Mandarin Classes
Learn Mandarin Your Way
Learn Mandarin in Waterloo Region, Guelph, London, Toronto, Woolwich Township, or anywhere else in the world with our in-person and online group classes and private lessons.
Our Mandarin Chinese school in Kitchener, Ontario holds 10-week courses . Beginner, intermediate and advanced online classes are offered throughout the year. Currently, we have students enrolled across Canada, USA and Europe. Our classes for children and adults will help you take your first, second and third step in Mandarin. At First Step Mandarin, our goal is to help our students fall in love with Chinese!
Summer 2025 Semester
IN-PERSON Group Adults
Newbie Class Level 1
$250
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) with no experience learning Chinese. We welcome anyone who is interested in Mandarin!
Time: Mon, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Start Date: June 23rd, 2025
End Date: Aug 25th, 2025
Location: 50 Ottawa Street South, Kitchener
ONLINE Group Adults
Newbie Class Level 1
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) with no experience learning Chinese. We welcome anyone who is interested in Mandarin!
Time: Mon, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Start Date: June 23rd, 2025
End Date: Aug 25th, 2025
Location: Online
IN-PERSON Group Beginner Class for Adults
Level 2
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who have studied Chinese for approximately 3 months or have equivalent experience
Time: Mon, 9:00pm - 10:30pm
Start Date: June 23rd, 2025
End Date: Aug 25th, 2025
Location: 85 Queen St N, Kitchener, ON
ONLINE Beginner Class Group Adults Level 2
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who have studied Chinese for approximately 3 months or have quivalent experience.
Time: Mon, 9:00pm - 10:30pm
Start Date: June 23rd, 2025
End Date: Aug 25th, 2025
Location: Online
IN-PERSON Group Intermediate I Class for Adults Level 3
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who have studied Chinese for approximately 8 to 12 months or have equivalent experience
Time: Wed, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Start Date: July 2nd, 2025
End Date: Sept 3rd, 2025
Location: 85 Queen St N, Kitchener, ON
ONLINE Group Intermediate I Class for Adults Level 3
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who have studied Chinese for approximately 8 to 12 months or have equivalent experience
Time: Wed, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Start Date: July 2nd, 2025
End Date: Sept 3rd, 2025
Location: Online
IN-PERSON Group Intermediate II Class for Adults Level 4
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who have studied Chinese for approximately 1 to 1.5 years or have equivalent experience
Time: Mon, 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Start Date: July 7th, 2025
End Date: Sept 15th, 2025
Location: 50 Ottawa Street South, Kitchener
ONLINE Group Intermediate II Class for Adults Level 4
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who have studied Chinese for approximately 1 to 1.5 years or have equivalent experience
Time: Mon, 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Start Date: July 7th, 2025
End Date: Sept 15th, 2025
Location: Online
IN-PERSON Group Intermediate III Class for Adults Level 5
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who have studied Chinese for approximately 1.5 to 3 years or have equivalent experience
Time: Mon, 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Start Date: July 7th, 2025
End Date: Sept 15th, 2025
Location: 50 Ottawa Street South, Kitchener
ONLINE Group Intermediate III Class for Adults Level 5
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who have studied Chinese for approximately 1.5 to 3 years or have equivalent experience
Time: Wed, 8:10pm - 9:40pm
Start Date: July 2nd, 2025
End Date: Sept 3rd, 2025
Location: Online
ONLINE Group Intermediate IV Class for Adults Level 6
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who have studied Chinese for approximately 3 to 4 years or have equivalent experience
Time: Wed, 8:10pm - 9:40pm
Start Date: July 2nd, 2025
End Date: Sept 3rd, 2025
Location: Online
IN-PERSON Group Upper Intermediate Class for Adults Level 7
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who are comfortable having daily conversations in Chinese. Classes are taught in Chinese
Time: Wed, 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Start Date: June 25th, 2025
End Date: Aug 27th, 2025
Location: 1500 Block Line Rd, Kitchener
IN-PERSON Group Upper Intermediate Class for Adults Level 7
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who are comfortable having daily conversations in Chinese. Classes are taught in Chinese
Time: Wed, 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Start Date: June 25th, 2025
End Date: Aug 27th, 2025
Location: Online
IN-PERSON Advanced Mandarin
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who are HSK 6 speakers or higher.
Time: Thurs, 8:00pm - 9:30pm
Start Date: June 26th, 2025
End Date: Aug 28th, 2025
Location: 50 Ottawa Street South, Kitchener
IN-PERSON Group Newbie
Children's Classes Level 1
$270
per term
Who: Ages 6 to 12 with no previous experience learning Mandarin
Time: Sun, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Start Date: June 22nd, 2025
End Date: Aug 24th, 2025
Location: 50 Ottawa St South, Kitchener
ONLINE Group Beginner
Children's Classes Level 1
$270
per term
Who: Ages 6 to 12 with no previous experience learning Mandarin
Time: Sun, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Start Date: June 22nd, 2025
End Date: Aug 24th, 2025
Location: Online
In-person Group Beginner
Children's Classes Level 2
$270
per term
Who: Ages 6 to 12 who have taken one Mandarin course before and know pinyin and 50+ words
Time: Mon, 6:00 - 7:30pm
Start Date: June 23rd, 2025
End Date: Aug 25th, 2025
Location: 35 Albert St, Waterloo
ONLINE Group Beginner
Children's Classes Level 2
$270
per term
Who: Ages 6 to 12 who have taken one Mandarin course before and know pinyin and 50+ words
Time: Mon, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Start Date: June 23rd, 2025
End Date: Aug 25th, 2025
Location: Online
IN-PERSON Group Beginner
Children's Classes Level 3
$270
per term
Who: Ages 6 to 12 who are comfortable with the fundamentals of Mandarin and basic phrases.
Time: Wed, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Start Date: June 25th, 2025
End Date: Aug 27th, 2025
Location: 35 Albert St, Waterloo
ONLINE Group Beginner
Children's Classes Level 3
$270
per term
Who: Ages 6 to 12 who are comfortable with the fundamentals of Mandarin and basic phrases.
Time: Wed, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Start Date: June 25th, 2025
End Date: Aug 27th, 2025
Location: Online
IN-PERSON Group Intermediate
Children's Classes Level 4
$270
per term
Who: Ages 6 to 12 who are comfortable basic communication in Mandarin.
Time: Sat, 10:00am - 11:30am
Start Date: Aug 2nd, 2025
End Date: Oct 4th, 2025
Location: 85 Queen Street N, Kitchener
Spring 2025 Semester
ONLINE Beginner Class Group Adults Level 2
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who have studied Chinese for approximately 3 months or have quivalent experience.
Time: Wed, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Start Date: April 23rd, 2025
End Date: June 25th, 2025
Location: Online
IN-PERSON Group Intermediate I Class for Adults Level 3
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who have studied Chinese for approximately 8 to 12 months or have equivalent experience
Time: Mon, 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Start Date: April 14th, 2025
End Date: June 30th, 2025
Location: 50 Ottawa Street South, Kitchener
In-Person Group Intermediate II Class for Adults Level 4
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who have studied Chinese for approximately 1 to 1.5 years or have equivalent experience
Time: Mon, 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Start Date: April 14th, 2025
End Date: June 30th, 2025
Location: 50 Ottawa Street South, Kitchener
ONLINE Group Intermediate II Class for Adults Level 5
$270
per term
Who: adults (ages 13+) who have studied Chinese for approximately 1.5 to 3 years or have equivalent experience
Time: Wed, 8:10pm - 9:40pm
Start Date: April 9th, 2025
End Date: June 11th, 2025
Location: Online
IN-PERSON Group Beginner
Children's Classes Level 3
$270
per term
Who: Ages 6 to 12 who are comfortable with the fundamentals of Mandarin and basic phrases.
Time: Sat, 10:00am - 11:30am
Start Date: April 5th, 2025
End Date: June 21st, 2025
Location: 85 Queen Street N, Kitchener
If our class times don’t work for you or you’d like to see another class added to our schedule. Please contact us!
We also welcome you to message us for more details on our upcoming and ongoing semesters.
Course Details
Class Duration
Engaging 90-minute classes, with lots of opportunities for one-on-one help with teachers. If group classes only have 2 students, class length is 60 minutes long.
Handpicked Textbook
Take home a textbook specifically suited to your learning needs.
Take-Home Exercises
Exercises will be given after each class, so you can continue practicing Chinese throughout the week.
Activities and Conversation Practice
Classes are designed to keep you engaged and improve your oral Chinese.
CLAIM A SPOT
Register for our Mandarin classes in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph.
Pre-Register for Next Semester
Want to join next semester? Pre-register for FREE with pre-registration:
- Save a spot in our upcoming semester.
- Guarantee our lowest registration price.
- Help us accommodate your availability.
Schedule Private Lessons
Convenient
At home or a nearby coffee shop, on a weekday or a weekend, you can learn a new language in Waterloo Region at a time and place convenient for you.
Conversational
Private lessons give you plenty of speaking practice and quick feedback on pronunciation, grammar, and word choice.
Customized
Want to learn a second language for traveling, business, family interactions, or your next test? Not a problem! We tailor our lessons to help you meet your personal goals.
Cost-Effective
One-on-one tutoring is $45 to $47 hour. If you would like private lessons for more than one person, please provide details below, and we will get back to you with more information as soon as we can.
Our Team
Yuetong (Olivia) Ou
Mandarin Instructor
Olivia was born and raised in Guangzhou, China, making her bilingual in Mandarin and Cantonese. Since she grew up with these two languages, students not only learn about Mandarin but also about the differences in customs between the southern and northern parts of China. Olivia believes that active learning is one of the most productive means of learning languages, so, in her class, students at any level can practice their skills through different activities.
Blake Zhang
Mandarin Instructor
Blake is a passionate Mandarin teacher from Beijing, China with two years of teaching experience. Beyond just language skills, he takes delight in sharing the beauty of the Chinese language with both children and adults, weaving in the rich tapestry of Chinese history and tradition. What sets his teaching apart is his appreciation for Chinese calligraphy, adding a unique and artistic dimension to the exploration of the language.
Ann Gong
Mandarin Instructor
Ann is from Changchun, China, but has lived in Canada for the past twelve years. During this time, she has fallen in love with learning new cultures and languages. She believes that getting to know different people in the world broadens your perspective, so she dedicates herself to teaching Chinese language and culture to everyone. She is passionate about Chinese food and music, as well as China’s rich history. Be sure to join her class, in which you’ll acquire lots of knowledge and have tons of fun conversations!
Bowen Ma
Mandarin Instructor
Bowen comes from Anshan, China. He came to Waterloo Region for his master’s degree in 2017. In China, Bowen taught English in his spare time and enjoyed helping others learn languages. Bowen has worked as a broadcaster with the university’s radio station, making him especially effective at teaching students proper pronunciation. Bowen’s love of a diverse range of music and sports makes him a great and fun conversationalist. His experiences and lightheartedness are sure to fill his classes with joy and help his students learn Mandarin!
What our Students Say
Want More information?
Visit our First Step Mandarin website at www.firststepmandarin.com or email us at [email protected].
Click on below icons to see us in the news
