Tone 1
妈mā
mother
Hold it level. Higher than you think.
High and flat
Mandarin · Klong Toey, Bangkok
Learn Chinese in Bangkok. Tones first.
Mandarin taught by certified teachers on Ratchadapisek Road. Pinyin and tones before characters, characters before theory, and real conversation from the first weeks. Course plus Education Visa support from 24,500 THB.
Week one, lesson one
One syllable.
Four different words.
This is the part people are warned about, and it is the part we teach first, because every word you learn afterwards sits on top of it. Say ma four ways and you have said four unrelated things.
Tone 2
麻má
hemp
Like the end of an English question.
Rising
Tone 3
马mǎ
horse
The one everyone flattens. We fix it early.
Dip, then rise
Tone 4
骂mà
to scold
Short, and it drops all the way down.
Sharp fall
Nobody hears all four on day one. Everybody hears all four by the time it matters. That is what the first weeks of the course are for.
What you actually learn
Sound, then symbol,
then conversation.
The order is deliberate. Most people who stall in Mandarin stalled because they met the characters before their ear was ready, or met the grammar before their mouth was.
Pinyin and tones
Sound before symbol.
You start with the romanisation and the four tones, so that from the first lessons you can say a word and be understood, and hear a word and know which one it was. Get this right and everything after it is ordinary work. Get it wrong and you spend years being politely misunderstood.
Characters
Then the writing system, in pieces.
Characters are not memorised one impenetrable block at a time. They are built from parts that repeat, so once you know the parts you can take a new character apart and put it back together. We teach the parts first, the same way we teach the tones first.
- 女+子=好hǎogoodwoman + child
- 日+月=明míngbrightsun + moon
- 木+木=林línwoodstree + tree
Real conversation
Then the part you came for.
Ordering, negotiating, small talk that goes somewhere, and the kind of sentence you need in a meeting when the pleasantries are over. If you are learning Mandarin for work you get the register that work uses. If you are learning it because you like the culture, you get the language people actually speak in it. Most students want some of both, and nobody is asked to choose.
Levels and structure
Beginner to advanced,
on material we wrote.
One continuous course rather than a shelf of unrelated products. Beginner and advanced classes run at the same time, so you join at your own level at any point rather than waiting for the next intake.
Beginnerwherever you actually areAdvanced
Where you start
At zero, or where you stopped
Complete beginners start at pinyin and the tones. If you already have some Mandarin, whether from a year of evening classes, a Chinese partner or a job that forced it on you, we place you where you actually are rather than where a form says you should be.
What you work from
Our own textbooks
We wrote the material ourselves, so it is built around what you need to say rather than around a syllabus imported from somewhere else. The book is yours to keep, and it is the same book your teacher is working from.
What you leave with
A certificate of completion
You finish with a certificate carrying the school name on it. Useful for an employer, for the next school, and for the next conversation with immigration.
Not sure where you would land? Send us two lines about what you can already say. We will tell you honestly, before you pay for anything.
Fees
Three durations.
All of them include the visa.
Published, not quoted on request. Each figure is the school fee for the Chinese course and the Education Visa support that goes with it, for the whole duration.
Chinese course + ED Visa
4 months
24,500 THB
The shortest Chinese enrolment. Course and Education Visa support for 4 months.
Chinese course + ED Visa
8 months
44,000 THB
Long enough to get past the tones and well into characters, with 8 months of legal stay.
Chinese course + ED Visa
12 months
57,000 THB
The longest Chinese enrolment we file. Same course, same teachers, a full year of it.
What the fee covers
- The Chinese course for the full duration you choose
- Education Visa support, filed by us as your school
- The enrolment documents, prepared and checked with you before they are filed
What it does not
- Immigration renewal fees. The stamp is renewed at immigration in 2 to 3 month blocks and you pay those fees there, not to us.
Full detail of the visa itself, the timeline and the refund policy lives on the ED Visa guide.
In the room
How the classes
actually run.
Adults, in a room, being made to speak. No app streak, no gamified vocabulary, no video course you will abandon in March.
Timetable
Monday to Thursday, 10am to 12pm
Classes run every week and you join the one that fits. There is no intake date to wait for. The full grid is in the FAQ below.
Taught by certified teachers
People who teach Mandarin professionally, not between other jobs. They hear the tone you actually produced rather than the one you meant, which is the whole difference between practising and improving.
Small enough that you talk
Classes are kept small on purpose. In a big room you can go a whole session without speaking, and speaking is the only part that moves the needle. Here you are going to be asked, repeatedly.
A book, not a photocopy
Every session runs on our own material, so lessons connect to the one before and the one after instead of arriving as loose handouts. You keep the book when the course ends.
80% attendance, and 80% means 80%
The course requires you to attend 80% of it. Sick days count inside that 80% rather than being excused on top of it, so leave a real margin. Taking a break is fine as long as you finish above the line.
The second reason people enrol
The Chinese course
carries the Education Visa.
Studying Mandarin here qualifies you for Education Visa support, which is how a lot of our students stay in Thailand legally while they learn. We file it as your school, prepare the paperwork with you, and then we actually hold the classes the visa says you are attending. The visa support is already inside the course fee. It is not a separate line on the bill.
The stamp itself is renewed at immigration in 2 to 3 month blocks, which is standard for every ED Visa in Thailand. You report there in person every 60 to 90 days; there is no passport drop-off service, and the renewal fees are paid at immigration rather than to us.
0%
Approval rate on the applications we file
0months
Legal stay on the longest Chinese enrolment
Yours
The paperwork is prepared and checked with you, not handed over
From the classrooms
Heard from people who
already did this.
One came in with years of Mandarin behind her. One came in for the culture and got the language with it. Both are real, and there are only two here because there are only two.
I've been studying Mandarin for years, but the Chinese course took my language skills to the next level. The instructors are knowledgeable and passionate.
I've always been interested in Chinese culture, and the Chinese course provided the perfect opportunity to learn both language and culture simultaneously. The teachers are excellent and the classes are engaging.
BKK Language School is a gem for anyone looking to learn Thai. The curriculum is well-structured, the teachers are passionate, and the overall experience is enriching.
As someone new to Bangkok, enrolling here was one of the best decisions I made. The staff went above and beyond to make me feel at home, and the classes were both challenging and rewarding.
The English course exceeded my expectations in every way. The classes were engaging, the materials were relevant, and the teachers were phenomenal. I’ve seen a noticeable improvement in my English skills since starting.
I’ve always struggled with English, but the course here made it enjoyable and accessible. The interactive lessons really helped me grasp difficult concepts.
Before you message us
The questions
we actually get.
Straight answers, including the two that are a plain no. Nothing here routes you to a sales call to find out a number.
Do I need to know any Chinese before I start?
No. Complete beginners start at pinyin and the four tones, which is exactly why the course starts there. It is built for someone who has never said a word of Mandarin. If you already have some, we place you where you actually are rather than making you sit through the beginning again.
Do I have to learn characters?
Characters are part of the course, but they are not where you begin. You start in pinyin so that you can speak and be understood early, and characters come in once your ear is doing its job. They are taught in components that repeat, so each new character is mostly made of parts you already know.
When do the Chinese classes run?
Monday to Thursday, 10am to 12pm. That is one beginner group, 4 mornings a week, 8 hours in total, and it is the same every week.
| Days | Time | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Mon to Thu | Beginner |
Up to 8 hours a week, depending on the level. The school is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
There is no term and no fixed intake. The timetable repeats every week, so you start in the week that suits you rather than waiting for the next cohort. Most people join a beginner class, and joining part-way through a chapter is normal at that level.
Who teaches the Chinese classes?
Certified teachers who teach Mandarin professionally. Classes are kept small enough that you are asked to speak in every session, which is the part that actually moves your level.
Does the Chinese course qualify for the Education Visa?
Yes. We file the Education Visa as your school, prepare and check the application with you, and support you through each extension. On the Chinese course that is up to 12 months of legal stay in Thailand, with a 99.9% approval rate on the applications we file. You report to immigration in person every 60 to 90 days. There is no passport drop-off service.
Read the full ED Visa guideWhat does the Chinese course cost?
24,500 THB for 4 months, 44,000 THB for 8 months, or 57,000 THB for 12 months. Each one is a package price covering the Chinese course and the Education Visa support that goes with it, for the whole duration. Payment is upfront and in full, with no installment plan, and the fee does not cover the renewal fees you pay at immigration.
See what the fee coversDo you prepare students for the HSK exam?
No. We do not run HSK preparation, we do not run any other official exam preparation, and we are not partnered with a testing organisation. This is a private language school teaching practical, everyday Mandarin on its own programs, and it issues its own certificates. If a recognised HSK score is what you need, a test-prep centre will serve you better than we will.
Is there an age limit or a nationality restriction?
No to both. There is no age limit and no nationality is excluded. Every application is still assessed case by case, and the assessment is made from your passport. Send us the photo page and your Thai entry stamps from the last 2 years and we will tell you where you stand before you pay anything.
How much of the course do I have to attend, and can I switch language later?
80% attendance is required, and sick days count inside that 80% rather than being excused on top of it. Taking a break is fine as long as you finish above the line. You cannot switch study language part-way through, so choose Chinese, Thai or English before you enrol rather than after.
What documents do I get from the school?
A certificate of completion at the end, and a Certificate of Study while you are enrolled. We do not issue residence certificates. Those come from an embassy or from immigration, not from a school. We do not issue student ID cards either.
One message, that is the whole process
Say 你好 and
we take it from there.
Tell us how much Mandarin you already have and whether you need the visa. No form, no callback queue, no account to create. Just a chat with the people who run the classes.
Message usLINE, Telegram and WeChat ID LINE @046povnk · Telegram @bkklangsch_bot · hello@bkklanguageschool.com
Lake Rajada Office Complex, Ratchadapisek Road, Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110
Or go back to the Bangkok Language School homepage to see all three courses side by side.