World Language Education, data from the NCES School Pulse Panel, January 2024 (October 5, 2026)
- US Census Bureau (December 6, 2022): What Languages Do We Speak in the United States? (October 5, 2026)
- App Store (US): Lumi Kids: Learn Languages (October 5, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Is Mandarin too hard for a 5-year-old?
No. Young children learn tones by ear, the way they learn a tune. Mandarin also has no verb endings or plurals. What it needs is a lot of listening, so short daily practice is the way in.
Traditional or simplified characters?
Lumi Kids uses traditional characters, as in Taiwan. Mainland China and most of its schoolbooks use simplified characters. The spoken language is the same; if your child's class uses simplified characters, listening and speaking practice here still fits.
Does my child need to read Chinese characters to start?
No. Children start by listening and speaking, like they did with English. Characters come later; meanwhile pinyin helps you, the parent, follow along.
Mandarin or Cantonese?
Lumi Kids teaches Mandarin, the national language in Taiwan and China. Cantonese is a different spoken language used in Hong Kong and in many Chinese American families; both are written with Chinese characters.
Mandarin with Lumi, a few minutes a day
Your child hears every word in Taiwan Mandarin, plays with it and then speaks with Lumi. The first two levels are free.
