As "TikTok refugees" flood to Chinese site RedNote, language learning app Duolingo has reported an over 200% spike in people learning 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,

TikTok U.S. users have been learning Chinese on Duolingo in increasing numbers amid their adoption of a Chinese social app called RedNote ahead of the

All signs point to TikTok shutting down in the United States on Sunday due to the ban that's set to go into effect after the platform failed to find a new

Millions are joining RedNote ahead of the TikTok ban. But the app’s default language is Mandarin. “Oh so NOW you’re learning mandarin,” Duolingo tweeted on Monday.

The company confirmed to CNBC that there's been a 216% increase in Mandarin learners using the app compared to a year earlier. For context, Spanish, one of the most popular languages on the app, has seen a 40% increase over the same period, Duolingo said.

Millions of users are now turning to REDNote, a Chinese app where Mandarin content reigns supreme. Duolingo is ramping up its AI-powered Mandarin video calling feature.

Yes, the language-learning app has been the big winner amid TikTok’s impending demise and it’s mostly due to spite. According to the app, Duolingo has seen a 216 percent growth in users learning Mandarin Chinese over the last year, which is tied to the growing popularity of RedNote.

Americans are running to the language app to learn Mandarin as they flood Chinese app RedNote in response to the looming TikTok ban.

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.

This surge in interest comes as TikTok faces a ban in the US that will take place on Sunday, January 19. With TikTok potentially shutting its doors, American users are turning to a similar app called RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu), a Chinese social media platform.