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Amid the looming threat of a TikTok ban in the United States, many Americans are flocking to the Chinese app RedNote (Xiaohongshu) and picking up Mandarin to navigate the platform. This migration has triggered a surge in Mandarin learners on language apps like Duolingo and Drops.
Duolingo reported a 216% increase in new Mandarin learners in the US compared to the same period last year. This growth significantly outpaced that of other popular languages, such as Spanish, which saw a 40% rise. Many new users cited TikTok as their reason for joining, marking a direct link between the social media transition and language learning.
Similarly, Drops, an Estonia-based language app, noted a sharp increase in users learning Mandarin. General Manager Frederik Cordes highlighted that US-based learners of Chinese tripled in recent days, with external factors like TikTok's uncertain future likely driving this trend.
On TikTok itself, users shared their early attempts at Mandarin, showcasing simple phrases and captions like, “Me after literally 2 hours on RedNote.” One video featured a user introducing her cat in Chinese, while another aimed to be a “more respectful RedNote user” by learning the language.
RedNote’s sudden popularity in the US also prompted a reverse trend, with Chinese users on the app learning English from their American counterparts. According to Reuters, RedNote gained over 700,000 new users in just two days - a fraction of TikTok’s 170 million US users but still a notable increase.
The migration to RedNote underscores a unique cultural exchange as Americans adapt to a platform primarily catering to a Chinese audience. Noël Wolf, a cultural expert, described this as “an unprecedented level of direct cultural exchange facilitated by language learning.”
Source: SCMP
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