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How to Write in Chinese – A Beginner’s Guide

You probably think learning how to write in Chinese is impossible.

And I get it.

I’m a native English speaker, and I know how complex Chinese characters seem.

But you’re about to learn that it's not impossible .

I’ve teamed up with Kyle Balmer from Sensible Chinese to show you how you can learn the basic building blocks of the Chinese written language, and build your Chinese vocabulary quickly.

First, you’ll learn the basics of how the Chinese written language is constructed. Then, you’ll get a step-by-step guide for how to write Chinese characters sensibly and systematically .

Wondering how it can be so easy?

Then let’s get into it.

Don't have time to read this now?  Click here to download a free PDF of the article

By the way, if you want to learn Chinese fast and have fun, my top recommendation is  Chinese Uncovered  which teaches you through StoryLearning®. 

With  Chinese Uncovered  you’ll use my unique StoryLearning® method to learn Chinese through story… not rules.

It’s as fun as it is effective.

If you’re ready to get started,  click here for a 7-day FREE trial.

How To Write In Chinese

Chinese is a complex language with many dialects and varieties.

Before we dive into learning to write Chinese characters, let’s just take a second to be clear exactly what we’ll be talking about.

First, you’ll be learning about Mandarin Chinese , the “standard” dialect. There are 5 main groups of dialects and perhaps 200 individual dialects in China & Taiwan. Mandarin Chinese is the “standard” used in Beijing and spoken or understood, by 2/3 of the population.

Second, there are two types of Chinese characters: Traditional and Simplified . In this article, we’ll be talking about Simplified Chinese characters, which are used in the majority of Mainland China.

There is an ongoing politicised debate about the two kinds of characters, and those asking themselves: “Should I learn traditional or simplified Chinese characters?” can face a difficult choice.

• For more on difference between Simplified and Traditional characters read this article
• To learn more about “the debate” read this excellent Wikipedia article
• If you want to switch Simplified characters into Traditional, you might like the fantastic New Tong Wen Tang browser plugin

First Steps in Learning Chinese Characters

When learning a European language, you have certain reference points that give you a head start.

If you're learning French and see the word l'hotel , for example, you can take a pretty good guess what it means! You have a shared alphabet and shared word roots to fall back on.

In Chinese this is not the case.

When you're just starting out, every sound, character, and word seems new and unique. Learning to read Chinese characters can feel like learning a whole set of completely illogical, unconnected “squiggles”!

The most commonly-taught method for learning to read and write these “squiggles” is rote learning .

Just write them again and again and practise until they stick in your brain and your hand remembers how to write them! This is an outdated approach, much like reciting multiplication tables until they “stick”.

I learnt this way.

Most Chinese learners learnt this way.

It's painful…and sadly discourages a lot of learners.

However, there is a better way.

Even without any common reference points between Chinese and English, the secret is to use the basic building blocks of Chinese, and use those building blocks as reference points from which to grow your knowledge of written Chinese.

This article will:

• Outline the different levels of structure inherent in Chinese characters
• Show you how to build your own reference points from scratch
• Demonstrate how to build up gradually without feeling overwhelmed

The Structure Of Written Chinese

The basic structure of written Chinese is as follows:

I like to think of Chinese like Lego . .. it's very “square”!

The individual bricks are the components (a.k.a  radicals ).

We start to snap these components together to get something larger – the characters.

We can then snap characters together in order to make Chinese words.

Here's the really cool part about Chinese: Each of these pieces, at every level, has meaning.

The component, the character, the word… they all have meaning.

This is different to a European language, where the “pieces” used to make up words are letters.

Letters by themselves don't normally have meaning and when we start to clip letters together we are shaping a sound rather than connecting little pieces of meaning. This is a powerful difference that comes into play later when we are learning vocabulary.

Let's look at the diagram again.

Here we start with the component 子. This has the meaning of “child/infant”.

The character 好 (“good”) is the next level. Look on the right of the character and you'll see 子. We would say that 子 is a component of 好.

Now look at the full word 你好 (“Hello”). Notice that the 子 is still there.

• The character 好 is built of the components 女 and 子.
• The character 你 is built from 人 + 尔.
• The word 你好 in turn is constructed out of 你 + 好.

Here's the complete breakdown of that word in an easy-to-read diagram:

Now look at this photo of this in real life !

Don't worry if you can't understand it. Just look for some shapes that you have seen before.

The font is a little funky, so here are the typed characters: 好孩子

What components have you seen before?

Did you spot them?

This is a big deal.

Here's why…

Why Character Components Are So Important

One of the big “scare stories” around Chinese is that there are 50,000 characters to learn.

Now, this is true. But learning them isn't half as bad as you think.

Firstly, only a few thousand characters are in general everyday use so that number is a lot more manageable.

Second, and more importantly, those 50,000 characters are all made up of the same 214 components .

And you already know one of them: 子 (it's one of those 214 components).

The fact that you can now recognise the 子 in the image above is a huge step forward.

You can already recognise one of the 214 pieces all characters are made up of.

Even better is the fact that of these 214 components it's only the 50-100 most common you'll be running into again and again.

This makes Chinese characters a lot less scary.

Once you get a handle on these basic components, you'll quickly recognise all the smaller pieces and your eyes will stop glazing over!  

This doesn't mean you'll necessarily know the meaning or how to pronounce the words yet (we'll get onto this shortly) but suddenly Chinese doesn't seem quite so alien any more.

Memorising The Components Of Chinese Characters

Memorising the pieces is not as important as simply realising that ALL of Chinese is constructed from these 214 pieces.

When I realised this, Chinese became a lot more manageable and I hope I've saved you some heartache by revealing this early in your learning process!

Here are some useful online resources for learning the components of Chinese characters:

• An extensive article about the   214 components of Chinese characters  with a free printable PDF poster.
• Downloadable posters of all the components, characters and words.
• If you like flashcards, there's a great Anki deck here and a Memrise course here .
• Wikipedia also has a sweet sortable list here .

TAKEAWAY : Every single Chinese character is composed of just 214 “pieces”. Only 50-100 of these are commonly used. Learn these pieces first to learn how to write in Chinese quickly.

Moving From Components To Chinese Characters

Once you've got a grasp of the basic building blocks of Chinese it's time to start building some characters!

We used the character 好 (“good”) in the above example. 好 is a character composed of the components 女 (“woman”) and 子 (“child”).

Unlike the letters of the alphabet in English, these components have meaning .

(They also have pronunciation, but for the sake of simplicity we'll leave that aside for now!)

• 女 means “woman” and 子 means “child”.
• When they are put together, 女 and 子 become 好 …and the meaning is “good”.
• Therefore “woman” + “child” = “good” in Chinese 🙂

When learning how to write in Chinese characters you can take advantage of the fact that components have their own meanings.

In this case, it is relatively easy to make a mnemonic (memory aid) that links the idea of a woman with her baby as “good”.

Because Chinese is so structured, these kind of mnemonics are an incredibly powerful tool for memorisation.

Some characters, including 好, can also be easily represented graphically. ShaoLan's book Chineasy does a fantastic job of this.

Here's the image of 好 for instance – you can see the mother and child.

Visual graphics like these can really help in learning Chinese characters.

Unfortunately, only around 5% of the characters in Chinese are directly “visual” in this way. These characters tend to get the most attention because they look great when illustrated.

However, as you move beyond the concrete in the more abstract it becomes harder and harder to visually represent ideas.

Thankfully, the ancient Chinese had an ingenious solution, a solution that actually makes the language a lot more logical and simple than merely adding endless visual pictures.

Watch Me Write Chinese Characters

In the video below, which is part of a series on learning to write in Chinese , I talk about the process of actually writing out the characters. Not thousands of times like Chinese schoolchildren. But just as a way to reinforce my learning and attack learning Chinese characters from different angles.

My Chinese handwriting leaves a lot to be desired. But it's more about a process of reinforcing my language learning via muscle memory than perfecting my handwriting.

You'll also hear me discuss some related issues such as stroke order and typing in Chinese.

The Pronunciation Of Chinese Characters

The solution was the incredibly unsexy sounding… (wait for it…) “phono-semantic compound character”.

It's an awful name, so I'm going to call them “sound-meaning characters” for now!

This concept is the key to unlocking 95% of the Chinese characters.

A sound-meaning character has a component that tells us two things:

• the meaning
• a clue to how the character is pronounced

So, in simple terms:

95% of Chinese characters have a clue to the meaning of the character AND its pronunciation. 

到 means “to arrive”.

This character is made of two components. On the left is 至 and on the right is 刀.

These are two of the 214 components that make up all characters. 至 means “to arrive” and 刀 means “knife”.

Any idea which one gives us the meaning? Yup – it's 至, “to arrive”! (That was an easy one 🙂 )

But how about the 刀? This is where it gets interesting.

到 is pronounced dào.

刀, “knife” is pronounced dāo.

The reason the 刀 is placed next to 至 in the character 到 is just to tell us how to pronounce the character! How cool is that?

Now, did you notice the little lines above the words: dào and dāo?

Those are the tone markers, and in this case they are both slightly different. These two characters have different tones so they are not exactly the same pronunciation.

However, the sound-meaning compound has got us 90% of the way to being able to pronounce the character, all because some awesome ancient Chinese scribe thought there should be a shortcut to help us remember the pronunciation!

Let's look at a few more examples of how 刀 is used in different words to give you an idea of the pronunciation.

Even if sometimes:

• the sound-meaning character gives us the exact sound and meaning
• or it gets us in the ballpark
• or worse it is way off because the character has changed over the last 5,000 years!

Nevertheless, there's a clue about the pronunciation in 95% of all Chinese characters, which is a huge help for learning how to speak Chinese.

TAKEAWAY : Look at the component parts as  a way to unlock the meaning and pronunciations of 95% of Chinese characters. In terms of “hacking” the language, this is the key to learning how to write in Chinese quickly.

From Chinese Characters To Chinese Words

First we went from components to characters.

Next, we are going from characters to words.

Although there are a lot of one-character words in Chinese, they tend to either be classically-rooted words like “king” and “horse” or grammatical particles and pronouns.

The vast majority of Chinese words contain two characters.

The step from characters to words is where, dare I say it, Chinese script gets easy!

Come on, you didn't think it would always be hard did you? 🙂

Unlike European languages Chinese's difficulty is very front-loaded.

When you first learn to write Chinese, you'll discover a foreign pronunciation system, a foreign tonal system and a very  foreign writing system.

As an English speaker, you can normally have a good shot at pronouncing and reading words in other European languages, thanks to the shared alphabet.

Chinese, on the other hand, sucker-punches you on day one… but gets a little more gentle as you go along.

One you've realised these things:

• there aren't that many components to deal with
• all characters are made up of these basic components
• words are actually characters bolted together

…then it's a matter of just memorising a whole bunch of stuff!

That's not to say there isn't a lot of work involved, only to say that it's not particularly difficult. Time-consuming, yes. Difficult, no.

This is quite different from European languages, which start off easy, but quickly escalate in difficulty as you encounter complicated grammar, tenses, case endings, technical vocabulary and so on.

Making words from Chinese characters you already know is easy and really fun . This is where you get to start snapping the lego blocks together and build that Pirate Island!

The Logic Of Chinese Writing

Here are some wonderful examples of the simplicity and logic of Chinese using the character 车 which roughly translates as “vehicle”.

• Water + Vehicle = Waterwheel = 水 +车
• Wind + Vehicle = Windmill = 风＋车
• Electric + Vehicle = Tram/Trolley = 电＋车
• Fire + Vehicle = Train = 火＋车
• Gas + Vehicle = Car = 汽＋车
• Horse + Vehicle = Horse and cart/Trap and Pony = 马＋车
• Up + Vehicle = Get into/onto a vehicle =上＋车
• Down + Vehicle = Get out/off a vehicle =下＋车
• Vehicle + Warehouse = Garage = 车＋库
• To Stop + Vehicle = to park = 停＋车

Chinese is extremely logical and consistent.

This is a set of building blocks that has evolved over 5,000 years in a relatively linear progression. And you can't exactly say the same about the English language!

Just think of the English words for the Chinese equivalences above:

Train, windmill, millwheel/waterwheel, tram/trolley, car/automobile, horse and cart/trap and pony.

Unlike Chinese where these concepts are all linked by 车 there's very little consistency in our vehicle/wheel related vocabulary, and no way to link these sets of related concepts via the word itself.

English is a diverse and rich language, but that comes with its drawbacks – a case-by-case spelling system that drives learners mad.

Chinese, on the other hand, is precise and logical, once you get over the initial “alienness”.

Making The Complex Simple

This logical way of constructing vocabulary is not limited to everyday words like “car” and “train”. It extends throughout the language.

To take an extreme example let's look at Jurassic Park .

The other day I watched Jurassic Park with my Chinese girlfriend. (OK, re -watched. It's a classic!)

Part of the fun for me (annoyance for her) was asking her the Chinese for various dinosaur species.

Take a second to look through these examples. You'll love the simplicity!

• T Rex 暴龙 = tyrant + dragon
• Tricerotops 三角恐龙 three + horn + dinosaur
• Diplodocus 梁龙 roof-beam + dragon
• Velociraptor 伶盗龙 clever + thief + dragon (or swift stealer dragon)
• Stegosaurus 剑龙 (double-edged) sword + dragon
• Dilophosaurus 双脊龙 double+spined+dragon

Don't try to memorise these characters, just appreciate the underlying logic of how the complex concepts are constructed .

(Unless, of course, you are a palaeontologist…or as the Chinese would say a Ancient + Life + Animal + Scientist!).

I couldn't spell half of these dinosaur names in English for this article. But once I knew how the construction of the Chinese word, typing in the right characters was simple.

Once you know a handful of characters, you can start to put together complete words, and knowing how to write in Chinese suddenly becomes a lot easier.

In a lot of cases you can take educated guesses at concepts and get them right by combining known characters into unknown words.

For more on this, check my series of Chinese character images that I publish on this page . They focus on Chinese words constructed from common characters, and help you understand more of the “building block” logic of Chinese.

TAKEAWAY : Chinese words are constructed extremely logically from the underlying characters. This means that once you've learned a handful of characters vocabulary acquisition speeds up exponentially.

How To Learn Written Chinese Fast

Before diving into learning characters, make sure you have a decent grounding in Chinese pronunciation via the pinyin system. 

The reason for this is that taking on pronunciation, tones and characters from day one is really tough.

Don't get me wrong, you can do it. Especially if you're highly motivated. But for most people there's a better way.

Learn a bit of spoken Chinese first. 

With some spoken language under your belt, and an understanding of pronunciation and tones, starting to learn how to write in Chinese will seem a whole lot easier.

When you're ready, here's how to use all the information from this article and deal with written Chinese in a sensible way.

I've got a systematic approach to written Chinese which you can find in detail on Sensible Chinese .

Right now, I'm going to get you started with the basics.

The Sensible Character System

The four stages for learning Chinese characters are:

Sounds technical huh? Don't worry, it's not really.

This part of the process is about choosing what you put into your character learning system.

If you're working on the wrong material then you're wasting your efforts. Instead choose to learn Chinese characters that you are like to want to use in the future.

My list in order of priority contains:

• daily life: characters/words I've encountered through daily life
• textbooks: characters/words I've learnt from textbooks
• frequency lists: characters/words I've found in frequency lists of the most common characters and words

2. Processing

This is the “learning” part of the system.

You take a new word or character and break it down into its component parts. You can then use these components to create memory aids.

Hanzicraft.com or Pleco's built-in character decomposition tool are fantastic for breaking down new characters. These will be helpful until you learn to recognise the character components by sight. These tools will also show you if there are sound-meaning component clues in the character.

Use the individual components of a character to build a “story” around the character. Personal, sexy and violent stories tend to stick in the mind best! 🙂 I also like to add colours into my stories to represent the tones (1st tone Green, 2nd tone Blue etc.)

After the “input” and the “process”… it's time to review it all!

The simplest review system is paper flashcards which you periodically use to refresh your memory.

A more efficient method can be found in software or apps that use a Spaced Repetition System, like Anki or   Pleco .

An important point: Review is not learning .

It's tempting to rely on software like Anki to drill in the vocabulary through brute-force repetition. But don't skip the first two parts – processing the character and creating a mnemonic are key parts of the process.

It isn't enough to just learn and review your words… you also need to put them into use !

Thankfully, technology has made this easier than ever. Finding a language exchange partner or a lesson with a cost-effective teacher is super simple nowadays, so there's no excuse for not putting your new vocabulary into action!

The resources I personally use are:

• Spoken – iTalki
• Written – Lang-8
• Short form written – WeChat / HelloTalk

Importantly, whilst you are using your current vocabulary in these forms of communication, you'll be picking up new content all the time, which you can add back into your system.

The four steps above are a cycle that you will continue to rotate through – all the corrections and new words you receive during usage should become material to add to the system.

To recap, the four steps of systematically learning Chinese characters are:

By building these steps into your regular study schedule you can steadily work through the thousands of Chinese characters and words you'll need to achieve literacy.

This is a long-haul process! So having a basic system in place is very important for consistency.

You can find out a lot more about The Sensible Chinese Character Learning System and how to write in Chinese here .

Top Chinese Learning Links And Resources

• Chinese Language Learning Resource List – a curated list of tools and content available online and in print to help your Chinese learning, all categorised by usage type.
• Sensible Character Learning System – the full system outlined in a series of blog articles for those who want more detail and tips on how to refine their character learning.
• 111 Mandarin Chinese resources you wish you knew – Olly’s huge list of the best resources on the web for learning Chinese

I hope you enjoyed this epic guide to learning how to write in Chinese!

Please share this post with any friends who are learning Chinese, then leave us a comment below!

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• 作死 | zuosi | zuo si
• 作法 | zuofa | zuo fa
• 作准 | zuozhun | zuo zhun
• 作为 | zuowei | zuo wei
• 作物 | zuowu | zuo wu
• 作用 | zuoyong | zuo yong
• 作用力 | zuoyongli | zuo yong li
• 作用理论 | zuoyonglilun | zuo yong li lun

How to Say Homework in Chinese

Learning how to say “homework” in Chinese is essential for effective communication, especially when you are studying or working in a Chinese-speaking environment or interacting with Chinese-speaking individuals. This guide will provide you with formal and informal ways to express this term in Chinese, along with some regional variations if necessary. Whether you are a student or a professional, these tips, examples, and insights will help you confidently navigate the Chinese language.

Formal Ways to Say Homework in Chinese

1. 作业 (zuòyè):

The term “作业” is the most common and formal way to express “homework” in Chinese. It is widely used across China, Taiwan, and other Chinese-speaking communities. This term is interchangeable with “homework” in English and is applicable to various educational levels, both for school and college/university assignments. For example:

我有很多作业要做。 Wǒ yǒu hěnduō zuòyè yào zuò. I have a lot of homework to do.

2. 功课 (gōngkè):

Another formal term for “homework” in Chinese is “功课.” It is commonly used in Mainland China and Singapore. “功课” can also refer to general schoolwork or assignments outside the classroom. For instance:

请你完成明天的功课。 Qǐng nǐ wánchéng míngtiān de gōngkè. Please complete tomorrow’s homework.

Informal Ways to Say Homework in Chinese

1. 作 (zuò):

In informal contexts or casual conversations, you can simply use the character “作” to refer to “homework.” While not as common as the formal terms mentioned above, it is still widely understood. This abbreviated form is commonly used among friends or family. For example:

你写完作了吗？ Nǐ xiě wán zuò le ma? Have you finished your homework?

2. 作业本 (zuòyèběn):

“作业本” is a colloquial expression that refers specifically to the physical exercise book used for completing homework. In informal situations, people may use “作业本” to talk about homework instead of using the term “作业” directly. For instance:

我忘记带作业本了。 Wǒ wàngjì dài zuòyèběn le. I forgot to bring my homework book.

Regional Variations

While the previously mentioned terms are widely understood in most Chinese-speaking regions, Chinese dialects and regional variations can introduce some differences.

1. 書包 (shū bāo) in Hong Kong:

In Hong Kong Cantonese, “書包” (shū bāo) is commonly used to refer to “homework.” If you find yourself in Hong Kong or interacting with people from this region, you can use “書包” to convey the same meaning. For example:

我要做書包。 Ngóh yiu jí sēuh bāau. I need to do my homework.

2. 条 (tiáo) in some parts of Northern China:

In certain areas of Northern China, particularly around Beijing, the term “条” (tiáo) can be used when referring to homework. This is a regional variation that has gained popularity in recent years. For instance:

老师布置了好多条。 Lǎoshī bùzhì le hǎo duō tiáo. The teacher assigned a lot of homework.

Tips for Learning Chinese Vocabulary

1. Practice with Flashcards:

Create flashcards with the Chinese characters and corresponding English translations for “homework.” Regularly review the flashcards to reinforce your memory and improve your ability to recall the terms effortlessly.

2. Watch Chinese Language Videos:

Find online resources or language learning platforms that offer videos with subtitles or lessons focused on vocabulary. Watching and listening to native Chinese speakers will help you recognize correct pronunciation and usage.

3. Use Language Learning Apps:

Install language learning apps on your smartphone or tablet, such as Duolingo, HelloChinese, or Memrise. These apps enable you to practice vocabulary and improve your language skills on the go.

4. Contextualize Vocabulary Learning:

Incorporate Chinese vocabulary into your daily life by using it in sentences or conversations. The more you practice, the faster you will become comfortable with the language.

Mastering the vocabulary for “homework” in Chinese is essential for effective communication in academic or professional settings. By using the formal terms like “作业” or “功课” and the informal expressions like “作” or “作业本,” you can confidently express your specific needs or inquire about someone else’s assignments in Chinese. Remember to consider regional variations if you encounter them while engaging with different Chinese-speaking communities. By implementing the provided tips and practicing regularly, your Chinese vocabulary will continue to expand, allowing you to thrive in various language environments.

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Mandarin Chinese names of the things, places and people commonly found at school. Each entry has an audio file for pronunciation and listening practice.

English: Abacus Pinyin: suànpán trad: 算盤 simp: 算盘 Audio Pronunciation

English: Atlas Pinyin: shìjiè dìtú trad: 世界地圖 simp: 世界地图 Audio Pronunciation

English: Backpack Pinyin: bēibāo trad: 背包 simp: 背包 Audio Pronunciation

English: Book Shelf Pinyin: shūjià trad: 書架 simp: 书架 Audio Pronunciation

English: Book Pinyin: shūběn trad: 書本 simp: 书本 Audio Pronunciation

English: Bookcase Pinyin: shūguì trad: 書櫃 simp: 书柜 Audio Pronunciation

English: Calculator Pinyin: jìsuànjī trad: 計算機 simp: 计算机 Audio Pronunciation

English: Chair Pinyin: yǐzi trad: 椅子 simp: 椅子 Audio Pronunciation

English: Classroom Pinyin: jiàoshì trad: 教室 simp: 教室 Audio Pronunciation

English: Desk Pinyin: shūzhuō trad: 書桌 simp: 书桌 Audio Pronunciation

English: Dictionary Pinyin: zìdiǎn trad: 字典 simp: 字典 Audio Pronunciation

Encyclopedia

English: Encyclopedia Pinyin: bǎikēquánshū trad: 百科全書 simp: 百科全书 Audio Pronunciation

English: Eraser Pinyin: xiàngpí cā trad: 橡皮擦 simp: 橡皮擦 Audio Pronunciation

English: Homework Pinyin: zuòyè trad: 作業 simp: 作业 Audio Pronunciation

English: Library Pinyin: túshūguǎn trad: 圖書館 simp: 图书馆 Audio Pronunciation

English: Notebook Pinyin: bǐjìběn trad: 筆記本 simp: 笔记本 Audio Pronunciation

English: Paper Pinyin: zhǐ trad: 紙 simp: 纸 Audio Pronunciation

English: Paperclip Pinyin: huí wén zhēn trad: 迴紋針 simp: 迴纹针 Audio Pronunciation

English: Pen Pinyin: bǐ trad: 筆 simp: 笔 Audio Pronunciation

English: Pencil Pinyin: qiānbǐ trad: 鉛筆 simp: 铅笔 Audio Pronunciation

English: Ruler Pinyin: chǐ trad: 尺 simp: 尺 Audio Pronunciation

English: School Bus Pinyin: xiào chē trad: 校車 simp: 校车 Audio Pronunciation

English: School Pinyin: xuéxiào trad: 學校 simp: 学校 Audio Pronunciation

English: Scissors Pinyin: jiǎndāo trad: 剪刀 simp: 剪刀 Audio Pronunciation

English: Stapler Pinyin: dīng shū jī trad: 釘書機 simp: 钉书机 Audio Pronunciation

English: Students Pinyin: xuésheng trad: 學生 simp: 学生 Audio Pronunciation

English: Teacher Pinyin: lǎoshī trad: 老師 simp: 老师 Audio Pronunciation

English: Thumbtack Pinyin: tú dīng trad: 圖釘 simp: 图钉 Audio Pronunciation

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Words for I do my homework in Mandarin Chinese

Learn the most common words for i do my homework in mandarin chinese. click on a word for more information and translations., related topics, as a human, i..., ready to learn mandarin chinese, language drops is a fun, visual language learning app. learn mandarin chinese free today..

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The Best Way to Learn Mandarin

Last Updated: April 12, 2024 Fact Checked

• Improving Your Skills
• How to Practice & Become Fluent

Practice Translations and Answers

Expert q&a.

This article was written by Tian Zhou and by wikiHow staff writer, Johnathan Fuentes . Tian Zhou is a Language Specialist and the Founder of Sishu Mandarin, a Chinese Language School 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 Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from New York University. Tian also holds a certification in Foreign Language (&ESL) - Mandarin (7-12) from New York State and certifications in Test for English Majors and Putonghua Proficiency Test from The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. He is the host of MandarinPod, an advanced Chinese language learning podcast. There are 19 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,320,387 times.

To learn Mandarin Chinese, begin by learning the tones and sounds used in the language. Learn simple vocabulary and phrases, and practice reading and writing Chinese characters. Immerse yourself in the language. Practice with a native speaker, listen to Chinese podcasts or watch Chinese films, take formal courses to improve your fluency—or even travel to China and use the language on a daily basis. This article explains how to do all of this, in detail. Read on to begin your journey towards mastering Mandarin Chinese. This article is based on an interview with our language specialist, Tian Zhou, founder of Sishu Mandarin. Check out the full interview here.

Things You Should Know

• Learn tones and sounds used in Mandarin. Memorize simple vocabulary, numbers, and basic conversational phrases to improve your fluency and pronunciation.
• Study basic Mandarin grammar and use the Pinyin phonetic system to learn pronunciation. Practice reading and writing Chinese characters as well.
• Practice speaking with a native speaker, take courses, and consume Chinese media. Be patient, as it takes about 2200 hours of study to become proficient in Mandarin.

Mastering the Basics

• The first tone is a high, flat tone. Your voice stays flat, with no rise or dip in the way it sounds. Using the word "ma" as an example, the first tone is indicated using the symbol above the letter a: "mā".
• The second tone is a rising tone. Your voice rises from a low to middle pitch, as if you were asking someone to repeat something by saying "Huh?" or "What?" The second tone is indicated using the symbol "má".
• The third tone is a dipping tone. The pitch goes from middle to low to high, like when you say the letter "B". When two third-tone syllables are near each other, the second one retains its third tone sound while the first takes the sound of the second tone. The third tone is indicated using the symbol "mǎ".
• The fourth tone is a lowering tone. The pitch goes rapidly from high to low as if giving a command e.g. stop! Or as if you're reading a book and have come across something new and interesting and are saying "huh". The fourth tone is indicated using the symbol "mà".
• Listen to examples of the tones spoken by a native speaker. This will help you understand what each tone sounds like.

• "h": Almost like English "h", but a little bit throatier.
• "x": Place the tip of your tongue near where your bottom teeth meet their gums and the middle of your tongue near the roof of your mouth. Then, blow air out of your mouth. It will sound similar to "sh", but closer to "s".
• "q": Just like "x" but use a "t" sound to start it. It will sound similar to "ch", but closer to "ts".
• "j": Similar to "q", but you'll need to use voice in this one. Instead of just breathing air out, do it with sound behind it. The difference between "q" and "j" is like the difference between "s" and "z" in English.
• "r": This letter makes a different sound when it's at the beginning of a syllable versus when it's at the end. When it is at the start, it's a tricky one and may need more practice. Take the tip of your tongue and lift it up until it almost touches the roof of your mouth. The sides of your tongue should touch around your back molars on either side. Then, breathe with your voice. It should almost sound like the "s" in "vision", but closer to "r". When this letter is at the end of a syllable, it sounds just like an "r" in English.
• "ü": This letter is the sixth vowel of Chinese, and is not one found in English. However, it is relatively easy to say. First, round your lips as if you were about to say "oo", as in "food". Then, make the sound of "ee" that you hear in "bee".
• "zh": Very similar to the English "j" in "jar", but position your mouth the same way as for Mandarin "r".
• "ch": Very similar to the English "ch" in "chew", but position your mouth the same way as for Mandarin "r".
• " sh": Very similar to the English "sh", but position your mouth the same way as for Mandarin "r". The sounds "r", "zh", "ch", and "sh" are known as the "retroflex" initials because they are a sound family of a sort.

• Some good vocabulary lists to start with include: times of day (morning: zǎo shàng; 早上 , afternoon: xià wǔ; 下午 , evening: wǎn shàng; 晚上 ) body parts (head: tóu; 头 , feet: jiǎo; 脚 , hands: shǒu; 手 ) food (beef: niú ròu; 牛肉 , chicken: jī; 鸡 , egg: jī dàn; 鸡蛋 , noodles: miàn tiáo; 面条 ) along with greetings, colors, days of the week, months, transport words, weather, etc.
• When you hear a word in English, think about how you would say it in Mandarin. If you don't know what it is, jot it down and look it up later. It's handy to keep a little notebook on you for this purpose. Attach little Chinese labels (with the character, the pinyin, and the pronunciation) to items around your house, such as the mirror, the coffee table, and the sugar bowl. You'll see the words so often that you'll learn them without realizing it!
• Although having a wide vocabulary is good, remember that in Mandarin, accuracy is more important. It's no good learning a word if you can't pronounce it properly, using the correct tone, as different pronunciations could have entirely different meanings. For example, using the wrong tone (using mā instead of má ) could be the difference between saying "I want cake" and "I want coke" - two completely different meanings.

When asked, “How long does it take to learn basic Mandarin?”

Godspeed Chen

Godspeed Chen, a Chinese translator, responded: “It might take you one or two weeks to learn some useful expressions. Becoming fluent can take one or more years .”

• One: written as (一) or yī , pronounced [eee]
• Two: written as (二) or èr , pronounced [err]
• Three: written as (三) or sān , pronounced [saan]
• Four: written as (四) or sì , pronounced [ssuh]
• Five: written as (五) or wǔ , pronounced [oo]
• Six: written as (六) or liù , pronounced [lee-yoe]
• Seven: written as (七) or qī , pronounced [chi]
• Eight: written as (八) or bā , pronounced [baa]
• Nine: written as (九) or jiǔ , pronounced [jee-yoe]
• Ten: written as (十) or shí , pronounced [sh]
• Once you have mastered numbers one to ten, continue counting in double digits by saying the number in the tens' position, then the word 十 , followed by the number in the one's position. For example:
• The number 48 is written as sì shí bā (四十八), literally meaning "four tens plus eight". The number 30 is written as sān shí (三十), literally meaning "three tens". The number 19 is written as yī shí jiǔ (一十九), literally meaning "one ten plus nine" (however in most Mandarin dialects the initial yī is omitted from numbers in the teens, as it is deemed unnecessary).
• The word for hundred in Mandarin is (百) or baǐ , so 100 is written as yì baǐ , 200 is written as èr baǐ , 300 is written as sān baǐ , etc.

• Hello - 你好- nǐhǎo, pronounced [nee how]
• What is your last name(surname)? ( formal )- 您贵姓? - nín guì xìng, pronounced [neen gway shing]
• or 你姓什么？- nǐ xìng shén me ( inf. ), pronounced [nee shing shurn muh]
• What's your name? - 你叫什么名字? - nǐ jiào shén me míng zì, pronounced [nee jee-ou shurn muh ming zi] [8] X Research source
• Yes - 是 - shì, pronounced [sh]
• No - 不是 - bú shì, pronounced [boo sh]
• Thank you - 谢谢 - xiè xiè, pronounced [shie shie]
• You're welcome - 不用谢 - bú yòng xiè, pronounced [boo yong shee-e]
• Excuse me - 对不起 - duì bu qǐ, pronounced [dway boo chee]
• I don't understand - 我不懂 - wǒ bù dǒng, pronounced [wuo boo downg]
• Goodbye - 再见 - zài jiàn, pronounced [zay jee-en]

Advancing Your Language Skills

• For instance, in Chinese, there are no complicated rules about conjugations, agreement, gender, plural nouns, or tenses. Most words consist of single syllables which are then combined to make compound words. This makes sentence construction fairly straightforward.
• However, Mandarin Chinese has other grammar rules that are not found in English or other Indo-European languages. For example, Mandarin uses grammatical features such as classifiers, topic-prominence, and preference for aspect. As these features are not used in English, they can be quite difficult for learners to grasp.
• However, despite the differences, Mandarin usually uses the same word order as English: subject - verb - object. This makes it possible to translate between the languages word-for-word. For example, the English phrase "he likes cats" is translated directly as "tā (he) xǐ huan (likes) māo (cats).

• Pinyin allows students of Mandarin to focus on their pronunciation, while also enabling them to read and write, without needing to learn complex Chinese characters. Although Pinyin uses the Roman alphabet, the pronunciation of its letters is often not intuitive to English speakers, which is why it must be studied carefully before it can be used.
• For example, the letter "c" in Pinyin is pronounced like the "ts" in the word "bits", the letter "e" is pronounced like the "er" in the word "hers" and the letter "q" is pronounced like the "ch" in the word "cheap". Due to these differences, it’s important to learn the correct Pinyin pronunciations before using it as a guide.
• Although learning Pinyin pronunciations may seem like a pain, it can be extremely beneficial to your language learning and is still significantly easier than learning to recognize the traditional Chinese characters.

Tip: Keep in mind that the tone (symbol) above each letter should be placed on top of a vowel that is first in the alphabet. This means that it’s “hǎo” and not “haǒ.”

• According to the BBC, there are over 50,000 Chinese characters in existence, however, most of these are rarely, if ever, used. An educated Chinese person will probably know about 8000 characters, but only about 2000 of these are necessary to read a newspaper. [12] X Research source
• Familiarize yourself with the 214 "radicals.” These are specific symbols that come together to form all Chinese characters. Some radicals can stand on their own as independent characters, while others are used only within more complex characters.
• Always follow the correct stroke order when writing the characters. There are specific rules to follow, such as left to right, top to bottom, and horizontal before vertical, depending on the character.
• There are many Chinese workbooks available that teach you how to write characters. These are usually intended for schoolchildren, but are useful to anyone attempting to learn Chinese characters. IBuy one which is designed for English speakers. For example, 快乐汉语 from Hanban has an English translation.

Immersing Yourself in the Language

• If you have a Mandarin-speaking friend, ask if they are willing to practice speaking with you. Otherwise, search online for Mandarin conversation groups in your area.
• If you can't locate any Mandarin speakers nearby, search online for language exchange programs with Mandarin speakers who are learning English. Some may be willing to exchange 15 minutes of Mandarin conversation for 15 minutes of English.
• Join [ QQ , a chat service that is very popular in China featuring many language learning groups/rooms. Most members are native Chinese speakers learning English.

• Check for Mandarin courses at a local college, university, school, or community center.
• If you are currently enrolled at a college or university, take a Mandarin course at your institution.

• Pause the video after a simple sentence and repeat what has just been said. This will lend your Chinese accent an air of authenticity!
• Check your local library for Chinese films, or ask if they’re able to obtain some for you.

• Get a Mandarin Chinese radio app on your phone and listen to it on the go.
• Download Chinese podcasts to listen to while exercising or doing housework.

• Study abroad in China if you are currently enrolled in a college or university. This allows you to study Mandarin in China while earning credit towards your degree. [17] X Research source
• Participate in an international exchange program, such as Rotary International, which allows students to live with a host family in China for up to a year. You’ll need permission from a parent or guardian if you’re under 18. [18] X Research source

Our Expert Agrees: The best way to learn Mandarin, like most other languages, is full immersion. Living in or visiting China will help you learn Mandarin much faster.

• 2200 hours is the estimate for reaching “General Professional Proficiency,” according to the U.S. State Department, which provides foreign language training to U.S. diplomats.
• This means it takes roughly 2200 hours of study to be able to speak Mandarin in formal situations, such as with coworkers, but you won’t necessarily be completely fluent.

Reader Videos

• If possible, taking at least an introductory course on Mandarin at your school or local college can be an excellent way to be confident and accurate in your pronunciation and tones. Getting the basics down can help you have a good springboard for further studies on your own. Make sure the course is conducted in Mandarin and not in English. English teachers who go to teach in China are expected to speak in English, not Chinese. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• By and large, Chinese people are very proud of their culture, and enjoy helping people learn their language. Don't be afraid to ask for help or practice with a native speaker. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Persistence is key! If you think you know a lot, be sure not to just stop reviewing and studying it, you will forget what you have learned. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• If you learn something offensive, you should only say it jokingly and not seriously as some Chinese curses can be very strong. Thanks Helpful 68 Not Helpful 28

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• ↑ Tian Zhou. Language Specialist. Expert Interview. 19 March 2021.
• ↑ https://www.ucl.ac.uk/atlas/mandarin/four-tones.html
• ↑ https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/res-21g-003-learning-chinese-a-foundation-course-in-mandarin-spring-2011/01af9a25b804b7d58a26fa580691df4f_MITRES_21G_003S11_pinyin.pdf
• ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zk76ncw/articles/zkpj2sg
• ↑ https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/basic-mandarin-chinese-words-phrases
• ↑ http://www.freechineselessons.com/lessons/beginner/lesson-two-what-is-your-name/
• ↑ https://repository.library.northeastern.edu/files/neu:rx915j987/fulltext.pdf
• ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/chinese/real_chinese/mini_guides/characters/characters_howmany.shtml
• ↑ https://meet.nyu.edu/advice/mandarin-beginners/
• ↑ https://youtu.be/_f7AkEdmqpI?si=43BF03UCOJQVWyeu&t=228
• ↑ https://youtu.be/_f7AkEdmqpI?si=qDL0JVFu9lDUkOLx&t=211V
• ↑ https://www.brandeis.edu/grall/chinese/undergraduate/abroad.html
• ↑ https://www.rotarychina.org
• ↑ https://www.state.gov/foreign-language-training/
• Wikipedia article on Mandarin Chinese
• http://mandarin.about.com/od/educationlearning/tp/learn_by_step.htm
• http://www.omniglot.com/chinese/mandarin.htm
• https://wikitravel.org/en/Chinese_phrasebook
• http://www.tour-beijing.com/beijing_travel/Chinese_Phrases_for_travelers.php#8

About This Article

If you want to learn Mandarin Chinese, start by practicing the 4 Mandarin tones, which are ways of changing your voice to say the same word in different ways to mean different things. Start building your vocabulary by memorizing and saying out loud common words, like greetings and food names. Try learning to count to 10, which actually lets you count to 99 since number vocabulary in Mandarin is repetitive! Finally, learn some basic phrases, like "please" and “thank you.” For more suggestions on how to learn Mandarin Chinese, including moving past the basics and immersing yourself in the language, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Homeschool Chinese: Writing Chinese Characters

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Useful Chinese Vocabulary Words to Describe Your Daily Routine

Describing your daily routine/a typical day of yours/ daily activities in Mandarin is a perfect exercise to learn more vocabulary and master new...

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Translation of homework – English–Mandarin Chinese dictionary

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• The kids are busy with their homework.
• My science teacher always sets a lot of homework.
• "Have you got any homework tonight ?" "No."
• I got A minus for my English homework.
• For homework I want you to write an essay on endangered species .

(Translation of homework from the Cambridge English-Chinese (Simplified) Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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acting or speaking together, or at the same time

Alike and analogous (Talking about similarities, Part 1)

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Pinyin Input  Close

Simplified cangjie input (簡易倉頡輸入法)  close, chinese character worksheets  review  list  edit.

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Commonly-used Character Lists

Find a vocab list.

• Enter (or copy & paste) Chinese characters into the Chinese character box. The system will automatically provide the English definition and Pinyin for the characters. You can edit the definition and Pinyin as needed.
• Optionally, for each character entry, click the image icon to upload or look up an image for the character
• Enter the title of the new worksheet, such as Chinese Writing Homework #1 . The title will be shown at the top of the generated worksheets. The title is required to save the list to the server for future use.
• You can change the default worksheet settings as you like to find the format you prefer. The settings are self-explanatory.
• Click the Print button to generate the worksheets. The generated PDF will be shown in a separate browser window.
• You can also click the Save button to save the character list, including the customized definition and Pinyin, to the server for future use.
• Instead of entering the characters into the character box, you can also generate a worksheet by loading a character list from your Saved Vocab Lists or finding one from the vocab lists shared by the Chinese teaching and learning community. The Chinese characters from the list will be copied into the character box and the definitions and Pinyin will be populated for you.

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