Are you interested in how to learn Chinese effectively? I studied Mandarin Chinese 50 years ago. Within nine months, I could translate newspaper editorials, read novels, and interpret for others. I accomplished this long before the age of the internet, language learning apps, and other online resources available today. 

Reflecting on my own experience, I have six pieces of advice to successfully learn Chinese. Although the amount of resources available for language learning has definitely changed, these tips are timeless for Chinese language learners. 

1) Prioritize Listening 

For the first month or two of your studies, just focus on listening. Just get used to the sounds and the rhythm of the language. If possible, you should also read whatever you are listening to. As a beginner, start reading with a phonetic writing system, such as Pinyin, in order to get a better sense of what you are hearing. You’ll have to learn the characters eventually, but the initial goal is to get a little momentum in the language.

A new language may sound like incomprehensible noise at the beginning. Your first step in learning Chinese is to grow accustomed to the sounds, differentiate words, and start letting some initial words and phrases reverberate in your brain.  

I started learning Mandarin by listening to Chinese Dialogues, an intermediate, Romanized text. At first, the narrator spoke so fast that I found the resource slightly torturous. However, it worked. After about a month, I had a sense of the language. The initial slurry of words became more and more comprehensible. 

Bonus Tip:

I think you should begin learning a language with intermediate level texts that include a lot of repetition of useful vocabulary, rather than overly simple, beginner texts. The Mandarin Chinese mini- stories at LingQ, for example, are intentionally written with essential vocabulary, basic sentence structures, and lots of repetition. This type of resource was not available to me 50 years ago. LingQ’s library has lots to offer. Of course, if you have more specific interests, you can import your own content with LingQ’s browser extension. This feature is available in Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox.

2) Devote Time to Memorizing Characters

How to Learn Chinese: My Top 6 Tips

As you start gaining confidence with the language, it’s time to start learning Chinese characters. Work at learning these characters every day. Consistency is key. I suggest devoting about half an hour to an hour per day just on learning characters. 

I can’t stress enough that this needs to be a daily habit. You will forget the characters almost as quickly as you learn them, and you may want to consider using Anki or some other spaced repetition system. For example, I developed my own spaced repetition system with a set of 1,000 flashcards containing the 1,000 most frequent characters and sheets of grid paper to practice writing these characters. I would pick up one card, write the character down 10 times, and then write the meaning or pronunciation in the margins, repeating this process until I had a solid grasp on the entire set. 

As you progress, learning new characters will become easier. There are many recognizable radicals, hints and patterns in the less frequent characters. Through ample exposure, you’ll start to notice these radicals and components that suggest sound and meaning. However, start with a constant and dedicated effort into learning the most frequent characters.

3) Recognize Patterns (Don’t Memorize Rules)

Focus on patterns. To learn Chinese, you do not want to lose yourself in complicated grammar explanations. As with any language, your goal is to build a sense of intuition. An overemphasis of precision can inhibit your ability to communicate fluidly. When I was studying Chinese, we had a wonderful book by Harriet Mills and P.S. Ni. It was called Intermediate Reader in Modern Chinese. Every lesson introduced patterns in the language, and I used those patterns to frame whatever I wanted to say.

I have absolutely no sense of Chinese grammar. I am unfamiliar with many Chinese grammatical terms. Regardless, I am quite fluent. I have seen books that introduce special grammar terms for Chinese but I don’t think that these materials are necessary. Besides, Chinese has a rather uncomplicated grammar. This is one of the pleasures of learning Chinese. There are no declensions, conjugations, genders, verb aspects, complicated tenses, or other sources of confusion found in many European languages.

Bonus Tip:

If you would like a free grammar resource to help supplement your learning, then I recommend LingQ’s Chinese grammar resource.

4) Read As Much As You Can. 

I progressed more quickly than my fellow students 50 years ago, and I’d attribute this to the fact that I read everything I could get my hands on. I didn’t limit myself to special texts for learners. I tackled a wide range of material on subjects of interest to me. In particular, I remember reading Chinese Dialogues, and then leveling up to a graded history text called 20 Lectures on Chinese Culture. 

This text was a fascinating means of learning about Chinese history and culture while engaging with the language. You don’t need to power through boring content about fictional people in China. If you don’t find what you’re reading interesting, it’s not the best resource for you. 

Intermediate Reader in Modern Chinese from Cornell University is another fantastic resource, filled with authentic texts about modern Chinese politics and history. Each lesson introduced patterns, but kept drills and explanations to a minimum. After seven or eight months, I read my first novel, Rickshaw Boy or 骆驼祥子 by Lao She, a famous novel about life in early 20th century Beijing.

Given that my studies were before the advent of online dictionaries, interrupting my reading to use a Chinese dictionary was a tremendous waste of time. I focused on enjoying the process and developing a stronger reading flow. Today, however, thanks to instant translations and online dictionaries, a lot of barriers between the language learner and extensive reading have been removed. It is now possible to learn Chinese with less friction against reading than ever before. 

5) Take Your Learning With You 

As stated in the first tip, listening comprehension is the core skill in language learning. Ultimately, listening comprehension is your entry point into conversations with other people. You’ll need a finely tuned ear, especially for Mandarin. For example, Mandarin is a tonal language. Massive amounts of listening will help you internalize the tones and pace of Mandarin. 

Nowadays, it’s possible to listen and learn Chinese anywhere. Fifty years ago. I had to sit down in front of my recorder with my earphones on, limited to whatever audio content I could find in bookstores. Today, there is no limit to where and when you can listen.

In our modern world, you can find more listening material than you can imagine. In fact, no longer limited to CDs or cassette tapes, I download the audio files and have them automatically transcribed on LingQ. With my smartphone, I’m able to take these resources with me wherever I go. Constant listening, even for short periods of 5-10 minutes while you’re waiting somewhere, can dramatically impact your rate of progress.

6) Speak & Make Lots of Mistakes 

You’ll need to get comfortable with making mistakes while speaking. The tones can be a big hurdle, but constantly second guessing yourself is an unnecessary interruption in communication. Practice imitating what you are listening to. Perhaps record yourself and compare your pronunciation to that of a native speaker.

However, remember to just let the words and phrases you have heard and practiced flow out, mistakes and all. Every time you use the language, you are practicing, adjusting, and improving. Don’t worry about mastering pronunciation at the beginning. We cannot pronounce what we don’t hear. Your brain may need hundreds or even thousands of hours of listening to “recalibrate” to the sounds and cadence of Mandarin. To learn Chinese, speak without fear and trust your instincts. You will improve. 

Final Thoughts:

Learning Mandarin is a journey that requires time, patience, and consistent effort, but the rewards are truly unparalleled. By embracing these strategies, you’ll unlock a gateway to connecting with over 20% of the world’s population. Mandarin isn’t just a language—it’s a key to understanding one of the richest cultural and historical tapestries in human history. Stick with it, and you’ll find that the connections, opportunities, and insights you gain make every moment of effort worthwhile.

Enjoyed this post? You might also enjoy my post on the best way to learn a language for tips that are universally applicable.