Chinese Starter Kit
Everything you need to start learning Mandarin Chinese. All on one page. What are you waiting for?
Everything you need to start learning Mandarin Chinese. All on one page. What are you waiting for?
Learning pinyin is absolutely the first step any learner needs to take in learning Mandarin Chinese. Learn it once, and learn it well. We're linking to AllSet Learning's free Chinese Pronunciation Wiki here.
You better be clear on what pinyin is (and what it is NOT), because you need to learn it.
Each syllable of Chinese written in pinyin has a structure. You need to know this!
All the sounds of Mandarin Chinese can fit on a chart. Master it, and Chinese is yours.
Tones are the part of learning Chinese that everyone loves to hate. But there's no getting around them.
You need to know the rough rise/fall of each tone, the tone number, and the tone mark (used in pinyin). This relates to every single Chinese word you'll learn from now until forever! Tones are a long-term project. Time to get started!
You don't need apps to learn Chinese, but they can definitely be useful! Pleco is the best dictionary for beginners and advanced learners alike.
We'll be adding to this section later. Here's a video about Chinese grammar:
You may have heard before that Chinese word order is basically the same as English word order. But is it really? Well... no. This video gives you some simple examples so you know what to expect as a beginner without getting into the weeds of Chinese grammar.
Sometimes having a solid paper-based book in your hands really helps you learn. These are the best textbooks for beginners.
Simple explanations of grammar with great, practical examples.
A popular textbook used in Chinese programs across the USA.
You should absolutely learn Chinese characters! But learn this other stuff first. Don't jump into characters until your pinyin is rock solid, you kinda get the tones, etc.
Keep at it. It takes time. Memorizing the tones for the words you know will help, because every time you hear a word you know, you know what tone you're hearing as well, which reinforces it.
Join the club! No, seriously, "perfect" tones are a long-term project. It doesn't happen overnight. You're gonna have to settle for slow, gradual progress.
Yes, of course! Get out there and talk as much as you can. Go to mainland China. Go to Taiwan. Talk, talk, talk. But when you can't talk, spend time to learn all of this stuff well.
Mandarin Chinese. Spoken in most of China, most of Taiwan.
We feel we've covered all the essential links above, but here are a few more links that might be helpful.
This website and a lot of the free, excellent content linked to on this page is provided by the team at AllSet Learning based in Shanghai, China. For more help learning Chinese, please let us help you!
