The teacher's birthday cake has disappeared (老师的生日蛋糕不见了！). Who took it? Your child is the detective. Witnesses describe the person they saw, in Mandarin: 那个人穿着一件蓝色的衬衫 (that person was wearing a blue shirt), 那个人没有戴帽子 (that person wasn't wearing a hat). Your child listens, crosses out the people who don't match, and points at the one who is left: 就是他！
This game is a step up from our beginner games. It is made for children who already know some Chinese, and for teenagers who have been learning for a few years and want a real challenge. Every clue matters, and every clue is a full Chinese sentence.
Every clue stays in the detective's notebook, so your child can listen again as often as needed. Crossing out the wrong person costs a point; a game without mistakes earns a gold medal and moves up a level. There is no timer.
For children and teenagers aged about 10 to 16. Plays in the browser on a computer, tablet or phone (turn the phone sideways). Free, no account and no download.
| 汉字 | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 衬衫 | chènshān | shirt |
| T恤 | T xù | T-shirt |
| 外套 | wàitào | jacket |
| 裙子 | qúnzi | skirt |
| 裤子 | kùzi | trousers |
| 帽子 | màozi | hat, cap |
| 眼镜 | yǎnjìng | glasses |
| 书包 | shūbāo | school bag |
| 头发 | tóufa | hair |
| 长 / 短 | cháng / duǎn | long / short |
| 高 / 矮 | gāo / ǎi | tall / short |
| 胖 / 瘦 | pàng / shòu | chubby / thin |
| 学生 | xuésheng | student |
| 老师 | lǎoshī | teacher |
| 厨师 | chúshī | cook |
| 图书馆 | túshūguǎn | library |
| 操场 | cāochǎng | sports field |
| 食堂 | shítáng | canteen |
| 办公室 | bàngōngshì | office |
小侦探，快来！老师的生日蛋糕不见了！Xiǎo zhēntàn, kuài lái! Lǎoshī de shēngrì dàngāo bú jiàn le! Little detective, come quickly! The teacher's birthday cake is gone!
那个人穿着一件红色的外套。Nà ge rén chuānzhe yí jiàn hóngsè de wàitào. That person was wearing a red jacket.
那个人没有背书包。Nà ge rén méiyǒu bēi shūbāo. That person didn't have a school bag.
那个人比小红矮。Nà ge rén bǐ Xiǎo Hóng ǎi. That person is shorter than Xiao Hong.
下午三点的时候，那个人不在食堂。Xiàwǔ sān diǎn de shíhou, nà ge rén bú zài shítáng. At three in the afternoon, that person was not in the canteen.
对不起，是我拿的。我只是想借一下！Duìbuqǐ, shì wǒ ná de. Wǒ zhǐshì xiǎng jiè yíxià! Sorry, I took it. I only wanted to borrow it!
Little Detective works well on a big screen in class: the group discusses every clue in Chinese before anyone crosses out a suspect. At home, start with the practice mode to hear all the words with example sentences, then try level 1 and work up to level 3.
In a live online lesson, a teacher plays games like this with your child and gets them speaking Chinese out loud, from the first lesson.
试听课 Try a lesson