That's why I really don't recommend Duolingo to anyone. It feels like they google translate solution. My favorite example against Duolingo: 「私はりんごです」 was translated to: "I'm an apple." Which technically isn't incorrect but it's ridiculous and they probably ment to put it like in an answer to a question. "What fruit do you like?" - "As for me an apple"
Btw why is there so much hiragana in this sentence? I understand they try to make it easy for beginners but seriously it's almost hard to read not to mention it can create bad habits.
I don't know a single word in Chinese but I'm almost sure it will be easier than starting "from scratch".
Kanji are Chinese characters adapted to the Japanese language. Knowing Chinese meaning should make it easier to remember those as from what I heard 80% has the same meaning in both languages. Kanji also have two or more readings, onyomi and kunyomi where the former is based on original Chinese pronunciation.
The writing should also be easier because if you can write Chinese that means that you will only have to learn hiragana and katakana.
But why just not give it a try? You don't have to commit to it right away. Even learning a little should bring you a new context and look to another culture. Those hours definitely won't be wasted.