"First of all, the Chinese are so nice, they're so sweet and so welcoming. They've over here teaching us Mandarin."

Duolingo has seen a surge in U.S. Mandarin learners as TikTok users explore Chinese social app RedNote amid a looming ban.

The threat of TikTok going dark in the US appears to have compelled some Americans to start learning Mandarin as they look to communicate on a rival Chinese app. Many Americans are joining RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu,