How long does it take to learn to speak Chinese fluently?

China is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. Chinese Mandarin is a language based on central Mandarin; however, according to the most recent Ethnologue census, the total number of languages spoken in China is 302. This is also the official language of the nation. 71 per cent of Chinese speak a dialect of Mandarin known as “Putonghua.” The Nanjing Mandarin standard was eventually replaced in the imperial court during the last 50 years of the Qing Dynasty in the late 19th century by Beijing Mandarin. In the absence of a common mainstream type of Mandarin, non-Mandarin speakers in southern China continued to speak their ethnic dialects for all aspects of their lives, whilst the general population continued to speak variants of Mandarin. As a result, the new Beijing Mandarin court level remained relatively restricted. Chinese whether Mandarin or Cantonese, both share quite an unwanted reputation for being a hard language to learn besides Japanese! The language is tonal, and fluency requires mastering thousands of characters.

The FSI classification of languages, that put Chinese in the Level 5 languages, makes it seem like the toughest for English speakers, taking 2200 hours of study time, is by far the most intimidating fact to come across! But can you recollect any language that would have been a piece of cake to learn? No, right? 

After 88 weeks plus study time, FSI predicts a learner will reach “Speaking 3: General Professional Proficiency in Speaking (S3)” and “Reading 3: General Professional Proficiency in Reading (R3)”, with half of the time spent in a world where the language is spoken. However, this varies from person to person depending on a variety of variables. For eg, studying alone can take up to 5 years to achieve a certain degree of fluency, while the whole language-school system in China can be accomplished in less than 2 years.

According to studies, many people will learn Chinese in a year with a virtually full-time dedication and immersion instruction. Within a year, they could speak Chinese fluently.

We are all aware that knowledge is abundant, but willpower is not. One of the reasons most of them do not achieve fluency in Chinese or other languages is a lack of adequate transparency and instruction. Finding a mentor or teacher to lead you on your language learning experience would make it much easier.

Often, instead of only following the usual rules, strive to take advantage of any potential advantage to get to the target quicker.

Improve your listening skills with multiple online resources such as talk shows, Chinese news, audiobooks to name a few! 

Watch Chinese films with English subtitles and English films with Chinese subtitles to accelerate your learning.

Learn with songs, podcasts and anything that you can lay your hands on to get maximum of some spare time.

Set realistic goals!

Identify your unique style of learning that helps you ace the language.

Read aloud to clear your pronunciation 

Find a conversation partner to practice speaking with and seeking feedback.

Don’t be scared to try and make mistakes. We all do it. Why let that deter or embarrass you?!

Remember self-studying is NOT meant for everybody!

Watch out for fake online Chinese learning tools!

Sign up for an intensive course.

Restrict translating Chinese words/phrases into English to when you are just new! As you progress move away from it consciously. 

Avoid writing in your head

Maintain a journal of new phrases that will help you build your first conversation and not just words.

Keep a Chinese dictionary handy.

Prioritize. Start with spoken Chinese if the idea is to learn for business or travel! 

Choose commonly used words to start a conversation rather than tougher ones that don’t find a way into day-to-day usage!

Try and link Chinese words/ phrases to images and visual situations, not English words.

Study a language every day in short intervals or for about 2-4 hours, as much you can spare. Goes for Chinese too. Studying regularly, for a short time, helps dramatically than trying to do it all in one sitting over weekends! 

Practice without a blink. There’s no escape from practice and no shortcuts.  

Engage in constant review to measure your progress – repetition is the key!

Please keep in mind that this ranking only shows the view of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) and some language students or experts may disagree with the ranking.

If there is a language in this list you would like to learn and it is in a high difficult category, don’t let this stop you from learning it. Even if they are ranked as difficult, it does not mean that they are impossible to learn and maybe it is not hard for you at all. We offer many tips on how to best learn a language that will surely help you to tackle even the most difficult language on this list.

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