Chinese is not the easiest language. The learning process requires a lot of effort. Previously, this was helped by courses and homework, which had to be spent a lot of time, because searching for hieroglyphs in dictionaries, comparing syllables and tones is not the easiest thing. But with the development of technology and the advent of language applications, studying has become simpler, more comfortable and effective. What kind of miracle of an application is this, read in our review.
Online Courses has collected a dozen free programs and applications for iPhone or Android that will help you learn Chinese.
Memrise: learn languages
Memrise is one of the most popular language apps around the world. The program equally develops and complements 88 languages of the world at once. Among them there is also Chinese.
Chinese lessons will help you learn grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. All learning is based on a mnemonic approach. The user is encouraged to comprehend the language through conceptual pictures.
AnkiApp Flashcards
Anki is translated from Japanese as “memorization”. The application is focused on memorizing words, expressions, phrases using spaced repetitions. In this case, flash cards are used.
Training is based on the SRS (Spaced Repetition) system. This means that you are asked to rate each new word according to its difficulty: easy - I know - I remember - I don’t remember. The frequency of occurrence of the word depends on the rating you give. If it’s difficult, the program will repeat the card in a few hours, if it’s easy – in a few days.
Pinyin Chart
This application will help you learn to understand Chinese by ear. The number of syllables in the language is limited - approximately 400. In the free version, some sounds are available that will be useful for beginners. You can also take tests here. But you will need to pay for all content.
Chinese Writer
The application is more like an educational game, the essence of which is to have time to write a hieroglyph while it falls from top to bottom. The principle is somewhat similar to Tetris. It helps to train the order of writing hieroglyphs, memorize them and write them down as quickly and correctly as possible. There are lists of words to choose from. In such an unobtrusive and interesting form, the user learns vocabulary and grammar. The method is effective. The application has a free and paid version.
Pleco
It is impossible to learn languages without dictionaries. Pleco is a Chinese dictionary with drawing characters. The program offers to draw a hieroglyph that you do not know and get an instant translation. The only negative is that the translation is given in English. But this is a great opportunity to practice two languages at once. The basic dictionary is free, but you will have to pay for specialized vocabulary.
FluentU
ChineseSkill
This application is relevant for those who are just starting to learn Chinese. Here you can listen to listening, practice reading, writing and speaking. There is a repetition system, automatic assessment of pronunciation and correct spelling of hieroglyphs. Lessons are presented in the form of games and tests. The program works without a network connection and contains more than 50 techniques, 150 grammatical rules, 1000 words and phrases, 200 sentence structures.
Hanping Chinese Dictionary Lite
An offline application that is a Chinese dictionary with pinyin support. You can add learned words to your favorites and return to them for repetition. You can also listen to words (they are pronounced by native speakers), which helps to learn not only vocabulary, but also pronunciation.
6,000 Words
The application will help you learn Chinese in an easy way. There are 7 fun vocabulary games for this: Dictionary, Find the picture, Choose the word, Listen and choose, Find the words, Listen and write, Write the words. There are three levels of difficulty: for beginners, intermediate and advanced Chinese learners. Choose yours and join the game. The application does not require an Internet connection, so you can learn Chinese anytime and anywhere.
Chinese for beginners. Words run
An easy and fast way to learn Chinese is to install the “Running Words” app. The program contains 40 audio courses, a Chinese phrasebook, 16 sets of words and popular phrases, a pronunciation trainer, and a dictionary of learned words. The application is suitable for both those who are just starting to learn Chinese and those who are already quite advanced in this matter. The effectiveness of the program has been tested by more than 100,000 users.
Choose the application you like, or better yet, download several at once, this way you can more productively and effectively involve yourself in learning the Chinese language. Complete tasks, listen to correct speech, play, test your knowledge - all this will help you master a new language without spending money.
Today we will talk to you about how to build a process independent learning Chinese and where to start online study Chinese language. If you are looking for secret methods to learn Chinese in one day, this is NOT the place for you. In the article I tell you about my personal experience of self-study, which helps me communicate at a basic level while living in China. Obviously, this article will not be written in one day. As I gain new useful knowledge about self-studying the Chinese language, I will add to the existing sections. Good luck in learning the beautiful and interesting Chinese language!
Contents of the article "Online learning Chinese":
Why are you studying Chinese?
As in any business, before you start, you need to understand why are you doing this?. Learning a foreign language can be exciting, or it can be unbearable torture. Decide why you need Chinese and set specific goals. Without a clear understanding of what you want to achieve in the end, the process of learning any language can drag on for many years. And remember, learning a language is state of mind. Receive pleasure from the process, then the results will not keep you waiting.
Polyglot program with Dmitry Petrov
You may know that the Culture channel has been filming and publishing episodes of the Polyglot program for a long time. The essence of the project is that people with zero knowledge of a particular foreign language “sit down at their desks” and within 16 lessons gain basic knowledge of the language they are learning. In the summer of 2016 it was mounted and presented online Chinese language course.
Pros and cons of learning Chinese online with Polyglot:
- Dmitry Petrov, as a person fluent in several languages and a teacher with many years of experience, works according to a well-proven program.
- No water. Only useful phrases and common expressions are studied.
- The lessons are divided by topic, which helps you master the material.
- The program involves 8 other people, creating a feeling of group study.
- Some lessons are taught by a guest native speaker from China. There is an opportunity to be sure of the correct pronunciation.
- Free training
- Hieroglyphs are practically not studied. There is only one lesson.
- Most of the lessons are taught by Petrov himself. As a non-native Chinese speaker, he does not have perfect pronunciation. You need to check your pronunciation using third-party methods.
I highly recommend Polyglot to start. Of course, after 16 lessons you will not learn to speak fluently, much less understand, Chinese. Nevertheless, after completing half the course, with the proper approach, you will be able to write short texts about yourself, will you be able to introduce yourself?, tell about your family, ask for directions to the desired location, etc. At first, in China, the knowledge I acquired here was really useful to me.
Petrov talks about many nuances of learning the Chinese language from scratch, gives analogies and associations. The main thing is that he presents the material in such a way that it is easier for us, Russian people, to understand it. After all, the Chinese and Russian languages have little in common, don’t they?
You can independently check the methods of online learning Chinese from scratch using Petrov’s method. Here is the first lesson in his series. At the end of the article you will find an archive with all course materials.
A textbook for learning Chinese from scratch Assimil Chinese
Collection of Assimil Chinese materials for me recommended by foreigners, currently living in China and studying Chinese on their own. I really liked the manual, the training was structured logically, step by step. Note, this manual is in English. Assimil Chinese materials include:
- Assimil Chinese With Ease Vol 1-2 (2005). These are two books where you step by step understand the meaning and pronunciation of Chinese sounds and words, do written exercises, and also learn dialogues in Chinese.
- Assimil Writing Chinese With Ease. This manual outlines the method of writing hieroglyphs.
- Audio. A selection of audio podcasts that complement Assimil Chinese With Ease Vol 1-2 (2005).
The essence of the method of learning Chinese on your own using Assimil
In this guide, we start with the basics and step by step go deeper into learning the Chinese language. What I like about this manual is that learning the Chinese language goes in several directions at once. Studying popular words and phrases, performance writing exercises, audition audio podcasts from native Chinese speakers. If you wish, you can simultaneously analyze the textbook on hieroglyphs, then add writing to the listed skills. All audio podcasts are duplicated in textbooks in English and pinyin(transliteration system for Chinese characters, highlighted in the screenshot below).
Assimil developers emphasize that the optimal method for self-learning Chinese from scratch is to study about 30 minutes every day, from time to time returning to the material covered, repeating it. It is also recommended to download audio materials to your player or phone and, if possible, listen to them and repeat them as often as possible. Thus improving your Chinese speaking skills. The manual contains more 100 audio podcasts. You can download all the necessary materials at
Useful phrases in Chinese
As far as possible, I will fill the article with common phrases in Chinese that may be useful to you both when traveling around China and just for reference. All audio files are read by a Chinese woman, so you can be sure of the correct pronunciation. However, it is worth remembering that China has many dialects and the same phrases may sound differently in different regions of the country. You can download phrases and numbers in Chinese at. Chinese characters are described in
Useful phrases for traveling in China
Hello. - 你 好 (nǐ hǎ o)
How are you? - 你好吗？ (nǐ hǎ o ma？)
Goodbye. - 再 见 (zài jiàn)
What is your name? - 您 贵 姓 (nín guì xìng)
You have.. - 有 没 有 (yǒ u méi yǒ u)
I would like.. - 我 要 (wǒ yào)
What is the price? - 多 少 钱 (duō shǎ o qián)
It's too expensive. - 太 贵 了 (tài guì le)
Big. - 大 (dà)
Small. - 小 (xiǎ o)
Today. - 今天 (jīntiān)
Tomorrow. - 明天 (míngtiān)
Yesterday. - 昨天 (zuótiān)
I do not need it. - 不 要 (bú yào)
Agree or true. - 对 (duì)
Disagree or incorrect. - 不 对 (bú duì)
Yes. - 是 (shì)
No. - 不 是 (bú shì)
Thank you. - 谢 谢 (xiè xiè)
My pleasure. - 不 用 谢 (bú yòng xiè)
Where is.. - 在 哪 里 (zài nǎ li)
Toilet. - 厕 所 (cè suǒ)
How long in time.. - 多 久 (duō jiǔ)
Here. - 这 里 (zhè lǐ)
There. - 那 里 (nàli)
Go straight. - 前 (qian)
Turn left. - 左 (zuǒ)
Turn right. - 右 (yòu)
Stop. - 停 (ting)
I don't understand. - 我 听 不 懂 (wǒ tīng bù dǒ ng)
Numbers
30 (etc. according to meaning)
Days of the week
Monday. - 星期一 (xīngqī yī)
Tuesday. - 星期二 (xīngqī èr)
Wednesday. - 星期三 (xīngqī sān)
Thursday. - 星期四 (xīngqī sì)
Friday. - 星期五 (xīngqī wǔ)
Saturday. - 星期六 (xīngqī liù)
Resurrection. - 星期天 (xīngqī tiān)
How to say I love you in Chinese?
People often ask how to say I love you in Chinese. Very simple. To say I love you in Chinese, just say the following:
I love you. - 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ)
Chinese language characters. Getting Started Materials
Learning characters turned out to be much more difficult and quite boring than learning spoken Chinese. Every day I try to study 1-2 characters in order to understand Chinese writing at least at a basic level. As for me, spoken language is much more important, however, knowing what is written on store signs and being able to explain in writing what you want is also not superfluous knowledge. In addition, hieroglyphs are an excellent workout for the brain. So, how did they advise me to learn Chinese through hieroglyphs and what materials do I use to study hieroglyphs?
It is probably logical to start studying hieroglyphs with this table. In front of you 214 most popular hieroglyphic keys. Having studied them, even with a complete lack of knowledge of hieroglyphs, it will be possible to generally understand the meaning of what is written in Chinese. Not all of the hieroglyphic keys are used independently, so it is better to concentrate on the spelling and meaning. It is not necessary to know how they are read. Keys can be memorized while learning spoken Chinese.
It is important to immediately remember the order in which hieroglyphic keys are written. They are written from left to right, top to bottom. Subsequently, when studying Chinese characters, it will be much easier for you. Alternative spellings can sometimes be seen to the right of the main key images. This is also worth remembering. This is what the table of hieroglyphic keys looks like, and you can download it from the link in:
Chinese language characters. Assimil tutorial
Learning hieroglyphs in Assimil Writing Chinese With Ease involves learning 800 most common elements of Chinese characters. Step by step, you will study the elements and put in your head the meaning of certain hieroglyphs. This book is recommended after completing the first two. In my opinion, if you have experience in studying a foreign language on your own, you can study the materials at the same time. Depends on your abilities, mood and time. The textbook explains the basic rules for the structure of hieroglyphs, maintaining a balance of size and other components.
Other materials for self-studying Chinese
Below I will tell you about materials on self-learning Chinese from scratch, which were recommended by people, but which I myself have not yet used. didn't use it. At this stage, I have enough materials for independent online learning of the Chinese language from scratch, I haven’t gotten around to the rest yet. It is likely that some of them may be quite useful.
Speshnev's phonetic course and Textbook of spoken Chinese speech 301
One of the advantages is that both textbooks in Russian. But how to study Chinese using Speshnev’s course is a mystery to me. Dry presentation, two audio podcasts of an hour and a half each, where clearly a non-native speaker draws sounds... in general, I was not impressed.
- A Practical Chinese Grammar for Foreigners 《外国人实用汉语语法》 Beijing Language and Cultural University Press
- HSK Exam Grammar 《 HSK应试语法》 The Peking University Press
- Road to Success 《成功之路》 Beijing Language and Cultural University Press
Applications for self-paced online learning of Chinese
I haven't gotten to the apps yet. One guy from New Zealand, currently living in Chengdu, recommended the application Pleco. Judging by the description, the application can be useful for staging speech and developing common expressions. There are also functions for independently writing a particular hieroglyph, after which the application shows the meaning of the hieroglyph. It's a useful thing.
Website busuu.com I have recommended it many times to my friends for online learning of a particular language. At the moment, in the arsenal of the developers of the site busuu.com 12 languages studied. The learning process itself is not without its disadvantages, but there are obvious advantages. One of the main ones is a large reach of the target audience and the opportunity to receive corrections of written exercises directly from the Chinese, as well as communicate with them for free via video.
Link to download materials for self-study of the Chinese language
That's all for today. I hope you found something useful for yourself and it will help you start learning Chinese on your own.
List of files for download:
- All episodes of the video course "Polyglot" with Dmitry Petrov
- Assimil Chinese manual and audio podcasts for it
- Table of hieroglyphic keys
- Numbers and common phrases in Chinese
How do you learn Chinese and what successes have you achieved?? Tell us in the comments!!!
- About the sights of Guangzhou there is
3.5 (10 voted. Vote too!!!)
Even though the Chinese language is quite difficult, many people strive to learn it. The reasons for this can be very different: from interest in a rich and interesting culture, to the opportunity to get an education and employment. No matter what your goal is for learning Chinese, our collection of resources for learning the language will help you.
Categories:
Follow us:
Ask question about study abroad
Message was successfully sent
Chinese civilization is recognized as one of the oldest in the world. Scientists say that it is more than five thousand years old. According to statistics, in the modern world every fifth person on earth speaks Chinese, however, this language is quite difficult to learn.
The goals of mastering the Chinese language can be different: some people learn it for fun or to communicate with friends, others may need it in doing business and to expand business contacts, and others are planning to move to live in the Celestial Empire.
- the site provides a practical Chinese course for beginners, which consists of 18 lessons. Everyone will be able to take a course in hieroglyphics, learn the basic rules of calligraphy and find a phrasebook with the most popular phrases in communicating with the Chinese. There are also dialogues, key characters and audio. There is not only Chinese.
A versatile site about the Chinese language, constantly updating its content. Its visitors will be able to find here language learning information, theoretical information, online lessons, grammar, useful materials, blog posts about China and much more.
A resource that provides lessons on Chinese grammar for different levels in an accessible form. Rules in English.
An online resource where you can find a lot of useful information on learning a language: there is a section about hieroglyphs, grammar, and exercises. There are also some lessons, dialogues, the burning topic of entering Chinese characters from the keyboard, and so on.
An actively growing VKontakte community created for those who want to learn Chinese. Useful audio and video lessons, tutorials for downloading and much more.
On the site you can find video lessons in the format of an entertaining and educational program. You can follow the unfolding stories with interest and learn the language at the same time.
Several useful video lessons on the phonetic alphabet of the Chinese language.
Helps with Chinese phonetics. Here you can download a special table with the pronunciation of all sounds. Description in English.
- a site where you can listen to the correct pronunciation of words. Each word is pronounced by a native speaker of a different gender. There are not only Chinese, but also many other languages.
Large Russian-Chinese dictionary. Here you will find new words, phrases, phraseological units and examples of composing sentences.
When the basics are taken, it’s time to smooth out the corners, that is, polish your knowledge of the language. Communication with native speakers will help with this.
Trainchinese
In the Trainchinese dictionary you can not only find translations, but also use ready-made lists of words by topic, create your own lists and learn vocabulary using flash cards. There is also an animation of writing hieroglyphs: for better memorization of phonetics, each hieroglyph of the same tone has its own color. The dictionary has its own search system, which gives preference to those words that will be truly useful. It is possible to enter not only words, but also phrases and popular expressions. The dictionary is suitable for both beginners and advanced students. Another feature is the optical recognition system, which helps beginners cope with translating menus, signs or even books.
Pleco
Chinese dictionary with “drawing” of hieroglyphs. For those who do not know how to read this or that hieroglyph, you can redraw it in the application and get the answer. Suitable for beginners.
Hello HSK
A convenient application for preparing for the Chinese language proficiency exam (HSK). The application offers various interactive tasks and tests that are similar in appearance to the tasks of the real HSK exam. You can download the application with the number for which you are preparing for the HSK level. The application consists of three large sections: listening; correcting errors and making proposals; understanding texts.
HelloChinese
The free version of the application offers grammar, phonetics, vocabulary, and listening on more than 30 topics. Among them: time, numbers, food, transport, shopping, illness, weather and seasons, animals, the realities of everyday life. The application allows you to practice pronunciation: you will be asked to pronounce words, phrases and sentences, and the computer will check the correctness and point out errors. The level of vocabulary and grammar corresponds to approximately HSK 1.2.
HSK 1-5, YCT 1-4
A convenient application from Around Pixels for preparing for major international Chinese language exams. There are free and paid versions, advanced or basic versions. In this application, vocabulary, phonetics and hieroglyphics are selected specifically for each level. Expressions and words are practiced through various games and interesting tasks. Suitable for all levels of Chinese language learning.
The material was prepared by Chinese language teachers of school No. 1354 Anastasia Kondratyeva, Svetlana Berezina, Yana Konovalova, Natalya Bochilo.
