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Mandarin

Read all of Speechling's language learning tips and articles on the Chinese language. Improve your pronunciation with Speechling.

Mandarin

150 Basic Mandarin Phrases to Learn for Travel in China

International travel can feel daunting, especially if you do not speak the language of your chosen destination. In addition to the challenges of navigating an unfamiliar place, you will face a language barrier when facing even the most basic tasks like checking in to a hotel or ordering a meal

Mandarin

The Ultimate Guide to Zhuyin (Bopomofo) And How to Learn It

One of the biggest challenges of learning Chinese is that it does not have a phonetic alphabet. Unlike languages like English where each letter represents a sound, the Chinese writing system is not broken up into separate consonants and vowels. Instead, each character represents a word or concept, and therefore

Mandarin

101+ Medical Phrases Chinese Learners Should Know in an Emergency

A medical emergency is the last thing anyone wants to experience when traveling. Navigating the health system in one's own country is daunting enough, even without the language challenges that can come into play while you're abroad. The best case scenario is to prepare for an emergency before you leave:

Mandarin

7 Time Management Tips to Stay Organized while Learning Mandarin

One of the most common excuses for not learning a language is, "I'm too busy! I don't have enough time to study a new language." In many cases, the would-be student knows exactly what he should do to practice: make and review flashcards, watch videos in the target

Mandarin

How to Learn Chinese Fast on Your Own

What is the secret to learning Chinese quickly, and by yourself? The best way is to tailor your learning method to your learning style. Here are some learning tips to help you learn Chinese in ways that your brain naturally thinks.

Mandarin

Chinese Pronunciation: Érhuà Is the "R Sound" as the Last Syllable in Mandarin

Understand érhuà, the final "r" sound in many Northern Chinese dialects. Learning how to recognize and comprehend these distinctive pronunciations will allow you to connect with Northern Chinese and people from the capital, Beijing.

Mandarin

10 Grammar Tips for Chinese Beginners

Every one who has tried to learn a new language has probably experienced the frustration of wanting to say something, knowing all the right words, but just not being able to put them together in the right way. Chinese is no exception with rigid grammar structures and words like 了

Mandarin

Top 10 Ways to Make Learning Chinese Fun

Sometimes a quiet room and a good cup of coffee just isn’t enough to memorize those Chinese characters. We’ve all been there. Even though you love learning Chinese, your brain has begun to rebel at the mere sight of a textbook! But who says that learning needs to

Mandarin

7 Major Chinese Holidays Mandarin Learners Must Know

As one of the oldest civilizations in the world, China has a long list of traditional holidays the nation and its people celebrate. Here are seven major Chinese holidays and the traditions that follow.

Mandarin

Top 8 Tips and Tricks to Make Friends in Chinese

Learning Chinese is important but difficult. What are the right ways to study Mandarin? Making friends is definitely one of the best ways. Generally, language is an incredible tool for forming relationships. It grants the ability to literally communicate to people in new ways which can be incredibly powerful. For

Mandarin

A Beginner’s How-To Guide for Chinese Numbers and Counting in Mandarin

Counting in Chinese can be confusing, overwhelming and intimidating. But have no fear - let's break this down together and see how you can easily learn Chinese numbers in 5 minutes!

Mandarin

Learn How to Understand and Give Directions in Chinese

Getting lost is a great way to discover a new place, but at some point we’ve all got places to be, and sometimes these places aren’t necessarily on a map or easy to find. Knowing how to get directions from the people around you is an essential survival

English

The Ultimate Guide to Benefits of Being a Bilingual

The goal of this article is not only to bring you motivation relating to language learning, but also to focus on and illustrate the many ways in which bilingualism can improve your lives and the lives of others around you. Throughout this post, we are going to present you with

Mandarin

How to Describe Locations in Chinese: Transportation Vocabulary and More

In any city, there are places that you need to visit early in your stay, and others that serve as useful navigation points. It could be anything from finding the local hospital to locating the nearest subway station. Learning how to say some of these places in the city in

Mandarin

12 Chinese Proverbs About Love and Life for Chinese Learners

Plenty of people find wisdom where they least expect it. Often times we turn to proverbs and phrases to help us understand or connect with inexplicable feelings. Chinese proverbs, or 諺語 (yàn yŭ), are no different!

Mandarin

How to Learn Chengyu Through Chinese Zodiac Animals

When learning Chinese, the idioms known as "chengyu" can be difficult to learn, memorize, and use correctly. There are hundreds and thousands of them! One of the best ways to master chengyu is to associate them with memorable things, such as the iconic animals of the Chinese zodiac.

Mandarin

Chinese Learner's Guide to the Dragon Boat Festival

What is the Dragon Boat Festival? As the heat of summer approaches, so too does this historic Chinese holiday, also known as 端午节 (duānwǔjié - Dragon Boat Festival). In this article, you can learn key Chinese phrases about this holiday. If you're lucky, you can practice them at a real

Mandarin

Chinese Conversation Tips: How to Talk to Strangers

When you're ready to take your Mandarin Chinese skills to the streets for some real life practice, how do you address people you've never met? Make sure you get off on the right foot and read these tips!

Mandarin

How to Improve Your Handwriting for Chinese Characters

As a Mandarin learner, handwriting Chinese characters can be intimidating. Modern technology makes it easy to avoid manually writing out words, but penmanship remains a skill that is important to your learning. Script may not be necessarily useful to your day-to-day, but it helps you develop an understanding of Chinese

Mandarin

Top 10 Different Ways to Say Hello in Chinese for Beginners

You've probably heard the phrase "你好 nǐ hǎo" numerous times whilst traveling in China or Taiwan. This phrase is used as an introductory greeting on the phone, in a letter, or meeting someone for the first time. However, native Mandarin speakers actually have a few different ways to

Chinese

How to Make Your Online Chinese Learning More Productive

Online education has been prevailing in China since the outbreak of the coronavirus as most of the schools and training centers were closed for several months in order to prevent the further spread of the epidemic. Despite the fact that online tutoring has obvious advantages (such as flexibility and time-saving)

Mandarin

Top 10 Chinese Karaoke Songs to Help You Learn Chinese

As a Mandarin student, you may have heard the phrase "KTV" or "卡拉OK" (kǎlā ok) at some point in your studies. Whether you heard it from your native friends or your teacher, you'll know that KTV, or karaoke, is a big part of Chinese culture. Singing

Language Learning

How to Learn a Language Staying at Home During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

The global pandemic sweeping through communities across the world has propelled a mixture of panic, fear, confusion, and anxiety. With most nations on either lockdown or under strict social distancing measures, most of us are experiencing heightened stress and a colorful range of emotions due to living in an unfamiliar

Mandarin

Top 5 Popular Chinese Tongue Twisters for the Curious Mandarin Learner

As a language learner, it’s important to tackle the language with fun and positivity. Teachers across the world love using tongue twisters to bring a little light to a difficult subject - and with good reason! Tongue twisters not only help with pronunciation, but also help with the inflection

Mandarin

A Simple Guide to Speaking Mandarin Chinese With Perfect Tones

One aspect of Mandarin that learners often find intimidating its four tones. Knowing how to pronounce each one in isolation is just the first step. In this article we’re going to look at how you can avoid this stumbling block and take your Mandarin to the next level with perfect tones!