When you are studying Mandarin, singing some top Chinese songs is a fun way to spice things up.
Karaoke is popular in Chinese communities and Chinese-speaking countries. Learning some songs in Mandarin allows you to be involved with fellow members of the community. Certain people in business and international affairs learn top Chinese songs to form better relationships. It can be a big advantage when it comes to building relationships with people in general.
Here are our 15 top Chinese songs to help you learn Mandarin faster. Beginners will enjoy this list, especially the first five songs on it. If you are already intermediate or advanced, let us know which ones help you progress with your Chinese.
15 Top Chinese Songs to Help You Learn Mandarin Faster
1. 庾澄慶 - 快樂頌 Yǔchéngqìng - kuàilè sòng - The Happy Song
Study the lyrics and consider using a dictionary app when you come to a character you haven’t learned yet. You will find the full lyrics here.
Once you’ve seen the first version, take a look at the second version, which is about four minutes long. It is from a Zhejiang television program with a studio audience. The inspiration on the stage is with a touch of style from India. Both versions have titles in Chinese characters so you can follow along.
2. 宝贝对不起 - Bao Bei Dui Bu Qi - Baby I’m Sorry
Another song that is easy to follow for beginners in Mandarin is 宝贝对不起 Bao Bei Dui Bu Qi, or Baby I’m Sorry. This rendition features dancers. You’ll see subtitles appear on the screen that includes Chinese characters as well as pinyin to help you learn the Chinese characters faster.
You can find the full lyrics here.
The next two songs we’d like to recommend are also ideal for beginners.
3. 鄧麗君 Teresa Teng 月亮代表我的心 - The Moon Represents My Heart
The subtitles in this song are in Chinese characters, pinyin, and English.
So you’ll be able to study this song and practice your Chinese vocabulary easily as you learn this classic song from the 1970s. The original song was from Taiwan.Its popularity in Mainland China was the beginning of a major shift with the ‘Open Door Policy’ that opened China to music from outside. The song is still popular today at many karaoke venues throughout the Far East.
Even rock star Jon Bon Jovi has sung this classic song in Mandarin. You can practice it along with him without subtitles or practice your ability to pick up on the lyrics.
You can also find the lyrics here.
4. 周華健 - 朋友 Wakin Chau - Friends
This song only has subtitles in Chinese characters, so you’ll get a chance to practice learning the more difficult characters that you might not have encountered yet.
You will find the lyrics here.
Wakin Chau has a large collection of songs available on YouTube if you wish to practice your Chinese to some of his songs, which were especially popular in the 1980s and 1990s.
5. 隐藏乐队 - 在北京 - Hide the Band - In Beijing
This song uses a traditional two-stringed instrument called a '二胡 èrhú'. This rap song doesn’t have subtitles, but the lyrics are in Chinese characters below the video. You’ll hear about life in Beijing and different parts of town and.
You can read the lyrics here.
6. Magic Power - Wo Shi Shei. 我是誰
While you’ll find the Chinese characters for the lyrics in the subtitles on the screen, you can also see them in Pinyin to help you study the song and learn new words.
7. 筷子兄弟 Chopsticks Brothers - 小 苹 果 - Little Apple
This video has subtitles in English. They’ll help you understand the lyrics to the song, but unfortunately, they also cover up the Chinese characters. So it’s helpful to have the two videos, depending on whether you want to read along in English or in Chinese characters.
The lyrics are available in Chinese characters, pinyin, and English here.
This video features different stories that are spliced and mixed up. When you first watch the video you might find it doesn’t start off in Chinese. The dialogues in the video take place in Korean but the song itself is in Mandarin Chinese.
The stories include Adam and Eve, a war story, plastic surgery to become ‘beautiful’ and meeting somebody new when already with somebody else.
8 - 陶喆 David Tao - 今天沒回家 - Not Going Back Home Today
Follow the subtitles in Chinese characters and see which new words and expressions you learn. It helps to pause the video and write down the new characters by hand. You will also find the lyrics here. Look up the new words and expressions and play the song back and see what you can recall of the new vocabulary.
Look up the new words and expressions and play the song back and see what you can recall of the new vocabulary.
Consider using LingQ to upload the lyrics from your favorite songs. For example, you can import lyrics and video and study it later on the platform. Check out the platform for songs in Mandarin. You’ll find a lot of material available where you can listen to Chinese songs and build up your vocabulary.
Note: you won’t be able to access the material unless you create a free account first.
9. Andy Lau. 劉德華 - 忘情水
This song was very popular in the 90s. It’s still a classic today and much of the lyrics are easy to follow for beginners. The title literally means ‘forget love water’, as if in search for a magic potion to move on after heartbreak and sorrow. You will find the lyrics here.
10. Bobby Chen 陳昇 - 把悲傷留給自己 - I left sadness to myself
Yet another sad song from the 90s. Follow along with the Chinese characters in the subtitles and learn new words and expressions. Check out the lyrics here.
11. MC HotDog & A-Yue 熱狗 & 張震嶽. — 我愛台妹
We’ve included a couple of raps songs as well. In this video, you can follow along with the Chinese characters. Check out the lyrics below the video as well and study new characters before listening to the song a second time. You’ll also find the lyrics here.
12. 崔健 Cui Jian - 一无所有 Yì Wú Suǒ Yǒu - Nothing To My Name
You’ll find the lyrics here in Chinese characters, pinyin, and English.
Since it’s hard to find a YouTube video with the lyrics, you could consider taking a look at this video that these YouTubers created on their own that includes the lyrics in Chinese characters and pinyin.
Joshua Eberhardt posted the version on his channel and had help from Thomas Schluckbier, Kenneth Tochihara, and Uber Quazi.
13. 黄安 Huang An - 新鴛鴦蝴蝶夢 "Dream of Mandarin Duck and Butterfly"
This song is about an impossible love. You’ll find the lyrics here, which is more difficult to learn than the previous four songs.
14. 等一個人咖啡 Děng yīgè rén kāfēi
This song is from the 2014 Taiwanese romantic comedy based on a novel by the same name.
You’ll be able to follow along with the song with Chinese characters and read the lyrics below the song to study new characters and expressions. You can also find the lyrics here.
15- 蔡卓妍 & 林俊傑 Charlene Choi and JJ Lin 小酒窩 - Small dimples
You can follow along with the Chinese characters and learn new words and expressions while listening to the song. If you prefer to study the lyrics all at once, you’ll find them here.
What are your top Chinese songs?
We hope you enjoy listening to this variety of songs in Mandarin as a way to learn the language.
Do you have any top Chinese songs to help you learn Mandarin faster?
Let us know by tweeting us @rypelabs.
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