What is the easiest way to learn Chinese?

The Chinese language is intriguing and one-of-a-kind. Unlike most other languages, Chinese has a written form as well as numerous spoken versions. Traces of written Chinese have been discovered dating back to the Shang period (1600 – 1066 BC). Mandarin is taught in public schools around the country. Mandarin is the primary language of the media, officials, and the government. When typing in Chinese, you utilise a phonetic system known as pinyin, which correlates to the Mandarin pronunciation.  Mandarin is the most often used spoken form in China. Knowing Mandarin will allow you to converse with nearly everyone in China and Taiwan. Chinese is the world’s oldest written language, going back over 4000 years. There is no Chinese alphabet, as there is in other languages. Instead, the Chinese language employs Chinese characters known as hàn z. Mandarin is China’s official language in other Asian nations. In addition to China, Mandarin Chinese is an official language in a number of other Asian nations. It is also one of the United Nations’ six official languages.

While kids’ learning is intensely structured, orderly and ‘textbook driven’; learning gains an entirely new ‘meaning’ and ‘way to learn as we grow up! We no longer learn from textbooks or give weekly tests to prove our learning. We adopt both roles, of a learner and a teacher to ensure we learn! Thus, we consciously watch our learning like a teacher and improve it for ourselves. We also indulge and opt for multiple ways to help us with our learning. Why? Because there isn’t ONE single universal way to learn everything! To be proficient in Chinese, we need to hunt for the best resources, from teachers to books, to online practice, and so on, because nothing is stacked up in one place for a learner to pick and walk off! 

In reality, a learner doesn’t use just one, but multiple tools to arm themselves up for the various learning heads; from learning the grammar, perfecting your pronunciation, to building your vocabulary.

Grammar is an intrinsic, unique element of each language, that frames rules for speaking and writing a language. It is the soul of a language and hence its not an easy thing to conquer! Thus it is never a good idea to start with the grammar of a language if you want to progress faster learning a language! You are likely to be thrown off-tangent trying to master a language if you choose to learn starting with its grammar because the results may not be encouraging enough for you to continue investing efforts! Especially when you’re slogging your way through verb endings and tenses! 

Your first part of learning should be something that will quickly give you the confidence to start speaking and understanding a bit of Chinese. You don’t have to be perfect. You just need to get started, and have some fun.

Improve your listening skills with multiple online resources such as Talk Shows, Chinese news, CDramas, audiobooks to name a few! Put YouTube to its best use and stream Chinese radio stations! 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! Study consistently but don’t lead yourself to burnout! Identify your unique style of learning that helps you ace the language.

Read aloud to clear your pronunciation. Find a conversation partner on Lingoci, Verbling, iTalki to practice speaking with and seeking feedback.

Identify Chinese genuine and fake cognates

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. It would really help you master Chinese! 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. Use Spaced Repetition System apps like Anki and Memrise for flashcards. Learn basic phrases, connector words, conversation builders that will help you communicate and express yourself through smaller sentences.

Maintain a journal of new phrases that will help you build your first conversation and not just interesting or complex words. Start by reading children’s storybooks. Children’s stories can be a great place to start trying to read in Chinese. Stories designed for children and young adults are likely to use simpler language and more straightforward ideas than texts designed for adults. 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 to link Chinese words/ phrases to images and visual situations, not words in your native language or English! Do study grammar with grammar-based software or textbook after a while. I suggest Rocket Chinese or Duolingo to achieve the same. Study a language every day in short intervals or for about 2-4 hours, as much as you can spare. 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!

Mandarin is the first language of more than 70% of the Chinese population. The remaining 30% now frequently learns both their regional languages and Mandarin in order to connect with everyone.

There are several dialects of spoken Chinese. These many Chinese languages are sometimes referred to as dialects. These Chinese languages share a tonal method for distinguishing homonyms.  It is estimated that there are around 200 dialects in China. These dialects are the result of China’s 56 ethnic communities. Other Chinese languages may have more tones than Mandarin Chinese. They also all write in the same language: Chinese characters. Despite their close relationship, these distinct languages are mutually incomprehensible. As a result, all Chinese nationals are taught the same official language: Mandarin.  

There’s an amazing new way to learn Mandarin! Want to see what everyone’s talking about!

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