How to study Chinese step-by-step Begin your study of Chinese language with the four tones. These are the cornerstones to good pronunciation, and once you have mastered them, everything else will fall in place. There are four Mandarin tones - high and level; rising; falling and rising; and falling. A syllable takes its meaning from both the sound and tone. For example, the syllable "ma" can mean "horse," "mother," "scold," or "hemp" depending on which tone is used. Today we will learn how to study Chinese step-by-step.
1. The Four Mandarin Tones: Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language. The way a word or syllable is pronounced changes its meaning. Mastery of the four Mandarin tones is the essential first step to learning this language. In Chinese classes, there are many illuminative courses for the freshman to learn Mandarin tones.
2. Mandarin Pronunciation Guide: You should learn mandarin pronunciation first if you want to study Chinese better. There are 37 unique sounds in Mandarin Chinese - 21 consonants and 16 vowels. You can learn it in Chinese classes follow your Chinese teacher or you can make Chinese friends and communicate with them.
3. Pinyin Romanization: The most important part to learn Chinese language is Pinyin Romanization. Pinyin is a way to write Chinese using the Roman (Western) alphabet. It is the most common of many forms of Romanization, and is used in most teaching materials. Pinyin allows the student of Mandarin to read and write Chinese without using Chinese characters. This allows students to concentrate on spoken Mandarin before tackling the formidable task of learning Chinese characters. The program in Chinese course is not very difficult only if you make up your mind to learn it. Pinyin has many pronunciations which are unintuitive to English speakers. It is necessary to study the Pinyin system to avoid pronunciation errors.
4. Essential Vocabulary: Begin your study of Mandarin Chinese with these essential vocabulary lessons. As you progress in your mastery of Mandarin, you will need to learn more vocabulary. These lessons prepare you for particular situations. After Chinese course you take at school, you should take more exercise to remember the essential vocabularies.
5. Mandarin Grammar: Mandarin grammar is very different from English and other Western languages. Learning how to think in Mandarin will help you become a fluent speaker.