Suggestions on Learning the Chinese Language for Beginners

For non-native speakers, the Chinese may seem to be utterly unintelligible language. However, with the crucial tips explained below for learning Mandarin Chinese language for beginners, you will be all set to master the language.
 

Pick whether you wish to learn the simplified or traditional characters

There are two types of Mandarin writing; one is the simplified one which has less number of strokes while the other is the traditional one. For example, let us see how the traditional characters differ from the simplified ones for the word ‘guo’ which means ‘country.’ In the present, we can see the traditional Chinese characters in use in places like Macau Taiwan and Hong Kong. The simplified characters were introduced in the early 1950s and 60s in order to increase the literacy rate.

The simplified Chinese characters gained popularity and have been accepted as the official writing system in Singapore and in mainland China. Most of the Mandarin language courses across the world teach the simplified form of writing. People have different perspectives about the simplified and traditional Chinese. Some believe that it is a good idea to stick to the complex but aesthetic looking traditional characters, while others believe that the version is perfect for them. Actually, it is a matter of choice for each individual. People need to consider the place they live and the reason for learning Mandarin before choosing the simplified of the traditional script.

Allot proper time and resources

To make your foundation strong in the Chinese language, you need to give adequate time and resources in a detailed Mandarin program. This is true for almost all language learners.

However, in order to learn Chinese, you need to devote a lot of time in the beginning to make a strong foundation. This is because other language or an English speaker will find the language difficult and utterly alien. The basics of Chinese are essential such as mastering the four tones, the Pinyin, which is essential in order to pronounce logographic characters and mastering the order of the strokes, which help in forming the characters.

What you need in the initial stage is to put in endless hours and efforts trying to listen, speak, and write the basics. I remember the experience of A French friend who used to attend a Chinese language class once a week at a university in Shanghai. She attended Chinese language classes once a week for eight months, but she was unable to master the nuances of the Chinese language. Later she joined intense classes at a training center in Shanghai and went through six hours of training every day for five days a week, and within a month, she improvised her Chinese language skills remarkably. She was able to listen and speak like a Chinese toddler. This was indeed some progress to appreciate. Later, she chose a lesser intense daily program. She got her basic Chinese fundamentals from the intense daily program, which she still praised. If you do not practice the Chinese language every day, you will not get good results from even one to one tutoring programs.

Make Friends with Non-native Chinese speakers

It is an excellent idea, and you will surely benefit from interacting with people with similar language abilities. Because you will not hesitate and not feel embrace if you make a mistake in front of them. You would be able to share your issues with them, and you will eventually learn from each other’s mistakes. 

Listen to Chinese and Watch Chinese channels

Watching Chinese soaps and Listening to Chinese music is a great way to master the Chinese language and test your comprehension abilities. Whatever you want to watch, you can choose. Watching cartoons is a great idea if you enjoy them. You can watch a mini-series or a single show. Once you are hooked onto the storyline, then you are inspired to continue to watch it.

This will also improve your listening skills and mark the accents of the speakers. Try to watch Chinese short videos and cartoons clips on YouTube or watch full-length Chinese movies online.

At the start, you may need to use subtitles but try not to depend on them. Try to see how many words or phrases you can understand without subtitles. If you are feeling particularly proactive, you could pause the film after particular words or phrases and try to repeat them—this will help your accent to sound more authentic.

When you are watching Chinese movies, drama, or game shows, then listen carefully, and you will find that there are many frequently phrases and words used. Pick up on those phrases and words and look for their meanings. Then practice the phrases and use them in your daily conversation with your new online friends or when you encounter a Chinese speaker.

Social Media

A study revealed that the average person checks Facebook 14 times a day. Now, imagine you are using Chinese social media, which will be course beneficial for learning the Chinese language. There are plenty of Chinese social media platforms that you can follow, but WeChat is the most popular One. Install WeChat and add your Chinese friends and classmates who learn Chinese and communicate with them. It will also make you able to follow the news pages and channels that you like the most. Also, listen to Chinese music and online streaming on Chinese media. Facebook is a popular social media website and another option for learning Mandarin Chinese for free. There are numerous Facebook pages for learning Chinese. Which will not only help you how to speak the Chinese language but also increase your knowledge about Chinese culture as well. 

Browse the web in Chinese

Switching your phone and social networks language from English to Chinese will allow you to use Chinese characters regularly. This will give you a platform to interact with Chinese netizens. However, you will not be able to use twitter or Facebook in China, but you can use QQ, Weibo, and WeChat.

WeChat is an excellent app in and of itself; many people do not use this app to meet new people and practice a language. However, still, there are amazing features of this app, including lots of official accounts that publish regular articles in Chinese and English. Weibo is a free social community with all kinds of information concerning Chinese current news and society. However, this one is not recommended for Chinese learning beginners, so be sure you know some of the languages before undertaking any learning from this source.

Take the HSK

The HSK (HànyǔShuǐpíngKǎoshì) is a Chinese language proficiency exam administered in China as well as abroad. In the HSK exam, there are six levels to achieve.

The most basic test of HSK evaluates you on just 150 words, while the toughest one will evaluate your Chinese language skills based on 5000 words. Some people take the HSK exam to get admission into a Chinese university in a Chinese taught program while others wish to get a short term language study scholarship. For those people who do not have any defined goal and reason for learning Chinese, I recommend setting the intent and purpose. When you have a specific goal in mind, you will feel motivated to do better.

Preparation for the HSK

You need to understand the meaning of words to take this exam. If you just study the passage, this is not going to be enough. You will need to have some background knowledge of the book, such as thе author and the year the book was published.

The corse of this exam is to know the differences between the similar. You will also need to have good writing and reading skills to take the exam. If you have a good vocabulary, you will do well in the HSK exam to go along with your writing skills. You can develop these skills as you prepare for the HSK exam.

Some Instructions for Preparing for Your HSK Exam

You need to prepare properly – As a Chinese learner, you may feel like you are prepared for this exam, but it will pay off if you prepare as much as possible for the exam. If you do not prepare well, you will run the risk of failing the examination. You have to know the structure and the content of the exam to get ready for it. Know what you want to achieve – You want to take the HSK exam to continue to learn. The exam helps you to advance your understanding of language. Just because you pass the HSK exam does not mean you should stop learning; it is only an assessment of your current level.

Books to Help You with HSK Exam

You need good books to help you with the HSK exam. You may want to look at HSK Essentials, HSK Growing Training, Say it in Chinese, Chinese Learning Cards for HSK, HSK Listening Key Words, Express Way to HSK, HSK dictionary, An Intensive Course of HSK, and other similar books. These books help you prepare for HSK while studying Chinese.