Introduction:

The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity.

By John F. Kennedy

This holds relevance to the current times. Learning this language would be the most effective way to open the doors to plenty of opportunities for yourself. Chinese is currently thought of as a crucial language worldwide attributable to its increase in presence within the business world. Chinese are concerned with several businesses throughout the world. So, if you would like to extend opportunities within the business world, you may want to learn Chinese as a second language. 

So how do you aspire to take Chinese as a second language? Maybe yes, as you may want to read an interesting book in Chinese, watch a program or look forward to taking up any new job responsibilities. Whatever your reasons or rationale are, yet the concept of learning a language, particularly once you’re learning it right from the very start, appears something but fast. There is more to learn about its grammar, vocabulary words, practice speaking. But learning a second language need not be a slow or tedious method. Though nothing will replace how much devotion you show towards learning, you’ll completely learn Chinese if you follow the proper strategy and dedicate yourself to the idea.

One should not be afraid of learning Chinese. There are ways to make your learning more efficient through more logical ways. Let’s have a look at the ways to learn Chinese as a second language:

• Research it well:

Before taking up this language, do your research on finding out the answers to the questions like, 

What differentiates Mandarin from Cantonese? 

Which one should I learn?

What is the reason behind using strokes, not letters for Chinese characters?

How much time you can devote to learn this language?

You can refer to varieties of resources available in books or online. During the course of your research, you may get the answers to such questions which will truly help you in deciding the right and suitable way to go to learn the language. The more you are prepared, the faster ad efficiently work gets done.

• Strong Base:

How to have a strong base, starts right from the beginning. Let’s begin with learning the Pinyin system. Pinyin is one of the foremost effective tools while learning Chinese. Pinyin is the most commonly and famously used system for writing Chinese using roman letters. It gives a visual aid to understand and comprehend spelling and pronunciation. After this stage, you can spell all pronunciations of Chinese characters spontaneously with no hesitation. Good pronunciation will make your communication clear, better, and meaningful. And the best part is that there are many videos on YouTube along with helpful apps to teach you pinyin.

Now when we talk of the spoken aspects in Chinese, the spoken language is more confusing if you don’t know the Chinese characters. It is advisable once you start learning characters, start with the aim of understanding the basics as to how Chinese characters work as a system rather than mugging it up. 

• Working on your Pronunciation:

While practicing both Pinyin and Chinese characters, try to write the pinyin one time and write the Chinese character ten times. While writing the Chinese character, you should practice pronouncing it. Practice the pronunciation. Also practicing through writing will be a good way to remember the structure of a Chinese character. One can practice pronunciation, intonations, and speaking skills is to play an individual recorded sentence in Chinese and then try to repeat it by yourself. It won’t be wrong if we say when learning a language, you need to imitate the way native speakers speak. Let’s set this as your benchmark to assess your pronunciation.

• Practice – Practice and Practice:

Take baby steps towards learning the language by starting small with 30 to 40 minutes of studying Chinese per day. You may study only as long as you find it a fun-filled and enjoyable process. The more you study, the faster you will see improvement. But the more you enjoy studying, the more you will study and retain.

A final thought on learning Chinese

The last thing is to be consistent and devoted to how you learn. Don’t be deterred by the mistakes. Once you find a method of learning to suit your learning needs, stick to it. With this regularity, you will imbibe Chinese in your routine and you are more likely to remember what you have learned and can expand your knowledge of Chinese with new content.

If you’re still looking for more tips on how to learn Chinese, get connected with the team of Multibhashi to gain more insight into the language and ways to learn.