Following the U.S. ban on TikTok, many users have started adopting the Chinese social app, RedNote. This shift has sparked a growing interest in learning Mandarin, leading to a 216% increase in Mandarin learners on the Duolingo app, according to a report by TechCrunch.
The TikTok ban is set to take effect on January 19, under which TikTok will be removed from U.S. app stores, and users will no longer be able to access it without a VPN. As a result, over 700 million TikTok users are migrating to RedNote.
Since Mandarin is the primary language of RedNote, many American users are turning to Duolingo for language learning. Duolingo has reported a significant increase in Mandarin learners compared to last year, with the trend accelerating since RedNote’s adoption in mid-January.
In a lighthearted response, Duolingo posted a TikTok video featuring its mascot preparing to “move to China,” with the caption, “Moving to China and learning Mandarin on Duolingo.” The video has garnered over 500,000 likes.
According to AppFigures, Duolingo’s downloads have surged by 36% since the beginning of January, indicating that users are exploring various Chinese social apps before committing to RedNote.
Currently, Duolingo ranks 22nd on the top app list in the App Store.
