Which level should we start with?
A practical guide to the six Little NiHao levels, with ages, word counts and a simple decision rule.
Short answer: start at Seedling (3–4) if your child is brand new to Chinese and has never read a pinyin book; start at Sprout (4–5) if they already know a few characters; move up one level when the child can read most of the pages without help.
The six levels at a glance
| Seedling | 3–4 · 27 words · 19 pages |
| Sprout | 4–5 · 35 words · 19 pages |
| Bud | 5–6 · 52 words · 27 pages |
| Bloom | 6–7 · 72 words · 27 pages |
| Branch | 7–8 · 91 words · 27 pages |
| Root | 8+ · 89 words · 27 pages |
A simple decision rule
Read the first three pages of the free 你好 · Hello book with your child. If they ask you to keep going, the level is right or one level too easy. If they lose interest or you have to translate every word, try one level down. If they can read it fluently, move up.
Do not rush the levels
Each level revisits vocabulary from the previous one. The same characters return in new stories, which is how the reading becomes automatic. A child who rereads Seedling for a month is doing the work correctly.
What is YCT?
The Youth Chinese Test is a standard vocabulary framework for young learners. Little NiHao sequences its words to YCT and HSK 3.0, but the books do not teach to a test. They teach a story; the vocabulary follows.
Get 你好 · Hello