How to Learn to Read and Write Chinese

Co-authored by Tian Zhou

Last Updated: April 4, 2021 References

Have you ever found Chinese very hard with all the confusing characters? Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken language in the world, so it is definitely worth learning. Chinese is not very easy to learn, but in this wikiHow, it will teach you the reading and writing basics to learning Chinese.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Learning to Read and Write Chinese

1
Learn pinyin. Pinyin is a Chinese writing system which uses letters from the Roman alphabet instead of Chinese characters.^{[1]
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- It is useful for Chinese language learners, as it allows you to get started with reading and writing Chinese without the time involved in learning traditional characters. There are many Chinese textbooks and learning materials available in Pinyin.
- However, it is important to be aware that even though Pinyin uses letters from the Roman alphabet, its pronunciation is not always intuitive to the English speaker. Therefore, it is important to use a proper pronunciation guide when learning Pinyin.
2
Learn to read some Chinese characters. Although the ability to read traditional Chinese characters is not necessary for learning Chinese, the idea appeals to many people and makes them feel more in touch with traditional Chinese culture.^{[2]
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- Learning to recognize and read Chinese characters is no easy task. In order to read a newspaper, the average Chinese reader will need to be familiar with about 2000 different characters—and that's just the beginning. It is believed that there are over 50,000 Chinese characters in total (though many of them are no longer in use).
- The major benefit of learning to read Chinese characters is that you will have access to a broad array of other literatures, including Cantonese, Japanese and Korean—all of which use Chinese characters (or a simplified version of them) in their writings, despite the fact that the spoken languages are very different.
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3
Learn to write some Chinese characters. Once you have learned to read Chinese characters, you may be interested in learning how to form them yourself. Writing Chinese characters is a complex skill, which requires patience and a touch of artistry.^{[3]
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- The first step in learning how to write Chinese characters is to learn the "radicals"—these are the individual brush strokes that form the building blocks of each character. There are 214 radicals in total—some can stand on their own as individual characters, while others are only used as part of a more complex character.
- When writing Chinese characters, the order of the brush strokes is very important and you must follow a specific set of rules—such as top to bottom, left to right, and horizontal before vertical. If the stroke order is incorrect, the completed character will not be accurate.
4
Read Chinese texts. If you want to improve your Chinese reading skills, you'll need to practice a little reading for at least 15 to 20 minutes a day.
- To begin with, you could try using some children's readers or workbooks (which are nearly always written in Pinyin) to practice your basic reading skills. You should also be able to find some good resources for reading Chinese online.
- You can also try to incorporate your Chinese learning into your everyday life. You can do this by reading the Chinese labels on food products at the Asian supermarket, or asking your server for the Chinese language menu at a restaurant.
- Once your reading becomes more advanced, you could try to get your hands on a Chinese newspaper (which are printed using traditional Chinese characters) and do your best to read through the articles. This is also a good way of familiarizing yourself with Chinese culture and current affairs.
5
Write a little Chinese every day. In order to practice your Chinese writing skills, you should try to write a little every day, whether in Pinyin or in Chinese characters.
- One option is to keep a small personal diary in Chinese, where you write down simple things like a description of the weather, how you are feeling that day, or what you did. If you're not too shy about it, you could ask a Chinese-speaking friend or acquaintance to look it over and check for any mistakes.
- Alternatively, you could try to find a Chinese pen-pal to write letters to. This could be mutually beneficial, as you could get some practice writing in Chinese, while your pen-pal could practice their English. You could also ask your pen-pal to include the corrected version of your original letter when replying.
- A last way of practicing your writing is to make simple lists in Chinese, like your shopping list, or to make Chinese labels for items around the house.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Immersing Yourself in Chinese

1
Practice with a native Chinese speaker. The absolute best way to learn Chinese is to speak it with a native speaker—this will force you to think on your feet, help with your accent, and expose you to more informal or colloquial forms of speech that you won't find in a textbook.^{[4]
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Expert Source

Tian Zhou
Language Specialist
Expert Interview. 19 March 2021.}
- If you have a Chinese-speaking friend, ask them if they'd be willing to sit down with you for an hour or two each week. They'd probably be happy to help—as long as the coffee's on you!
- If you don't know any Chinese speakers personally, you could try placing an ad in your local paper or online forum. Alternatively, you could look into finding a Chinese conversation group or oral Chinese class in your local area.
- If all else fails, you could try to connect with a Chinese speaker on Skype, one who'd be willing to exchange 30 minutes of Chinese conversation for 30 minutes of English.
2
Listen to Chinese tapes/CDs. Listening to Chinese podcasts or CDs is a great way to immerse yourself in the language—even when you're on the go!
- It doesn't matter if you can't follow everything that's being said— try to be an active listener and attempt to pick out keywords and phrases. Slowly but surely, your overall comprehension will improve.
- This is a great option for people who have long commutes as they can simply stick a Chinese CD on in the car or listen to a Chinese podcast on the train. You could also try listening while exercising or doing housework.
3
Watch Chinese films and cartoons. Watching Chinese films and cartoons is a more fun, relaxed way of immersing yourself in the language. However, it will still help to expose you to the sounds and structure of Chinese.^{[5]
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Trustworthy Source
PLOS ONE
Online peer-reviewed, open access scientific research journal
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- Try watching short cartoons or clips on YouTube, or rent a full length Chinese film from your local movie store. You may need to use subtitles at first, but try not to rely on them too much—see how much of the dialogue you can understand on your own.
- If you're feeling particularly proactive, you could pause the film after particular words or phrases and try to repeat them—this will help your accent to sound more authentic.
4
Don't be afraid of making mistakes. The biggest obstacle that will stand in your way of learning Chinese is your fear of making mistakes.^{[6]
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- You need to try to overcome this fear—and even embrace it—if you are to reach your goal of fluency.
- Remember that everyone makes mistakes when they are learning a new language. You are bound to have your fair share of embarrassing mistakes and awkward moments, but this is all part of the process.
- Remember that you are not aiming for perfection when you are learning Chinese, you are aiming for progress. So, go ahead and make as many mistakes as you like—as long as you learn from them and continue to improve.
5
Consider taking a trip to China. Can you think of a better way to immerse yourself in the Chinese language than a trip to its native land?
- China is an amazingly diverse country—from the busy, bustling streets of Beijing to the ancient majesty of the Great Wall. There is something for every traveler—whether you're looking to immerse yourself in traditional ethnic cultures, to sample the many delicious Chinese delicacies, or to travel to the sites of ancient ruins and epic battles.
- Alternatively, you could take a tour of other places with large Chinese-speaking populations, like Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. Just make sure that you are prepared for differences in dialect (not all are mutually intelligible) before you book your flight!

Expert Q&A

Question

What should I read to practice?

Tian Zhou
Language Specialist
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.

Tian Zhou

Language Specialist

Expert Answer

Chinese newspapers are a good choice. The language and writing will be more conversational, which will be super beneficial. You'll also be exposed to a variety of different subjects, since newspapers cover all kinds of topics.
Question

Which words should I practice writing as I learn?

Tian Zhou
Language Specialist
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.

Tian Zhou

Language Specialist

Expert Answer

Start with the most common words that show up frequently in your studies. Practice writing them as you're saying them out loud to really commit them to memory.
Question

Should I start with Simplified or Traditional Chinese?

Tian Zhou
Language Specialist
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.

Tian Zhou

Language Specialist

Expert Answer

If you don't know what to start with, I recommend to start with simplified, since it's more dominant and more popular. As a second language learner, learning Chinese first with traditional characters will surely slow the pace down.

Warnings

Mandarin and Cantonese are 2 of the main dialects of Chinese. Spoken, they are completely different (with some exceptions)! Cantonese has 6 main tones. Most of mainland China uses Mandarin, and mainly Hong Kong and Macau uses Cantonese. However, almost everyone in China is educated in Mandarin in school, so Mandarin is the most useful dialect to learn if you want to be able to speak to people almost anywhere.

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Not in every region in China people speak Mandarin Chinese. There might be some confusing dialects, so be careful.

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