Have you always wanted to start learning Chinese language in 2022 but don’t know how? Well, this post is for you. You will learn the beginners guide to learning Chinese language.
Learning Chinese language may seem like a hard thing but I can tell you it’s not. The fact that the language isn’t your native language may make it a little bit complex for you to grasp but with some tips in mind, you can learn the language even without paying a dime.
The following are some basic tips that can help your journey as a new learner:
1. Start by Learning Pinyin
The first step I would recommend for anyone who isn’t an indigene or a native speaker of Chinese is to learn pinyin. Pinyin is the Romanization system of Mandarin Chinese that uses the English alphabet to spell out Chinese words so non-native speakers can see how to pronounce them.
It’s so important because it doesn’t only make learning it simple but also the five tones. Chinese is a tonal language which means you will need it get its tones right and that means the tone you use to say a word can change its meaning.
With this, you should know that mastering pinyin before you get serious about learning Chinese is critical.
2. Find some Chinese learning materials
You will need to get some learning materials, either print or non print material, whichever one that is convenient for you is fine. Just make sure you have them at your disposal. Get materials that will help your listening, speaking, writing and reading of Chinese language.
3. Don’t be obsessed with the character at start
Characters are as important in Chinese language as they really determine what a particular word means but as a beginner, I’ll advice you neglect it at first. Usually, learners feel one or two ways about Chinese characters: they’re intimidating or they’re super cool and that’s right because honestly, they’re both!
But learning characters is difficult and might easily demotivate you if you start learning them right away. Because of this, it’s important to get a grasp on basic vocabulary and grammar before you try to tackle Chinese characters.
4. Create and Stick to a Routine That Works for You
We have talked about how to learn a new language and creating a routine is one of the important thing we should note.
Having a solid routine that works toward realistic goals is just as important as learning vocabulary. If you don’t know where you’re going, it’s hard to measure progress and can, therefore, hold you back.
Luckily, coming up with a simple routine doesn’t take long and you can tweak it as you find out more about what works for you and what doesn’t. When planning your routine, it’s good to start small, especially with a language you’ve never studied before. So maybe try to learn for 15 to 30 minutes a day rather than start at one to two hours.
Keep in mind that a good routine will excite you, whereas a bad routine will only stress you out.
5. Download Apps that can help
We are in the age where we can get almost all information at the tip of our fingers. We have the internet at our disposal and this is a great privilege.
The fact that we can download an app or do a Google search to learn practically anything in such little time! Apps are great if you’re busy and always on the go.
Apps give you the opportunity to learn Chinese no matter where you are—on the bus, during your lunch break or when you’re in bed watching your favorite Netflix series.
6. Practice Pronunciation Like Your Life Depends on It
I just told you about the importance of learning pinyin because it’s the necessary background. Now I’m telling you the importance of proper pronunciation.
So many beginners Chinese learners overlook or underestimate the importance of pronunciation—the five tones in particular. Since the way you say a word changes its meaning, pronunciation carries a much heavier weight in Chinese than in many other languages.
For example, the way you say the syllable “ma” can mean “mom,” “horse” or “to scold.”
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to end up in an awkward conversation where I just accidentally called my mom a horse. That’s quite funny but it’s the fact.
Conclusion
To know the necessary app needed for your learning, you can check out our previous post on the apps needed for learning new language. They will really help you achieve a lot.
Determination is also important and to know the importance of Chinese language, you can check out my next post on importance of Chinese language.
