The language-learning app Duolingo has seen a surprising trend emerge, the closer we get to the TikTok ban -- there's been a 216% spike in US users learning Mandarin compared to this time last year.

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

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,

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

Duolingo reports that interest in learning Chinese (Mandarin) on the language learning app has increased by a whopping 216 percent among Americans compared to this time last year. This surge in interest comes as TikTok faces a ban in the US that will take place on Sunday,