Lights, Camera, Chinese? How to Unlock Mandarin Fluency with Netflix

Have you ever thought about turning your Netflix time into a powerful language-learning tool?

Imagine this: instead of just "Netflix and chill," why not "Netflix and Chinese"?!

Netflix isn't just for entertainment; it can be a game-changer in your language-learning adventure. Watching shows and movies isn't just more enjoyable than traditional methods—it's also more effective.

Picture yourself picking up native-like pronunciation, effortlessly absorbing grammar, and understanding how Chinese people truly communicate—all while watching your favorite series.

In this post, I'm going to show you exactly how to transform your Netflix sessions into immersive Mandarin learning experiences, helping you rapidly enhance your fluency. Let's turn your downtime into an exciting and productive way to master Mandarin!

Why You Should Use Netflix to Learn Mandarin Chinese

Here are five key reasons why Netflix is so effective for learning Mandarin Chinese:

1. Diverse, Immersive Chinese Exposure

Netflix offers a vast array of Chinese movies and TV series, from from dramas, to romance, to sci-fi, to kung fu flicks. This provides Chinese language learners with a diverse range of immersive exposure to choose from, and helps you pick up a wider range of vocabulary. Listening to native speakers in various contexts also helps you master Mandarin tones, intonation, slang, and cultural nuances, all of which are often missed in textbooks.

2. Authentic Chinese Content

Most Chinese textbooks and courses provide simplified, stilted examples of the language. This can be helpful for absolute beginners to learn the basics of how the language works, but fluency requires extensive exposure to "authentic content" (resources created for native speakers instead of learners). With Netflix, you get exposed to natural, real-life dialogues and can see how native speakers communicate in day-to-day situations.

3. Flexible Language Learning

Netflix allows you to learn at your own pace, and enjoy immersive content whenever and wherever you want. You don't even need a WiFi connection or cell signal these days since you can download shows and movies to your device for off-line viewing. Whether you want to watch one episode or binge an entire series over the weekend, you get to control your learning intensity and time.

4. Clearer Context & Improved Memory

Visual cues in shows and movies help learners infer meaning and understand spoken language, making it easier to grasp complex phrases and expressions without constantly consulting a dictionary. The visual context also helps improve your memory! Not only do images make memories "stickier," but they also increase the emotional resonance of the language, which makes new words and structures even more memorable.

5. Stronger Mandarin Listening Skills

Understanding rapid speech is one of the most important—and most difficult!—skills in language learning. This is especially true in Mandarin Chinese, which has relatively high "information density" (the amount of linguistic information presented in a given space or time). Unlike written materials, Netflix helps train your brain to decode Mandarin when spoken at a natural speed.

How to Learn Mandarin with Netflix: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Choose the Right Content

Start with shows or movies that match your interests and language level. For beginners, look for shows with a clear premise, simpler storylines, and high-frequency vocabulary. More advanced learners might opt for dramas or documentaries that offer more complex narratives, specialized vocabulary, and deeper cultural insights.

Step 2: Increase Comprehension with Episode Summaries

Before you watch a show or movie, read a brief summary on Wikipedia, IMDB, or DramaWiki to provide more context clues and help you better understand what's going on. I also find it useful to see a list of the character names in Chinese, especially in dramas with a large cast.

Step 3: Use Subtitles Strategically

Begin with English subtitles to understand the storyline, then switch to Chinese captions to improve your reading skills and reinforce listening comprehension. Eventually, try watching without subtitles or captions to test your understanding and improve your listening skills.

Or better yet, Install the Language Reactor extension for Google Chrome to add supercharged subtitles. Once installed, the extension adds 3-way interactive subtitles/captions:

1. You can follow along and practice your reading skills using the Chinese captions.

2. You can read the human translation to see an accurate, nuanced English equivalent.

3. You can cross-reference the machine translation to see the literal meaning of the utterance.

The extension also provides:

• A pop-up dictionary.

• Useful keyboard shorts.

• The ability to export words and phrases to the Anki spaced repetition flashcard app for efficient study.

Step 4: Actively Engage the Material

Though you will get some benefit from just sitting back on the couch and watching Mandarin-language content, you will get the most out of your time if you actively engage with the content as follows:

• Save new words and phrases as you watch (either using Language Reactor, a note-taking app, or pen and paper), and then add these to Anki.

• Repeat sections of dialogue to practice tones and intonation, doing your best to match the speaker's pronunciation exactly (simply hit the S key to repeat a line with Language Reactor).

Step 5: Mix in Plenty of Output

Though Netflix is an excellent source of Chinese "input" (listening and reading exposure), it's imperative that you also get lots of "output" (speaking and writing practice).

I suggest supplementing your Netflix time with the following:

• Meet with a Mandarin tutor on a site like italki to discuss a specific episode and ask questions about any vocabulary or grammar patterns that you're unsure about.

• Write a summary of the episode in Chinese, using a dictionary as needed to fill in any gaps in your vocabulary. Then have your text checked for mistakes by ChatGPT or your italki tutor.

Step 6: Stick to an Immersion Schedule

Consistency is king in language learning, and this goes for enjoyable activities like Netflix, too. Instead of watching Chinese shows only "when you feel like it," create a viewing schedule on your calendar with exactly which shows or movies you will watch on specific days.

Step 7: Make Chinese Content the Default

When you plop down on the couch after a long day of work, you may find it difficult to muster the motivation to watch something in Chinese instead of English. You can avoid the need for willpower by making Chinese content the default option. Create a new Netflix profile that only includes Mandarin content in your watch next queue.

Step 8: Change the Netflix Interface to Chinese

Changing the Netflix language to Chinese provides highly contextual reading practice between your videos. The change to the interface language only affects your profile, so don’t worry about freaking out your spouse, parents, children, roommates, etc.

Here’s how to change your Netflix interface language to Chinese:

1. On the login page, select Manage Profiles.

2. Select the pencil icon on your profile image.

3. Select 中文 from the Language dropdown.

4. Select Save and then Done.

Voilà! All the menus and show descriptions will  now be in Chinese!

And not to worry; here’s how to change back to English if you find that using Netflix in Chinese is too difficult for your current level:

• Select 管理使用者 (Manage Profiles) on the login screen.

• Select the pencil icon on your profile image.

• Select English from the 語言 (Language) dropdown.

• Select 儲存 (Save) and then 完成 (Done).

Recommended Mandarin-Language TV Shows on Netflix

Below you will find some of my favorite Mandarin-language TV programs available on Netflix U.S., arranged in alphabetical order. Each recommendation includes:

• A brief overview of the show.

• The names of key characters in pinyin and characters.

• A  direct link to stream it online.

• A content rating (e.g. TV-14).

• The genre.

• The release date.

• A rating from IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes.

3 Body Problem

3 Body Problem, or Sān-tǐ (三體 · 三体) in Mandarin, is an epic science fiction series based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Liú Cí-xīn (劉慈欣 · 刘慈欣). The story follows humanity's first contact with an alien civilization from the Trisolaris system, whose chaotic planetary orbits create extreme and unpredictable climates. As scientists uncover the mysteries of this distant world, they grapple with the potential threat to Earth and the ethical dilemmas of interstellar communication. The series weaves together elements of physics, sociology, and political intrigue, offering a gripping exploration of humanity's place in the cosmos and the profound implications of encountering intelligent life beyond our planet.

Though series is mostly presented in English, there is enough Mandarin to make it worth watching. Or better yet, you can just change the audio to Mandarin!

Rating: TV-MA  |  Genre: Sci-Fi  |  Release Date: 2024  |  IMBD: 7.5/10

Take My brother Away

Take my Brother Away, or Kuài Bǎ Wǒ Gē Dài Zǒu (快把我哥带走), is a goofy comedy based on a comic book of the same name. The story centers on Shí Fēn (時分) and Shí Miǎo (時秒), a brother and sister (in high school and middle school respectively) who are constantly bickering and teasing one another.

Rating: TV-14  |  Genre: Comedy  |  Release Date: 2018  |  IMBD: 7.9/10

The Legend of Bruce Lee

The Legend of Bruce Lee, or Lǐ Xiǎo-lóng Chuán-qí (李小龍傳奇), is a loosely biographical series about the life of famed martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, Lǐ Xiǎo-lóng Chuán-qí (李小龍). The 50-episode show extends from his high school years in Hong Kong, to his new life in the U.S., to his rise to fame, and his untimely death.

Rating: TV-14  |  Genre: Action, Biography  |  Release Date: 2008  |  IMBD: 7.0/10

The Perfect Match

The Perfect Match, or Jí Pǐn Júe Pèi (極品絕配) in Mandarin, is a Taiwanese romantic comedy series centered around HUÒ Tíng-ēn (霍廷恩), a renowned chef who trained at Le Cordon Bleu and owns a high-end restaurant called La Mure, and WÈI Fēn-qīng (衛芬青 · 卫芬青), a chef at a popular night market food stall.

Rating: TV-14  |  Genre: Romantic Comedy  |  Release Date: 2017  |  IMBD: 7.8/10

The Victims' Game

The Victims' Game, or Sheí shì Bèi-hài-zhě (誰是被害者) in Mandarin, is a Taiwanese thriller starring Zhāng Xiào-quán (張孝全) as Fāng Yì-rèn (方毅任, Joseph Chang), a forensic scientist with Asperger’s, and Xǔ Wěi-níng (許瑋甯, Ann Hsu) as the investigative journalist Xú Hǎi-yīn (徐海茵). The two work together to crack a case involving Fang’s estranged daughter and her possible link to a string of murders.

Rating: TV-MA  |  Genre: Thriller  |  Release Date: 2020  |  IMBD: 7.3/10

Recommended Mandarin-Language Movies on Netflix

American Factory

For years, American companies have been moving operations to China to cut manufacturing costs. The model is flipped on its head when CÁO Dé-wàng (曹德旺), a Chinese billionaire and founder of industrial glassmaker Fú-yào (福耀), decides to reopen a previously shuttered General Motors plant in Moraine, Ohio. Though enthusiasm initially soars on both sides, cultures begin to clash between blue-collar American workers and their wealthy white-collar Chinese bosses.

Rating: TV-14  |  Genre: Documentary  |  Release Date: 2019  |  IMBD: 7.4/10

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, or Jīng-wǔ Fēng-yún Chén-zhēn (精武風雲 · 陳真) in Mandarin, is a 2010 Hong Kong martial arts film starring ZHĒN Zi-dān (甄子丹, Donnie Yen) as Chén Zhēn (陳真, 陈真) set in 1930s Shanghai in the tumultuous days before the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II.

The movie can be thought of as a sequel to the 1994 film Fist of Legend starring Jet Li. That movie, in turn, is a remake of the 1972 film Fist of Fury with Bruce Lee, who first popularized the character Chen Zhen.

Following the events in Fist of Legend, Chen flees to Europe to hide out and ends up fighting the Germans in France during World War I as part of a group of Chinese-born soldiers. Afterwards, he returns to China under the identity of a comrade who was killed in action, and begins a new double life.

He joins an underground movement to resist Japanese incursions into China, and runs around in a black mask spying on the Japanese, thwarting their plans, and beating up baddies.

Rating: R  |  Genre: Action, Historical Drama  |  Release Date: 2023  |  IMBD: 6.2/10

Secret

Secret, or Bù-néng Shuō de Mì-mì (不能說的秘密, lit. “The Secret That Cannot Be Told”) in Mandarin, is a Taiwanese film about YÈ Xiāng-lún (葉湘倫 · 叶湘伦), a piano prodigy played by ZHŌU Jié-lún (周杰倫 · 周杰伦, Jay Chou), who falls for fellow pianist LÙ Xiǎo-yǔ (路小雨), played by GUÌ Lún-měi (桂綸鎂 · 桂纶镁).

Rating: PG  |  Genre: Romance  |  Release Date: 2007  |  IMBD: 7.5/10

The Great Magician

The Great Magician, or Dà Mó-shù-shī (大魔術師 · 大魔术师) in Mandarin, is a 2011 action comedy set in 1920s Beijing in the warlord period following the fall of the Qing Dynasty. The story centers on Zhāng Xián (张贤, Chang Hsien), a mó-shù-shī (魔術師 · 魔术师, “magician”) who returns to China after time overseas only to discover that his fiancée has been kidnapped by a warlord set on making her his seventh wife. The movie stars:

• LIÁNG Cháo-wěi (梁朝偉 · 梁朝伟, Tony Leung) as the magician Zhāng Xián (张贤, Chang Hsien)

• LIÚ Qīng-yún (劉青雲 · 刘青云, Sean Lau) as the warlord Léi Dà-niú (雷大牛), 

• ZHŌU Xùn (周迅) as Liǔ Yīn (柳茵), Zhang’s fiancée and the warlord’s concubine

Rating: TV-14  |  Genre: action / fantasy / comedy  |  Release Date: 2011  |  IMBD: 5.9/10

Using Netflix to learn Mandarin Chinese combines entertainment with education, making language learning a more dynamic and engaging process. It bridges the gap between language study and real-world application, providing learners with a practical and enjoyable way to improve their Mandarin skills. With consistency, the right approach, and a mix of supplemental resources, Netflix can become an indispensable tool in your language-learning arsenal.

So make some popcorn, grab your remote, and start learning Mandarin through the vibrant world of Chinese cinema and television!

P.S. Hungry for more Chinese resources? Check out my detailed immersion guide Master Mandarin: How to Learn Mandarin Chinese Anywhere in the World.