Top 6 Tips for Chinese Beginners

We know that learning Chinese is challenging for non-Asians, and it’s especially hard for beginners. So, how can beginners learn more easily? A systematic approach to learning Chinese is helpful. Here are our “Top 6 Tips” for efficient learning.

1. Learn the Chinese phonetic system, pinyin.

Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language. Think of it sort of like a particular stress in a word, such as the stress on a syllable in English. However, if you don’t use the correct tone in Chinese then the meaning of the word changes! How we express words is created in different parts of the throat and mouth, as well as how you bring your lips together (or keep the mouth open). The challenge is that languages have particular sounds, and not all languages have the same sounds. So it is helpful to practice in front of the mirror. so that you can make the right sounds in Mandarin. It may feel unnatural at first, but don’t be afraid of making mistakes and keep practicing! Soon you will feel more confident, the key to gaining fluency.

2. Watch Chinese TV programs and listen to Chinese music

Follow a TV show that you like. Chinese cartoons with captions are fun and easy to follow, not only for kids but also adults. Continued listening will help your comprehension over time. Also, learning some Chinese songs is fun. Choose ones with a slow melody with clearly pronounced words. Enjoying the music helps and following the rhythm helps you to learn the words.

3. Learn 20 characters each week

Reading and writing Chinese characters is challenging for non-Asian speakers. However, set a goal to learn 20 characters each week and you will see great progress.

4. Learn some simple and useful sentences every day.

At the beginning, you can learn some easy words and phrases used in daily life, such as “ni hao”, ”zai jian,” and “xie xie”. Try to speak in Chinese and you will collect more and more sentences and able to speak better day by day. You can also learn some useful sentences from the right materials. Selecting books and text books is important. Ask your friends which books they are studying.

5. Surf online

It will be hard to understand all the words on a Chinese website at the beginning, but you can make a lot of friends with a large community of Chinese netizens through some forums or Facebook etc. You also may find some Chinese learning pages in Facebook which will daily update many useful and fun words or sentences. You can also read some text books or stories in pinyin. Of course you can also take an online class at Hanbridge Mandarin with a native Chinese teacher who will correct your pronunciation and deliver you professional classes including vocabulary, grammar etc. For more information on the language instruction services follow this link: http://www.hanbridgemandarin.com/course/chinese-language-course.

6. Persevere and never give up

It’s common that Chinese language learners are enthusiastic in the first few months, but may give up for a variety of reasons. Be determined and, never give up. ! You will succeed sooner or later!