Learning Chinese is easy! Well, it’s easier, at least, than you might think.
In some Western countries, it is common for people to exclaim, “Are you speaking Chinese?” if the statement they hear is too complex or unintelligible.
This is not surprising. Chinese is sometimes seen as a distant, unfamiliar, or even alien language for some speakers of Indo-European-based languages.
However, with the opening and development of the Chinese economy, the number of foreigners studying Chinese in Hong Kong and China has been increasing recently. As a result, more and more dedicated students are becoming fluent speakers.
This demonstrates that Chinese is not an impossible challenge. Indeed, many foreigners have even begun teaching Chinese on YouTube or other social media platforms. It is now quite clear that Chinese is not as difficult as you think!
Let me introduce the framework for how Chinese works as a language. Simply put, Chinese comprises pronunciation, tones, Chinese characters (known as ‘HanZi’), and grammar.
Is Chinese Pronunciation Hard?
The first is pronunciation.
Chinese pronunciation is not difficult at all. It is divided into initials and finals. After 1958, the Chinese government formulated the “Pinyin” system, which changed the pronunciation of intricate Chinese characters into the alphabet like most Indo-European languages.
So, it is not difficult for most foreign language learners, and three to five hours of study time is enough to master the system.
How Hard Are Chinese Tones?
The second is the tones, which may be alien and challenging for some learners. Not all languages have tones; there are four tones in Mandarin Chinese and six in Cantonese.
If you’ve mastered any singing technique, the approach to tones is not a big task. After more listening, more speaking, and more exercises, your brain will automatically remember and recall with less effort.
Chinese is an Ancient Language
Thirdly, Chinese is an ancient language because characters were produced before 3000 BC. These characters then originated and developed into pictures through the Han Dynasty before being named “Chinese characters.”
For foreign learners not exposed to Chinese characters, this is exactly the “task” that overwhelms people, and it seems impossible for many learners. However, Chinese characters are not as difficult to learn as you imagine.
On the contrary, many foreign learners fall in love with Chinese characters after learning about the stories behind them, and many students even begin to practice calligraphy.
As mentioned earlier, Chinese characters come from pictures. They are ideographic characters, meaning behind each character is a picture or a story.
Learning Chinese Characters is Fun
While you are learning, the teacher will tell all students the meaning of the Chinese characters and the historical association. For example, “日（rì）” means sun, and the original glyph of “日（rì）” was “⊙”, which is drawn according to the Sun in the eyes of ancients.
Interestingly, when you start learning ‘HanZi’, you will find that Chinese characters are not simply random strokes. Indeed, they are intrinsically connected.
Over time, learners will also grow the ability to guess the meaning of Chinese characters which is extremely gratifying like a puzzle game for many students.
Related post:
How To Supercharge Your Memory For Learning Foreign Languages
Learning Chinese Grammar is Easy
Finally, let’s discuss grammar, which is the easiest part of Chinese learning. Chinese grammar is similar to English’s, but there are few verbs, tenses, and irregular words.
Chinese words are not as gender-sensitive as in some European languages such as French or Spanish. As a result, there are fewer rules to remember.
Chinese grammar is like a puzzle. Putting all the words in the correct position to form a complete sentence, people will understand what you are trying to express, even if you make an odd word order error.
Learning Chinese Language & Culture
Learning a language involves a critical issue: culture. Chinese culture may differ greatly from most Western cultures. This is reflected in some language expressions.
But in fact, learning Chinese characters is the beginning of understanding Chinese fully.
Chinese culture was exported to the West as early as the Tang Dynasty, and, as a result, today, many influences can be found along the Silk Road, giving certain flavours to Western Asia.
Over time, in the process of learning, you may find your own unique connections and similarities in Chinese, which will bring you greater linguistic rewards.
Once you start this linguistic journey, you will see that Chinese is a well-structured language with a simplistic approach. You can be the living proof that it is not difficult at all!
Mandarin Lesson Hong Kong – Making Cocktails Using Chinese Instructions
Here’s a short video overview of a recent Mandarin lesson at Q Language to give you an idea of the kind of fun Chinese lessons you can expect.
Our students enjoyed practising their Mandarin skills as they prepared cocktails using Chinese instructions.
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