Chinese for Beginners: 6 Basics You Need to Learn First

Mandarin is frequently described as one of the most challenging languages to master. However, once you overcome a few initial hurdles, you'll find that Mandarin is not as tough as it seems and is in fact a beautifully logical language. Another advantage is that it lacks cases, genders, and tenses.

Let's explore these six fundamental aspects of the Chinese language for those just starting out.

1. Simplified vs. Traditional Chinese Characters

When choosing whether to learn simplified or traditional characters, consider a few elements, such as the Chinese dialect you aim to learn, the people you'll communicate with, and your travel or relocation plans.

What Is Simplified Chinese?

Simplified Chinese is the standardized version of Chinese script that was introduced in 1954. It is utilized in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore.

As print media grew, the government adopted a script with characters that required fewer brushstrokes to boost national literacy rates.

Here are some examples of Simplified characters:

这 (zhè) — this

来 (lái) — to come

爱 (ài) — to love

Speakers of Mandarin primarily use Simplified Chinese, with the exception of those in Taiwan who use traditional characters.

What Is Traditional Chinese?

Traditional Chinese represents the writing system before its mass standardization. It is used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Traditional Chinese had been in use for more than a millennium before its simplification in the 1950s. This writing system changed significantly over the centuries, but during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), it evolved into the Traditional characters we know today.

Here’s how the previously mentioned Simplified characters compare to their Traditional forms:

这 vs. 這

来 vs. 來

爱 vs. 愛

If your goal is to learn Cantonese—the most widely spoken Chinese dialect after Mandarin—you will need to learn Traditional Chinese. Cantonese is primarily spoken in Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong Province in mainland China.

Learn More About Simplified vs. Traditional Chinese

2. Pinyin

Pinyin should not be confused with a Chinese alphabet; it is the phonetic system that serves as a pronunciation guide for Chinese characters. It is also helpful for typing in Chinese.

Pinyin was introduced around the same time the government simplified the writing system to enhance literacy, and it is one of the initial topics you'll encounter when you start studying Chinese.

Pinyin consists of initials and finals.

Initials are consonants that begin each pinyin syllable, while finals are the possible vowel combinations that come after the initials. Finals can be a single vowel, a combination of vowels, or a mix of vowels and consonants.

The pinyin consonants are b, p, m, f, d, t, n, l, g, k, h, j, q, x, zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s, y and w.

The pinyin vowels are a, e, i, o, u and ü.

Pinyin is not pronounced exactly like the Latin alphabet we are familiar with, but the good news is that all pinyin sounds already exist in English. So the challenge is not learning new sounds but rather retraining your mind to read b as “bwo” instead of “bee.”

Here are the first four pinyin letters with a guide to their American English pronunciation:

b (“bwo”)

p (“pwo”)

m (“mwo”)

f (“fwo”)

Learn More About Pinyin

3. Chinese Tones

Chinese uses tones to convey the meaning of words.

There are only so many combinations possible with pinyin vowels and consonants, and many characters share the same pinyin spelling. Tone marks help differentiate between words that have the same pinyin.

There are five tones:

• The first or flat tone ( – ), as in 妈 (mā) — “mother”
• The second or rising tone ( / ), as in 麻 (má) — “numb” or “hemp”
• The third or dipping tone ( ∨ ), as in 马 (mǎ) — “horse”
• The fourth or falling tone (), as in 骂 (mà) — “to scold”
• The fifth or neutral tone (no tone mark), as in 吗 (ma) — a question particle

Most pinyin syllables will take one of the first four tone marks. The fifth tone is reserved for only a small number of characters.

For pinyin syllables with one vowel, the tone mark should be placed above that vowel. For the pinyin shu , the tone mark would be placed above u , as in shū .

For vowel combinations, the tone mark is placed according to this order of priority: a, o, e, i, u, ü.

So for the pinyin jiao , the tone mark would go above the a . For the pinyin jie , the tone mark would go above e .

Here’s how jiao and jie appear with the four main tones:

jiāo , jiē

jiáo , jié

jiǎo , ji ě

jiào , jiè

Pinyin might appear difficult at first, but it is entirely feasible to learn it in just a day or two.

Learn More About Chinese Tones

4. Chinese Stroke Order

At first glance, Chinese characters—also called hanzi —can seem very daunting. Fortunately, there is a logical sequence to writing them.

Once you master that sequence, you will know exactly how to approach every character.

Characters were originally formed with a paintbrush, so the strokes are technically brushstrokes seen in Chinese calligraphy.

Generally, there are eight types of strokes. Many of these can be combined to form compound strokes:

• 丶 , known as 点 (diǎn), meaning “dot”
• 一 , known as 橫 (héng), meaning “horizontal stroke”
• 丨 , known as 竖 (shù), meaning “vertical stroke”
• 丿 , known as 撇 (piě) , meaning “slant,” drawn right to left
• ⁄ , known as 提 (tí) , meaning “raise,” drawn from left to right (the reverse of 撇)
• ㇏ , known as 捺 (nà) , meaning “forcefully pressing,” drawn from left to right
• ㇄ , known as 弯 (wān) , meaning “curve,” drawn from left to right
• 亅 , known as 钩 (gōu) , meaning “hook” (a small tick that is usually part of a compound stroke)

Here are the basic rules of stroke order:

• Left to right, top to bottom
• Horizontal, then vertical
• Diagonal to the left, then diagonal to the right
• Draw the center structure first for vertically symmetrical characters
• Draw outside to inside before closing the frame for boxed characters

Learn More About the Chinese Stroke Order

https://www.lingflix.com/blog/chinese/mandarin-chinese-character-stroke-order/

5. Chinese Radicals

A Chinese character can be divided into several parts or sections.

Some of these parts are known as radicals, which are the building blocks of hanzi that can help you determine a character’s pronunciation or meaning.

Radicals are also used to search for characters in a Chinese dictionary.

Let's look at the character 妈 (mā) , meaning “mother.” 妈 can be split into two parts:

女 (nǚ) — female

马 (mǎ) — horse

As you can see, the radical 女 functions as a semantic component because “female” and “mother” are related. 马 acts as a phonetic component since 妈 and 马 share the same pinyin spelling, differing only in tone.

Each character has only one radical, typically located on the left or top, while the rest consists of components.

In total, there are 214 radicals. But don't worry—you don't need to memorize them all! Many of these radicals also serve as simple characters you will learn as a beginner.

Learn More About Chinese Radicals

6. Daily Chinese Phrases

Focus on learning words in context to understand their proper usage rather than as isolated items from lists. This approach also makes grammar easier since you will better grasp word order.

Additionally, the language taught in Chinese textbooks is often too formal for everyday conversation.

For instance, consider how you would say “sorry” in Chinese.

An online translator or a basic wordlist might give the translation as 对不起 (duì bù qǐ) . While this is technically correct, it is a very formal apology typically used for more serious mistakes.

For minor issues—more of a “my bad” scenario than a sincere apology—the more suitable phrase is 不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si) .

Learn More About Daily Chinese Phrases

There might be a lot to cover here, but I assure you that you are in good hands!

I hope this post provided the jumpstart you needed to progress in Mandarin! If you're ready to begin studying, we have many other guides you can read and videos you can watch on Lingflix. Lingflix uses authentic videos—such as music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks—and transforms them into personalized language lessons.You can try Lingflix for free for 2 weeks. Visit the website or download the iOS app or Android app.P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

You have all the necessary tools to set you on the right path. Just remember to enjoy yourself and appreciate the learning journey!

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