How To Learn Chinese Quickly

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Chinese is known to be a challenging language to acquire, as information technology has thousands of characters and a particular approach to pronunciation. Yous may desire to learn Chinese fast to gear up for a trip to China or to expand your language skills. Rather than effort to learn the unabridged language at in one case, get-go with basic terms and phrases so you can speak conversational Chinese. You can likewise use Chinese movies, tv shows, radio, and audiobooks to brush up on the language. Become more confident in your Chinese speaking skills past practicing with native speakers at Chinese restaurants and ane on 1 with a tutor.

1
Decide if you are going to larn Cantonese or Standard mandarin. Mandarin is spoken the most in mainland china and then it may be a good pick if y'all are planning a trip to China or desire to exist able to speak to mainlanders.^[1] Cantonese is spoken more in Due north America so it may exist ideal if y'all want to communicate with Chinese people in Canada or the United States.^[two]
- Mandarin is besides often used in business transactions between Prc and North America so if you program to do business with Chinese companies, it may be more than practical for you to acquire.
- There are many other dialects of Chinese but Standard mandarin and Cantonese are the two most commonly spoken.
2
Written report the 4 tones in Standard mandarin. Chinese is a tonal language, which means information technology uses pronunciation to create meaning. The same give-and-take, said in a unlike tone, can mean something else. Learning the tones is best done by listening to how they audio and repeating the tones as much as you can. Making mistakes where you say a word with the incorrect tone is common, and part of the learning process. You volition need to practice and main the tones to speak Standard mandarin properly. Standard mandarin has 4 tones:^[3]
- Tone 1: Level
- Tone 2: Ascent
- Tone three: Departing
- Tone 4: Entering/stop-concluding
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3
Larn the vi tones in Cantonese. Cantonese is a fleck more complicated when it comes to tones, as information technology has 2 more than than Mandarin. Yous will need to adapt the pitch of your vocalization to match the correct tone so you lot are speaking Cantonese properly. The tones in Cantonese are:^[iv]
- Tone 1: High
- Tone 2: Rising
- Tone 3: Mid
- Tone 4: Low-mid to low
- Tone 5: Low to low-mid
- Tone 6: Low-mid
four
Practice bones phrases like "how-do-you-do," "thank you," and "good day." Start with bones conversational Chinese then you can get familiar with the language. Wait up the Mandarin or Cantonese words for greetings like "hello" or "welcome." Make certain you know how to say "thanks," "bye," and "how are you?"^[five]
- For example, in Mandarin, the word for "hello" is "ni hao" for a casual conversation and "nin hao" for a formal chat, such as with a boss or business associate.
- In Cantonese, "hello" is "Neih hou."
5
Focus on learning nouns and verbs. Rather than try to larn vocabulary or a long listing of terms, try to learn basic nouns and verbs instead. Nouns similar "I," "we," "she," "he," and "they" are good edifice blocks for uncomplicated sentences. Verbs like "go," "walk," "run," "visit," and "meet" will be useful in many conversations and assist y'all speak full sentences in Chinese quickly.^[6]
- For example, yous may learn a simple sentence like "I visit Beijing" by learning how to say "I" "visit" and "Beijing" and putting the words together to form the sentence.
- Start by learning to put together sentences that are iii-4 words long. Over time, you can add together on words to acquire longer sentences.
6
Larn how to count in Chinese. Start by learning how to count from 1-50 in Mandarin or Cantonese. Heed to the pronunciation of the numbers using an audiobook or an audio tool. Note how to write each number using Chinese characters and Pinyin. Once you master 1-l, challenge yourself to learn l-100 and beyond.
- You can observe a list of numbers in Mandarin on Omniglot.com: https://www.omniglot.com/linguistic communication/numbers/chinese.htm.
- Yous tin find a list of numbers in Cantonese on Omniglot.com: https://www.omniglot.com/language/numbers/cantonese.htm.
vii
Do writing in Pinyin. Pinyin is a arrangement devised to write Chinese characters using phonetic spelling. It tin be a helpful way to learn how to write in Chinese without having to study the thousands of characters in the language. The Pinyin for words will be based on the tones in the word. You will need to study the tones and Pinyin at the same time.^[vii]
- You tin can write in pinyin on your reckoner by adjusting the settings on your Mac or PC. Typing Pinyin to others can assist you become more familiar with the system.
8
Learn simplified Chinese characters. Simplified characters were designed to brand writing Chinese more accessible. These characters require fewer strokes and are commonly easier to learn than traditional characters. Showtime by studying simplified characters that are only one-2 strokes.^[8] And so, learn more than complicated terms that have three-4 strokes.^[9]
- Get a volume on simplified Chinese characters and start with the one-2 stroke ones. Practise writing them and memorize the word or phrase they correspond. Then, attempt more complicated characters once you have gotten the hang of basic ones.
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1
Utilize flashcards with images and Pinyin. Create flashcards with the Pinyin on one side and an paradigm of the object or person it represents on the other side. Practice with the flashcards so y'all can memorize the correct Pinyin for the object or person. Say the Chinese word or phrase aloud so you can remember it. Quiz yourself with the flashcards or enquire a friend to quiz y'all.^[10]
- Add more challenging words and phrases to the flashcards every bit your Chinese improves.
2
Heed to Chinese radio stations. Chinese music and songs are another groovy audio resource you tin can use to ameliorate your Chinese fast. Tune in to Chinese radio stations and keep it on in the background so you lot can sing along to Chinese words and phrases. Listen to the lyrics in the songs to get better at your pronunciation and tones.^[eleven]
- You can besides notice CDs or music online past Chinese artists and heed to information technology to help you lot larn the language.
three
Watch Chinese movies and television shows. Set aside time one time a day to sentinel a picture show in Chinese or a tv set show. Mind to how the words are spoken in conversation. Note the tones used equally well as the phrasing. Stick to watching 1 television show at a time. Watch movies featuring the aforementioned actors or actresses and then their dialogue becomes familiar to you lot.^[12]
- Try watching a Chinese anime for simple dialogue and vocabulary.
- Claiming yourself to watch a Chinese soap opera or a film with a lot of dialogue for more difficult conversations.
- Look for Chinese movies and television shows at your local library or online.
Good Reply

When asked, "How tin can you get better at Chinese fast?"

Godspeed Chen

Native Chinese Speaker & Translator

Godspeed Chen is a Professional Translator from China. He has been working in translation and localization for over 15 years.

EXPERT ADVICE

Godspeed Chen, a Chinese translator, responded: "The best method is to listen to spoken Chinese as often as possible. Yous should too read more Chinese characters and endeavour to speak the language a lot."
4
Apply a Chinese language app. There are many apps y'all can download onto your smartphone, tablet, or computer to help y'all improve your pronunciation and tones. Look for apps that focus on basic nouns and verbs or getting meliorate at Pinyin. Use the app during your report sessions to expect up the pronunciation of a give-and-take and ameliorate your tones when you are practicing conversational Chinese. You tin can also use apps to help you lot learn how to write Chinese characters.^[13]
- Apps like Skitter, FluentU, Chinese Pod, and The Chairman's Bao are all good options.
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1
Go to Chinese restaurants and guild in Chinese. Improve your conversational Chinese past trying to order your food and drink in Chinese at a local Chinese restaurant or buffet. Make sure the waiter speaks Mandarin or Cantonese, depending on which one you are learning. Greet the waiter in Chinese and put in your guild, describing items on the carte in Chinese.^[fourteen]
- Yous tin can besides ask for the bill in Chinese and thank the waiter for their service.
- Keep in mind you may make a mistake when you effort to gild in Chinese. Take this and push on, as you will then acquire from your mistakes and order correctly adjacent fourth dimension.
two
Make a Chinese friend and speak Chinese with them. Contact a language school most you to run across if they accept whatever Chinese students who would be willing to do with y'all. Post an advertisement online for a native Chinese speaker you can practice your Chinese with. Ask friends if they take whatsoever Chinese friends who would be willing to talk to you in conversational Chinese.^[15]
- When you find a Chinese friend to practice with, make weekly dates with them where you gather and speak in Chinese but.
three
Get a Chinese language tutor. The tutor can help you lot amend your basic Chinese speaking skills and exercise exercises with you to expand your vocabulary. They can as well correct you when yous make mistakes and give you feedback on your progress. Expect for a Chinese linguistic communication tutor at a local language school or through an online tutoring service.
- Yous can also search for a Chinese language tutor at your local academy or college, particularly if they have a Chinese language studies program.
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Question

Can I larn Standard mandarin on my ain?

Tian Zhou is a Language Specialist and the Founder of Sishu Standard mandarin, a Chinese Language Schoolhouse in the New York metropolitan area. Tian holds a Bachelor's Degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) from Sun Yat-sen University and a Master of Arts in Pedagogy English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from New York University. Tian also holds a certification in Foreign Language (&ESL) - Standard mandarin (7-12) from New York State and certifications in Test for English language Majors and Putonghua Proficiency Test from The Ministry of Pedagogy of the People's Commonwealth of Red china. He is the host of MandarinPod, an advanced Chinese language learning podcast.

Language Specialist

Expert Answer

Yous can learn a language on your ain past studying Mandarin textbooks and practicing aloud.
Question

What is simplified and traditional Chinese?

Traditional Chinese is used generally past Taiwanese and sometimes Cantonese. People's republic of china uses simplified Chinese.

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The best way to learn Chinese is to set up aside time each mean solar day to study and exercise. Effort to exercise at to the lowest degree 30 minutes-i hour of intense studying per day. Go for short, intense study sessions where you practice specific nouns, verbs, and phrases, rather than longer sessions every bit yous may not retain data as well.
Gear up short-term and long-term goals as office of your study plan. Make short-term goals like learning basic conversational terms within the commencement one-2 weeks of your studies. Create long-term goals like beingness able to have a complete conversation in Chinese with a native speaker by 6 months into your studies.

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Commodity Summary X

To acquire Chinese fast, listen to Chinese songs and radio stations to pick up on common words and phrases. Y'all can too attempt watching Chinese movies and TV shows, which will aid you acquire new vocabulary words and proper pronunciation. In that location are also apps you can download on your phone to help yous exercise Chinese on the go, like Skitter, FluentU, and Chinese Pod. To learn how to say basic words and phrases in Chinese, roll downwardly!

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