Mandarin Essentials and Learning Resources:

Here is a quick start guide to learning Mandarin:

1. The most widely used Romanization system for Mandarin is called pinyin. Learn to read pinyin. This
is important because even though it is written using a familiar alphabet, many letters are
pronounced differently (i.e. c has a ts sound). Note that Chinese is a tonal language and the
number following the pinyin marks the tone (1-4) that the word is said with. The first tone is flat,
the second tone rises, the third dips, and the fourth falls. There is also the possibility of the word
having no specific tone.
a. http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/chinese/real_chinese/mini_guides/pinyin/
b. http://www.trinity.edu/sfield/chin1501/ToneChange.html

2. Learn the basics of Chinese characters and decide whether you will learn simplified or traditional
characters. The simplified characters were introduced in Mainland China to increase literacy rates
and are often less complicated, but traditional characters are still used in overseas Chinese
communities such as in Taiwan, Singapore, etc. While simplified characters are easier to write,
many that were simplified came to resemble other characters and are more easily confused. Two
other important things to note are that most Chinese languages use the same writing system (each
language just pronounces the characters differently) and that it is very important to learn the
stroke order of each character.
a. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=troxvPRmZm8
b. http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/chinese/real_chinese/mini_guides/characters/characters_me
aning.shtml
c. http://www.archchinese.com/chinese_stroke_order_rules.html

3. Start exposing yourself to the sounds of Chinese. This is important because you will pick up on the
intonation and sentence patterns of the language. This will also help with gaining experience in
what sounds right which will be useful as you continue your studies. I would recommend doing
so by watching dramas (preferably without subtitles) or listening to Chinese radio stations.
a. Try Aipartment on http://www.iqiyi.com/dianshiju/aqgy.html

4. Start learning about Chinese culture because it is a very important part of learning the language.
This includes, but is not limited to ancient history, modern development, fashion, art, music,
popular culture, and food.
a. http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/search/?results=china
b. http://theartofchina.com/
c. http://www.history.com/topics/chinese-new-year

5. Now you are ready to start your official Mandarin studies. Here are some sources that I would
recommend using to strengthen each area of study.
a. Reading: Find a Chinese childrens book written in both the characters and pinyin. Read and
translate each story. This will help you to become familiar with sentence structure, learn
grammar patterns, and improve your vocabulary.
i. http://chinesereadingpractice.com/category/beginner/childrens-stories/
ii. http://memrise.com/
b. Listening: Watch dramas or listen to Chinese music. Just be wary of watching Taiwanese dramas
unless you would like to pick up a slight Taiwanese accent which many Chinese say is ugly
sounding. If youd prefer use sources that are aimed towards teaching, a website I would highly
recommend is listed first.
i. http://fluentu.com/
ii. http://dramafever.com/
iii. http://viki.com/
c. Grammar: An integral part of learning Mandarin as the word order in sentences is often very
different from English. Two great parts of Chinese grammar though is that the basic sentence
structure is Subject-Verb-Object, just like English and there is no verb conjugation!
i. MIT Open Courseware: Introduction to Mandarin- http://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-21f-
003-learning-chinese-a-foundation-course-in-mandarin-spring-2011/index.htm
ii. http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/
iii. http://mandarin.about.com/od/pronunciation/u/listenspeak.htm
iv. Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar Textbook (Claudia Ross and Jing-Heng Sheng Ma)
v. Integrated Chinese Level 1 Textbook (Tao-chung Yao and Yuehua Liu)
d. Writing: The only real way to remember characters is by rote memorization and repetition. It
gets easier as you pick up on patterns that the characters have and become more familiar with
the radicals.
i. http://mandarinposter.com/wp-content/downloads/paper/drills_us_letter.pdf
ii. http://www.yellowbridge.com/chinese/character-stroke-
order.php?searchChinese=1&zi=%E5%9C%8B
e. Speaking: The most important part of speaking (and sometimes the most difficult) is using the
correct tones. These resources are best for solely verbal fluency (speaking and listening).
i. Mango Languages (free online download with use of a Brookfield Library Card)-
http://www.brookfieldlibrary.org/online-learning/mango-languages
ii. http://www.archchinese.com/mandarin_chinese_tone_drill.html
iii. Rosetta Stone
f. Culture/News: Stay up to date on Chinese news and popular culture.
i. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/
ii. http://www.chinasmack.com/
iii. http://www.tudou.com/