February 19, 2024 12 min to read

Starting with Mandarin

Easy Tips for Beginners

Did you know that Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken language in the world, with over 1.3 billion native speakers? Learning Mandarin Chinese can open up many opportunities for you, such as traveling, working, studying in China or connecting with Chinese culture and history. However, learning Mandarin Chinese can also seem daunting, especially if you are not familiar with its writing system, pronunciation and grammar. But don’t worry; in this article, I will share some simple tips to help you start learning Mandarin Chinese and achieve your language goals.

Simplified vs. Traditional Chinese Characters

One of the first things you need to decide when learning Mandarin Chinese is which type of characters to learn: simplified or traditional characters. Simplified characters are used in mainland China, Singapore, and Malaysia, while traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Simplified characters are a simplified form of traditional characters with fewer strokes, making them easier to write and read. Traditional characters are more complex and expressive, requiring more time and effort to learn and memorize.

There is no right or wrong choice regarding which characters to learn; it depends on your preferences and learning goals. If you aim to communicate with people from mainland China or Singapore or want to learn Mandarin Chinese more efficiently, you may opt for simplified characters. On the other hand, if you wish to explore the beauty and historical significance of Chinese characters or engage with classical or literary texts, you might lean towards traditional characters. It is also possible to study both types since they share common elements and meanings, but focusing on one type before switching to the other is advisable.

To support your Chinese character learning journey, you can use resources such as:

• HanziCraft: A website offering in-depth information and analysis of Chinese characters, including stroke order, radicals, components, meanings, and examples.
• Skritter: An app that helps you learn and write Chinese characters through spaced repetition and handwriting recognition.
• Duolingo: A popular app that provides interactive Mandarin Chinese lessons and exercises, allowing you to select between simplified and traditional characters in the settings.

Pinyin

Pinyin is a system that uses the Latin alphabet to represent Mandarin Chinese sounds. It can assist in learning Mandarin Chinese pronunciation, spelling and typing Chinese characters. Pinyin comprises initials, finals and tones. Initials are consonant sounds at the start of a syllable (e.g., b, p, m, f). Finals are vowel sounds at the end of a syllable (e.g., a, o, e, i, u), while tones are pitch variations altering syllable meaning (e.g., ˉ, ˊ, ˇ, ˋ).

To learn Pinyin, you need to master the basic rules and patterns of Pinyin, such as:

• There are 21 initials and 35 finals in Pinyin and they can be combined to form about 400 syllables.

• Some initials and finals have different sounds depending on their position or combination, such as c, q, x, zh, ch, sh, r, i, u, ü, etc.

• Some finals can be written as standalone syllables, such as a, o, e, er, etc., while others need to be preceded by an initial, such as ai, ou, ei, etc.

• Some syllables can have different spellings depending on their tone, such as yī (one), yí (clothing), yǐ (chair), yì (meaning), etc.

To practice Pinyin, you can use some examples and exercises, such as:

• Yabla: A website that provides a comprehensive Pinyin chart with audio and video examples of each syllable.

• ChinesePod: A website that offers a Pinyin course with lessons and quizzes to help you improve your Pinyin skills.

• HelloChinese: An app that teaches you Mandarin Chinese from scratch, with a focus on Pinyin and pronunciation.

Chinese Tones

Tones are one of the most important and challenging aspects of learning Mandarin Chinese, as they can change the meaning of a word or a sentence. Mandarin Chinese has four main tones and one neutral tone and they are marked in pinyin with different symbols, such as:

⭐️First tone: high and level, marked with a horizontal line above the vowel, such as ā, ō, ē, etc.

⭐️Second tone: rising, marked with a rising line above the vowel, such as á, ó, é, etc.

⭐️Third tone: falling and rising, marked with a curved line above the vowel, such as ǎ, ǒ, ě, etc.

⭐️Fourth tone: falling, marked with a falling line above the vowel, such as à, ò, è, etc.

⭐️Neutral tone: light and short, marked with no symbol or a dot above the vowel, such as a, o, e, etc.

To master Chinese tones, you need to pay attention to the pitch and duration of each syllable, and practice them with your mouth, tongue, and throat. You can also use some tips and tricks to help you learn Chinese tones, such as:

✅Use tone pairs: Tone pairs are combinations of two syllables with different tones, such as māmā (mother), nǐhǎo (hello), wǒmen (we), etc. Tone pairs can help you memorize and recognize the tones of common words and phrases, as well as improve your intonation and rhythm.

✅Use Tone Sandhi: Tone sandhi is a phenomenon where the tone of a syllable changes depending on the tone of the following syllable, such as bù (not), which changes from the fourth tone to the second tone when followed by another fourth tone syllable, such as bú shì (not yes). Tone sandhi can help you avoid confusion and sound more natural and fluent.

✅Use Tone Drills: Tone drills are exercises that help you practice and reinforce your tone skills, such as repeating, mimicking, or singing the tones of words, sentences, or dialogues. Tone drills can help you improve your accuracy and confidence in speaking Mandarin Chinese.

Chinese Stroke Order

Stroke order is the order and direction in which you write the strokes of a Chinese character. Stroke order is important for writing Chinese characters correctly and beautifully, as well as for reading and recognizing handwritten characters. Stroke order follows some basic rules and principles, such as:

✅Write from left to right, top to bottom, and outside to inside.

✅Write horizontal strokes before vertical strokes, and upper strokes before lower strokes.

✅Write the left part of a character before the right part, and the upper part before the lower part.

✅Write the enclosing strokes last, and leave a gap at the bottom right corner.

To practice stroke order, you can use some examples and exercises, such as:

• Arch Chinese: A website that provides detailed information and animations of the stroke order of any Chinese character.

• Chinese Writer: An app that helps you learn and write Chinese characters by tracing them on your screen.

• Chinese Calligraphy: A website that teaches you the art and culture of Chinese calligraphy, and how to write Chinese characters with a brush and ink.

Chinese Radicals

Radicals are the building blocks of Chinese characters, and they can help you learn and remember Chinese characters more easily. Radicals are parts of characters that usually indicate their meaning or category, such as 人 (person), 水 (water), 火 (fire), etc. They can also be used to form or guess the meaning of new characters, such as 休 (rest), which is composed of 人 (person) and 木 (tree), implying a person leaning on a tree to rest.

To learn radicals, you need to familiarize yourself with some common and useful radicals and how to use them to look up or infer the meaning of characters. You can also use some resources or tools to help you learn and review radicals, such as:

• Chinese Radicals: A website that provides a list of the 214 traditional radicals, their meanings, and examples of characters that contain them.

• Memrise: An app that helps you learn and memorize radicals and characters using flashcards and quizzes.

• Outlier Linguistics: A website that offers a comprehensive and scientific approach to learning Chinese characters, with a focus on their etymology, structure, and function.

Daily Chinese Phrases

One of the best ways to start learning Mandarin Chinese is to learn some basic and essential Chinese phrases that you can use in daily situations, such as greetings, introductions, requests, apologies, etc. Learning these phrases can help you communicate with native speakers, express yourself, and understand the culture and etiquette of China. Here are some examples of daily Chinese phrases that you can learn and practice:

Greetings: To greet someone in Mandarin Chinese, you can use the following phrases:

• 你好 (nǐ hǎo): Hello, hi. This is the most common and polite way to greet someone, regardless of the time of day or the relationship with the person.

• 你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma): How are you? This is a simple and friendly way to ask about someone’s well-being, and you can answer with 好 (hǎo, good), 不好 (bù hǎo, not good), or 还可以 (hái kě yǐ, okay).

• 早上好 (zǎo shàng hǎo): Good morning. This is a formal and respectful way to greet someone in the morning, usually before noon.

• 下午好 (xià wǔ hǎo): Good afternoon. This is a formal and respectful way to greet someone in the afternoon, usually after noon and before evening.

• 晚上好 (wǎn shàng hǎo): Good evening. This is a formal and respectful way to greet someone in the evening, usually after sunset and before bedtime.

Introductions: To introduce yourself or someone else in Mandarin Chinese, you can use the following phrases:

• 我叫… (wǒ jiào…): My name is… This is the most common and simple way to tell someone your name, and you can follow it with your full name or your first name only, depending on the situation and your preference.

• 你叫什么名字 (nǐ jiào shén me míng zì): What is your name? This is the most common and polite way to ask someone’s name, and you can expect them to answer with 我叫… (wǒ jiào…).

• 很高兴认识你 (hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ): Nice to meet you. This is a courteous and friendly way to express your pleasure in meeting someone, and you can use it after exchanging names or at the end of a conversation.

• 这是… (zhè shì…): This is… This is a simple and useful way to introduce someone else to a third person, and you can follow it with their name and their relationship to you, such as 这是我的朋友 (zhè shì wǒ de péng yǒu, this is my friend), 这是我的老师 (zhè shì wǒ de lǎo shī, this is my teacher), etc.

Requests: To ask for something or someone’s help in Mandarin Chinese, you can use the following phrases:

• 请 (qǐng): Please. This is a polite and respectful way to start a request, and you can use it before a verb or a noun, such as 请给我一杯水 (qǐng gěi wǒ yī bēi shuǐ, please give me a glass of water), 请问 (qǐng wèn, excuse me), etc.

• 能…吗 (néng…ma): Can you…? This is a common and casual way to ask for someone’s permission or ability, and you can use it before a verb, such as 能借我你的笔吗 (néng jiè wǒ nǐ de bǐ ma, can you lend me your pen?), 能帮我一下吗 (néng bāng wǒ yī xià ma, can you help me a bit?), etc.

• 想… (xiǎng…): I want to… This is a direct and simple way to express your desire or intention, and you can use it before a verb or a noun, such as 我想去北京 (wǒ xiǎng qù běi jīng, I want to go to Beijing), 我想吃饺子 (wǒ xiǎng chī jiǎo zi, I want to eat dumplings), etc.

Apologies: To apologize or express regret in Mandarin Chinese, you can use the following phrases:

• 对不起 (duì bù qǐ): I’m sorry. This is the most common and general way to apologize for something, and you can use it for minor or major mistakes, such as 对不起，我迟到了 (duì bù qǐ, wǒ chí dào le, I’m sorry, I’m late), 对不起，我弄坏了你的手机 (duì bù qǐ, wǒ nòng huài le nǐ de shǒu jī, I’m sorry, I broke your phone), etc.

• 不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si): Excuse me. This is a more casual and less serious way to apologize for something, and you can use it for minor inconveniences or embarrassments, such as 不好意思，我忘了带钱 (bù hǎo yì si, wǒ wàng le dài qián, excuse me, I forgot to bring money), 不好意思，我听不懂你说的话 (bù hǎo yì si, wǒ tīng bù dǒng nǐ shuō de huà, excuse me, I don’t understand what you are saying), etc.

• 没关系 (méi guān xì): It’s okay. This is a common and polite way to accept someone’s apology or to reassure someone, and you can use it as a response to 对不起 (duì bù qǐ) or 不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si), such as 没关系，不是你的错 (méi guān xì, bù shì nǐ de cuò, it’s okay, it’s not your fault), 没关系，我也不介意 (méi guān xì, wǒ yě bù jiè yì, it’s okay, I don’t mind), etc.

Conclusion

Learning Mandarin Chinese can seem challenging but it is also very rewarding. You can start learning Mandarin Chinese by following some easy tips, such as deciding which type of characters to learn, mastering pinyin, tones, stroke order, radicals, and daily phrases. These tips can help you build a solid foundation and confidence in learning Mandarin Chinese. I hope this article was helpful and interesting for you. Happy learning and good luck!