Chinese Language Resources for Soccer Lovers

Are you watching the FIFA World Cup right now? If so, why not turn every match into a Chinese learning opportunity?

One of the best ways to improve your language skills is to build a Chinese-language environment around something you already love—and soccer (football) is the perfect choice.

#1. Songs

#2. Vocabulary

Here are some essential soccer terms in Chinese to help you follow match commentary, news, and fan discussions.

Suitable language level: Beginner

Suitable age: All ages

#3. Stories

The German Father and Son comic strips require little language translation because they are almost entirely wordless. That makes its stories perfect for language beginners. Listen to this ‘The Football Match in the Photo‘ story in Chinese. 

Time: 1 minute

Suitable age: All ages

Suitable language level: Beginner

A gentle introduction to soccer for young learners, this ‘Spot Plays Soccer‘ story follows a group of animal friends as they enjoy a friendly match. 

Time: 3 minutes

Suitable age: Young learners

Suitable language level: Beginner

Peppa and her friends abandon a game of tennis because they don’t have enough racquets. They organize a “girls against boys” football match. Enjoy this ‘Peppa Plays Football/Soccer‘ story in Mandarin Chinese. 

Time: 5 minutes

Suitable age: Young learners

Suitable language level: Intermediate

#4. Anime

‘Captain Tsubasa’ (Chinese: 足球小子) is a Japanese manga and anime series centred around the sport of football/soccer. The story follows Tsubasa, a young football captain, and explores his friendships, rivalries, training, competitions, and the exciting action and outcomes of each match.Watch this 40-episode series dubbed in Mandarin Chinese.

Time: 20 minutes per episode, 40 episodes in total

Suitable age: All ages

Suitable language level: Advanced

Swift Strike (Chinese: 疾风劲射) tells the story of Ji Feng, a boy with a rebellious personality but great sporting talent. He runs away from the airport and meets a youth football coach in Spain by chance. 

Time: 15 minutes per episode, 26 episodes for Season 1

Suitable age: Young learners

Suitable language level: Advanced

#5. Film

Shaolin Soccer (Chinese: 少林足球) is a 2001 Hong Kong sports comedy film. The film revolves around a former Shaolin monk who applied superhuman martial arts skills to play soccer and bring Shaolin kung fu to the masses. Watch the highlight scene in Chinese below.

Time: 15 minutes

Suitable age: Adult learners

Suitable language level: Advanced