Chinese (Mandarin) classes at Klick — how they work
Mandarin from the first tone to HSK 2, five levels of two months each. Chinese companies, factories and contractors across Ethiopia hire in a market where almost nobody speaks the language — and the ones who do get moved from the floor to the front of the room.
Every level is two months: three sessions a week, two hours each, about 48 hours of class. You pay ETB 10,000 per level, level by level, and you decide at the end of each level whether to carry on. Classes run at both campuses, Mexico (Sengatera Building, 19th floor) and CMC Michael (11th floor), and a new class starts every two weeks.
Who it’s for
- People working with Chinese employers — on sites, in factories, in offices and in logistics
- Traders and importers — who buy from China and negotiate through a middleman today
- Scholarship and study applicants — who need a language base before applying to study in China
- Hotel and hospitality staff — serving Chinese guests and business travellers
- Drivers, coordinators and interpreters — who want the pay a second language brings
Not sure where you are? Take the free placement test: six questions, about two minutes, and it tells you which level to start at. You can take it in person at either campus instead. Complete beginners skip it and start at Level 1. Register online in two minutes.
What you will learn
The 5 levels — two months each
| Level | Focus | What you can do at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 · Pinyin, Tones & Everyday Speaking | Speaking and listening: pinyin, the four tones, greetings, numbers, money, time, food, directions, family | Greet someone, introduce yourself, say a price, order food and ask your way |
| Level 2 · HSK 1 Ready | The first 150 words, 40+ characters, a full mock test | Sit HSK 1 with a mock exam already behind you |
| Level 3 · Conversation | Daily routine, describing work, asking for things | Hold a short conversation with a Chinese colleague |
| Level 4 · Reading & Writing | 150 more characters, sentence patterns, short notices | Read a sign or a short message and write a simple one |
| Level 5 · HSK 2 Ready | 300-word review, workplace Chinese, second mock test | Sit HSK 2, and handle everyday exchanges at work |
One level is two months. Nobody becomes fluent in two months, and we will not tell you otherwise. What a level buys you is the list above, and the confidence to use it.
Want the whole thing to read later or send to someone? Download the course outline (PDF, 3 pages) — every level, class times, fees and a QR code to register.
Class Schedules
All shifts meet 3 times per week for 2-hour sessions. Times are Ethiopian (local) time, with the international time beside each.
What you leave with
- Speak and understand everyday Mandarin: greetings, numbers, prices, directions, time
- Handle the exchanges a workday is made of with Chinese colleagues and managers
- Read and write the first 300 characters and words
- Sit HSK 1 and HSK 2 having already done a full mock test in class
- Negotiate a purchase yourself instead of paying someone to do it for you
- Apply for study in China with a language base behind your application
And a recording. Klick is a film school, so every level ends with a filmed showcase: 60 seconds of you using the language, recorded at the start of the level and again at the end. It is the one kind of proof a certificate cannot give you.
Practise free before you enrol
There is a free drill area on this site — no signup, nothing to pay — with a tone-recognition drill, character matching, a tracing pad for writing hanzi with your finger, and a speaking drill that scores you. Meanings are in Amharic, and it covers roughly the ground of Level 1.
It is an honest way to find out whether you enjoy studying Mandarin before you pay for a level of it, and a way to hold what you have between classes. It is not a replacement for the class: no drill can correct the sentence you invented or answer the question you did not know how to ask.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ethiopia trades with China every day, through interpreters. Ten months of Mandarin puts you on the other side of that conversation — and there are far fewer people competing for those jobs than for any creative one.