Table of Contents
How long does it take to learn written Chinese?
It takes a learner with average aptitude only 15 weeks to reach level 2 for Spanish or French, but about 50 weeks to reach a similar level of the Chinese language. If you want to be fully fluent in Mandarin, you’d better plan to spend about 230 weeks, which is about 4 years.
Why is Chinese writing hard to learn?
Chinese doesn’t use an alphabet. It’s a pictorial language that relies on strokes and radicals to make up individual Chinese characters that then go on to make up Chinese words. This means that you cannot just read the language after you learn the alphabet.
How do I start learning Mandarin characters?
9 Clever Steps to Effectively Learn Chinese Characters
- Break the characters down into components.
- Visualize the characters in your mind.
- Build from your previous knowledge.
- Don’t forget the pinyin.
- Get the pronunciation down.
- Bring on the tones.
- Rely on familiar characters.
- Practice, practice and practice some more.
Can I study Chinese by myself?
Learning Chinese on your own is definitely possible, but it depends on what you mean by “on my own.” If, for you, this means “without a formal teacher/tutor,” then yes, it’s more difficult but still reasonable. If “learning Chinese on my own” means “without any Chinese friends,” then it’s very unlikely.
Should you learn handwriting to read Chinese?
In most languages, being able to read well almost always includes the ability of being able to communicate in handwriting as well, even if spelling might be a bit off occasionally. Not so in Chinese. Spending hundreds or even thousands of hours on handwriting might be okay if you love characters, but what if you don’t?
Should I learn to write characters as a Chinese student?
I think most people agree that you should learn to write at least some characters at some point as a student of Chinese. Not necessarily straight away and not necessarily all the characters you need to be able to write what you can say, but unless you don’t care about written language at all, you should learn the basics of handwriting.
Is it easier for Chinese speakers to learn another Chinese language?
But, because they share a common history and a good deal of common vocabulary and grammar, it is much easier for a speaker of one Chinese language to learn another Chinese language than for a complete outsider to do so. Again, this is true of the Romance languages as well.
How can I learn to speak Chinese on my own?
We’ll talk about those in a bit. Let’s face it: the Internet is packed with podcasts and videos to help you learn to speak Chinese. But you really should find just one and stick with it from beginning to end. The reason to focus on just one program at a time is to help your brain see the big picture.