Every language has its own sound system. Chinese is a tonal language, which means the same syllable with different tones can distinguish between words’ meaning. Learning how to pronounce different tones correctly is an essential and fun part of studying Chinese.  In this article, we will talk about Standard Mandarin Chinese tones. Even though Chinese tones differ by dialect, Standard Mandarin will be a great place to start! The Basic Four Tones In Mandarin Chinese, there are four basic tones. Each of them has a distinctive pitch contour. Pitch may vary from speaker to speaker, but you can get the general picture from the tone diagram below. Here is a …

Chinese Tones: Tips on How to Learn the Tricky Change もっと読む »

One of the first words you learn when learning a new language is often the word “no”.  However, even though the word itself is simple to both write and say, when it comes to Chinese, there is a lot of nuance in how it is used.  There are times when one word would be enough, but there are others when more context would be needed to clarify the exact response given. So when should you use each form and what other words do you need to include? Read on to find out.  Basic: Different translations for the simple “no” 1. 不 (bù) 不 is the most basic form of “no” …

How to Say No in Chinese もっと読む »

Duolingo is one of the most popular language-learning apps that has been operating for many years now, and its main goal is to help people learn a foreign language. In this Duolingo Chinese review, we’re going to talk about how Duolingo can help you learn or improve your Chinese language skills, and, more specifically, we’ll focus on how the app works and what its teaching methods are. Chinese Is Not as Difficult as You Think! – Difficulties and Key Points of Learning Chinese Before we begin our actual app review, let’s first see what the main differences between the English language and the Chinese language are. Pronunciation: Pinyin and Tones Needless to say, Chinese pronunciation …

Duolingo Chinese Review: Is It Worth Trying? もっと読む »

The three most common question particles in Chinese are 吗/ma，呢/ne and 吧/ba. How do they differ? How do you use them? Read more to find out! Similarities There are three main similarities between them. Like all the Chinese particles, 吗/ma, 呢/ne, 吧/ba are pronounced with a neutral tone. 吗/ma, 呢/ne, 吧/ba should be put at the end of a sentence. All three can be used to form a question. Here are some examples: 你是学生吗？ Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma? Are you a student? 我去电影院，你呢？ Wǒ qù diànyǐngyuàn, nǐ ne? I am going to the movies, how about you? 这是你的吧？ Zhè shì nǐ de ba? It is yours, isn’t it?   Differences …

Chinese Question Particles 吗, 呢, and 吧 もっと読む »

How to Read a Chinese Menu Reading menus in a foreign language can be an overwhelming experience even to someone who speaks some of it. This mainly happens because not many textbooks or online courses teach people some important key vocabulary that is most likely to show up in a menu.  To add oil to the flames (mmm, food metaphors…), China is famous for its varied cuisine. Cooking styles and flavors vary greatly between the north and the south, the east and the west of China. Even hot pot, the rock star of Chinese restaurants all over the world, comes in different flavors depending on the province.  So, how to …

How To Order Chinese Food もっと読む »

Sentence structures are important: without grasping them, you won’t have a solid foundation for your foreign language knowledge. Sentence structures vary from language to language. Fortunately, Chinese sentence structure is similar to English. This article will help you get to grips with them.   Simple Sentence Pattern Chinese, like English, is classified as an SVO (subject-verb-object) language, so its basic sentence patterns won’t be too difficult to master. Within the SVO framework, the simplest sentence patterns are as follows: Subject + Verb  我同意。 wǒ tóngyì I agree. Subject + Verb + Object 我想你。 wǒ xiǎng nǐ I miss you. Subject + Noun 明天雷阵雨。 míngtiān léizhènyǔ A thunderstorm tomorrow. Subject + …

Chinese Sentence Structure [Complete Guide 2021] もっと読む »