US TikTok ‘refugees’ flock to Duolingo for learning Mandarin

By Phong Ngo January 28, 2025 | 05:50 pm PT

Americans have turned to the language-learning app Duolingo to study Mandarin and the Chinese social app RedNote as a potential alternative to TikTok, which recently faced a temporary ban in the U.S.

Tiktok, used by 170 million Americans, ceased operations on Jan. 19 and was removed from the Apple and Google app stores ahead of a federal ban set to take effect on Jan 20.

However, TikTok began restoring its services late on Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to revive the app’s access upon his return to power on Monday, according to Reuters.

In recent days leading to the ban, more than 700 million TikTok users have shifted to RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, TechCrunch reported.

Shanghai-based RedNote operates primarily in Mandarin.

RedNote and Duolingo mobile icons. Photo courtesy of Duolingo's Instagram

Duolingo reported 216% year-on-year growth in January in new Mandarin learners, with a sharp spike in mid-January as RedNote gained popularity.

Duolingo’s internal survey revealed a corresponding rise in new users citing "TikTok" as their motivation for joining.

Capitalizing on the trend, the company joked on social media, posting on X: "Oh so NOW you’re learning Mandarin."

One of its TikTok videos, featuring the brand’s owl mascot heading to China with the caption "me because I’d rather move to China & learn Mandarin on Duolingo," has garnered over half a million likes.

Another video teaching Mandarin phrases for "TikTok refugees" has surpassed 620,000 likes.

Duolingo has also climbed the app charts. As of Jan. 15 it stood in 22^nd place in the list of apps and 20th among non-gaming apps.