Boasting a whopping 1.06 billion users, the Chinese social media market is the largest in the world. Yet, it remains one of the least understood by those outside of it. As you may know, China has a firewall that blocks access to Western social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. China’s social media landscape has therefore evolved separately and very differently from the rest of the world’s, neither particularly attracting nor targeting users in other countries. However, discussions of a TikTok ban in the U.S. last month suddenly led millions of Americans to discover Xiaohongshu, China’s Instagram-Pinterest-TikTok hybrid app now known as RedNote. Charmed by the platform’s welcoming community, many of these ‘TikTok refugees’ have since decided to stay. 

If that includes you, then you will be delighted to hear that you have just scratched the surface of the Chinese social media world! Beyond RedNote, there is still a whole range of exciting Chinese social media platforms to explore, and this article will be your best friend as you do so. Read on for an overview of China’s unique social media landscape, as well as a guide to all the most important Chinese social media vocabulary you will need to get navigate the apps in their original language.

Which are the top social media platforms in China?

WeChat (微信 – wēixìn)

WeChat (微信) is China’s all-in-one super-app, combining messaging, social media, mobile payments, and much more in a single platform. With over 1.3 billion monthly active users, WeChat is so far the most popular social media platform in China. It was launched by Tencent in 2011 originally as just a messaging app similar to WhatsApp, but has since evolved to integrate features such as a Facebook-like social feed called “Moments” (朋友圈), short videos channels (视频号), the mobile payment system WeChat Pay (微信支付), and various mini-programs (小程序). Today, everything from hailing a cab to buying cinema tickets can be done from just within this single app, and exchanging WeChat QR codes rather than phone numbers has become the norm when meeting new people. 

Weibo (微博 – wēibó)

Weibo (微博), launched in 2009 by Sina Corporation, is China’s largest microblogging platform, with over 580 million monthly active users. It is often compared to X (Twitter) as unlike WeChat, which prioritizes private communication, Weibo is an open platform where users publicly engage with trending topics and discussions. Also, similar to on X, posts on Weibo are subject to a 140-character limit.

Douyin (抖音 – dǒuyīn)

Douyin (抖音) is the Chinese version of TikTok, owned by ByteDance,  and the leading short-video platform in China, with over 700 million monthly active users. ByteDance launched Douyin in 2016, a year before TikTok, as a separate social app made exclusively for and geo-restricted to the Chinese market. The Douyin app largely shares the same interface as TikTok but is more multi-functional, featuring, for example, more advanced e-commerce integration, which allows users to shop directly from livestreams and videos.  

QQ

QQ was launched by Tencent in 1999 as one of China’s earliest instant messenger platforms, similar to MSN or Skype. While it has lost some prominence since the rise of WeChat, it remains the second-largest social media platform in China with over 700 million monthly active users, most of whom are Gen Z. It has also evolved since the early days to integrate features various features like the social networking space Qzone, online social games, music, and shopping. QQ tends to be popular at the workplace too, since it has a desktop version and also supports the transmission of large files.

Xiaohongshu (小红书 – xiǎohóngshū)

Xiaohongshu (小红书), which means “little red book”, is a lifestyle-content-focused Chinese social media platform often described as a mix of Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok. It was founded in 2013 and has since attracted over 300 million users – a demographic that has typically been mostly young, urban, and female but is growing increasingly diverse. Many Chinese people use Xiaohongshu almost as a search engine, most commonly for beauty, fashion, travel, and food recommendations. The platform recently saw a surge in popularity among overseas users, most of whom now know it by its new English name, ‘RedNote’. 

Bilibili (哔哩哔哩 – bìlībìlī)

Bilibili, also known by its nickname B站 (B Site), is a video-sharing platform similar to YouTube but particularly known for its strong anime, gaming, and youth culture focus. Founded in 2009, it started as a niche site for anime fans but has since expanded into a mainstream platform with over 340 million monthly active users. Bilibili’s focus on long-form videos sets it apart from short video platforms like Douyin and also makes it an excellent listening practice resource for advanced Chinese learners. See this post for more about how to learn Chinese through Bilibili and this one for our top Bilibili vlog channel recommendations for Chinese learners!

Essential Vocabulary for Navigating Chinese Social Media Platforms

Now that you have a good overview of the top social media platforms in China, the next step is to learn how to navigate them. In this section, we have collected all the most essential vocabulary you need to ‘like’ (点赞), ‘share’ (分享), and ‘follow’ (关注) on Chinese social media like a native – followed by further explanations of some more uniquely Chinese internet terminology, such as the notion of a “internet celebrity” (网红), for the advanced Mandarin learner.

Chinese Vocabulary about Digital Media and Social Media

Chinese Vocabulary for Types of Digital Media and Social Media Content

Chinese Vocabulary for Types of Social Media Interactions

Chinese Vocabulary for Setting up a Social Media Account

Chinese Vocabulary for Navigating the Social Media Platform Interface

Advanced Chinese Social Media Vocabulary Explained 

Because Chinese social media platforms have evolved so separately from the rest of the world’s, some Mandarin social media terminology is unique to the Chinese context. Below are three examples…

网红 (wǎnghóng): “Internet Celebrity”

The term网红 (wǎnghóng) translates to “internet celebrity” or “online influencer” and is a combination of the characters网 (wǎng) for “internet” and 红 (hóng), which literally means “red” but can also mean “popular”. 网红 can range from beauty vloggers and lifestyle influencers to food bloggers and even experts in niche fields, many of whom monetize their popularity through brand sponsorships, product endorsements, and livestream e-commerce.

带货 (dài huò): “Bringing Goods”

The phrase 带货 (dài huò) literally means “bringing goods” and refers to the increasingly popular practice in China of influencers promoting and selling products via social media. This strategy has become a dominant form of e-commerce in China, with platforms like Douyin enabling influencers to conduct real-time sales through 直播带货 (zhíbò dài huò), or “livestream selling.”

网民 (wǎngmín) and 网友 (wǎngyǒu): “Netizen”

In Chinese, the terms 网民 (wǎngmín), literally “netizen” or “net folks”, and 网友 (wǎngyǒu), literally “net friend” or “net mate”, are commonly used terms to describe “internet users”. Mainland China-based English language media often uses the English term ‘netizen’ as a translation of both these terms, which is why you much more frequently encounter it in association with Chinese internet and social media than other contexts.

Why should I learn Chinese social media terminology?

While most Chinese social media apps now allow you to change the language setting to English, we believe you, as a Mandarin learner, should aim to master them in their original language! These days we don’t just spend a lot of time being on social media, we also spend a fair amount of time talking about them – what accounts we “关注” (follow), the funny ” 短视频” (short video) we saw the other day, or that outrageous thing someone posted on their ”朋友圈” (WeChat moments). By learning Chinese social media terminology, you will be able to engage much more naturally and effortlessly in conversations with native speakers. 

Moreover, engaging with social media content in your target language is in itself an excellent language learning strategy, so mastering the Chinese apps will also boost your Mandarin learning toolkit! In a previous post, we shared ten tips for how to leverage RedNote (Xiaohongshu) for your language learning, and many of these are equally applicable to the other Chinese apps. Happy scrolling!

FAQs

What are the top social media platforms in China?

The top social media platforms in China include WeChat (微信) for messaging and social networking, Weibo (微博) for microblogging, Douyin (抖音) for short videos, Xiaohongshu (小红书) or ’RedNote’ for lifestyle content, and QQ for instant messaging.

Why does China have its own social media platforms?

China has its own social media platforms, such as WeChat and Douyin, because the country’s Great Firewall blocks access to Western apps like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, prompting the rise of domestic alternatives.

How do you say ‘like’ on social media in Chinese?

The word for ‘like’ on social media in Chinese is 点赞 (diǎnzàn). It can be both a verb (for example, “请给我的帖子点赞” – “Please like my post”) and a noun (for example, “请给我的帖子一个点赞” – “Please give my post a like”).

How do you say ‘comment’ on social media in Chinese?

The word for ‘comment’ on social media in Chinese is评论 (pínglùn). It can be both a verb (for example, “请在我的帖子下面评论” – “Please comment under my post”) and a noun (for example, “请在我的帖子下面留个评论” – “Please leave a comment under my post”). The comment section is referred to as 评论区 (pínglùn qū).

How do you say ‘follow’ on social media in Chinese?

The word for ‘follow’ on social media in Chinese is关注 (guānzhù). It is usually used as a verb (for example, “请关注我的账号” – “Please follow my account”). 

Author Bio:

Vivianne Zhang Wei is a Swedish-born Chinese social sciences graduate of University College London. Particularly interested in the ethnographic study of rural China, agriculture, and biopolitics, she has spent the past year travelling around and writing about farms in the Chinese countryside. Previously, she has also organised and taught non-profit English language summer camps for young students in rural China, won national awards in student journalism, and worked in the media and communications industry.