Meet Kurt Studer, a seasoned ESL expert and co-founder of Wonderful World English. With over a decade of teaching and managing language schools, Kurt provides cutting-edge teaching methodologies for new and experienced teachers.
Learning a new language can be a wondrous and rewarding experience for anyone who sets their sights on it.
But it’s no secret that it can also be daunting!
On this note, many English speakers have wondered whether Mandarin is a difficult language to pursue.
Mandarin, also commonly referred to as Chinese, is the most spoken native language in the world, with over one billion people communicating in it!
It is the official language of China, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Mandarin is what we call a tonal language. This means that the tone in which a person speaks a word can change its meaning. This can be a very difficult aspect for English speakers to learn. Mandarin also has different grammar, general pronunciation, and an entirely different writing system to English.
My introduction to Mandarin began when I was 19 on an intensive summer course at university.
And intense it was!
We even had to memorize a hundred traditional characters a week!
I then continued my language-learning journey by moving to China when I was 25, and I have since made it my home.
After countless study sessions and practice along the way, I am proud to say that I am a fluent speaker of Mandarin.
I know first-hand the challenges many of those who want to learn Mandarin face in the classroom and a totally immersive environment.
We will explore the facets and differences between Mandarin and English today.
I will help you better understand what it takes to successfully learn Mandarin as an English speaker.
Notebooks (and chopsticks) at the ready. Let’s jump in!
Is Mandarin Hard to Learn for English Speakers?
One major factor contributing to Mandarin’s high difficulty level is its linguistic distance from English.
Linguistic distance is a term that refers to the amount of difference between two languages.
This can help determine how easy (or difficult) it is for someone to learn a new language.
According to the US Department of State Foreign Service Institute, Mandarin is classified as a Category IV language for English speakers.
This means it is a “very hard” language to learn, with an estimated 2200 hours of study time needed to achieve proficiency.
Mandarin is considered one of the “Super-hard languages” – Languages which are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers.
US Department of State Foreign Service Institute
Mandarin is a tonal language with four tones, meaning that the pitch or tone of a word can change its meaning.
These tonal characteristics can be difficult for English speakers to grasp, making it difficult to speak and understand the language correctly.
For example, the three-letter word “shi” has hundreds of meanings depending on the tone.
Fortunately, at beginner levels, most people can guess the correct meaning based on context.
This becomes more problematic at advanced levels, even for natives!
An early missionary to medieval China once witnessed two well-educated officials struggling to communicate over the meaning of a single word – until one of the officials drew the character in the air – a common practice still used by Chinese today.
It’s noteworthy that Mandarin is not the only language with a high linguistic distance from English.
Other languages in the Category IV difficulty level include Arabic, Japanese, and Korean.
So, while Mandarin may be challenging for English speakers to learn, it’s not necessarily more difficult than other languages within this category.
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Mandarin and English: Key Distinctions
Many differences exist between Mandarin and English, including grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
Mandarin, unlike English, does not employ articles, plurals, or verb conjugation.
The Mandarin writing system is also character-based rather than letter-based, like the English alphabet.
This is why it is considered one of the most challenging languages to master for an English speaker.
Let’s explore the three major facets that make Mandarin a complex language for English speakers to learn in more detail:
1. Pronunciation
One of the biggest challenges for English speakers learning Mandarin is its pronunciation.
Mandarin has four tones, and the tone of a word can change its meaning.
English speakers may find it challenging to distinguish between the different tones and produce them accurately.
Mandarin also has distinct sound units, such as retroflex and palatal consonants, which do not exist in English.
2. Grammar
Another of the most difficult aspects of Mandarin for English speakers is its grammar, which has a different structure than English.
For example, Mandarin does not use verb tenses, instead indicating time through context or specific time indicators.
Mandarin also uses measure words to indicate the quantity of a noun, and nouns do not have gender, articles, or plurals.
Pronouns in Mandarin have different forms than in English, and characters must be memorized depending on the part of speech.
The writing system in Mandarin is also unique, with over 50,000 characters, although only around 3,000 are commonly used.
Despite these challenges, there are several learning strategies that English speakers can use to improve their skills, including immersion, regular practice, and patience.
3. Tones
As mentioned above, Mandarin has four tones.
Tones in Mandarin are high, rising, falling, then rising, and falling.
The high tone is pronounced with a level pitch; the rising tone starts low and goes up, the falling then rising tone starts high, goes down, then up, and the falling tone starts high and goes down.
This can be a frustrating aspect for anyone who is learning Mandarin.
Check out the video below for an informative introduction to the four tones of Mandarin:
4. Verbs
There are no verb tenses in Mandarin; time is indicated through context or specific time indicators.
For example, the sentence “Today I went to university,” “今天我去了大学” uses a time indicator (le, 了) to indicate the past tense.
The “le” here can be placed after the verb or at the end of the sentence.
Confusing, I know!
5. Measure Words
Mandarin also uses measure words, which are used to indicate the quantity of a noun.
For example, instead of saying “two books” in Mandarin, you would say “two measure word books“ (两本书).
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6. Writing System
And we’ve only just got to Mandarin’s entirely different writing system!
Mandarin’s unique characters are very different from the Roman alphabet used in English.
One advantage of Mandarin’s writing system is that the same character can be used across different dialects of Chinese, even if the pronunciation is different.
This means that once you’ve learned a character, you can use it in different contexts and regions.
Advice for Learning Mandarin
Learning Mandarin can be daunting for an English speaker, but there are some great strategies to help along the way.
The three best pieces of advice I would give to anyone currently learning Mandarin or considering starting are as follows:
1. Patience is a Virtue
Learning a new language takes a great deal of time and patience.
One should not expect to become fluent overnight.
It is essential to be patient with oneself and to keep practicing consistently.
I have been learning Mandarin for over 15 years and am still only around the C1 level on the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference).
If learning a language were a race, it would be a marathon, not a 5k!
So please be patient, and don’t stress yourself out if you struggle to understand something; this is a normal part of the language learning process.
Trust yourself, stick with it, and you will improve.
2. Immersion is Key
An effective learning strategy is immersion.
This involves surrounding oneself with other Mandarin speakers and engaging with the language through music, movies, and books.
This is a great way to bolster pronunciation and general comprehension.
I was always envious of the students who were able to study abroad when I was studying my Mandarin university language program.
Their confidence and communicative competence were much higher than mine, despite me having spent more time studying in the classroom!
If you’re serious about advancing in your Mandarin-speaking journey, try to either study or teach abroad.
This will provide ample opportunity to immerse yourself in Mandarin and absorb the language much faster than if you try learning in a predominantly English-speaking environment.
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3. Practice, Practice, Practice!
Regular practice is also essential, as it helps with retention and overall language skills.
One can practice speaking with Mandarin speakers, using language apps, or taking a language course.
When I first arrived in China, the best advice I received was to “try and use something new once a week.”
Sometimes, this was as simple as ordering a different meal at my favorite local restaurant or purchasing something at a store.
Later, it became much more complicated, like setting up an internet connection on my own!
If you aren’t challenging yourself, you won’t grow as fast as you would like.
Best Mandarin Learning Resources
There are many resources available for English speakers who want to learn Mandarin.
These include books, online courses, and language exchange programs.
I’ll go into more detail for you below and offer some suggestions if you want to study Mandarin as an English speaker.
The five best resources for learning Mandarin include:
1. Textbooks
Several textbooks are available for learning Mandarin, such as the Official Hanban HSK textbooks, “Integrated Chinese,” “Chinese Made Easy,” and “New Practical Chinese Reader.”
In my experience, the official HSK books from Hanban are the most useful for HSK3+ (intermediate and above level).
Be aware that new standards for the HSK were published in 2021 (HSK3.0), but no new coursebooks have yet been released.
2. Apps & Online Courses
Online courses are also an excellent option for learning Mandarin.
Websites and apps such as Duolingo, Memrise, and Rosetta Stone offer great Mandarin courses for beginners.
Chinese Zero to Hero (https://www.chinesezerotohero.com/) also has very good video-based lessons that allow you to study at your own pace.
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3. Exchange Programs & Networking
Language exchange programs are another great way to practice Mandarin.
Websites like HelloTalk and Tandem allow language learners to connect with native Mandarin speakers to practice speaking and listening.
Networking with native speakers will give you ample opportunity to practise your Mandarin and bring your proficiency to the next level.
Fortunately, there are many Chinese natives who want to learn English so you could find a language buddy on one of the above apps and help each other achieve your language learning goals.
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4. Find a Teacher
Finding a teacher online may be a good option if you prefer a more structured approach to learning Mandarin.
Many online language learning platforms offer Mandarin courses with certified teachers, such as iTalki, Preply, Verbling, and Lingoda.
Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram can also be a good way to find Mandarin teachers who offer online lessons.
Chinese language schools like the Confucius Institute, Hanbridge Mandarin, and the Chinese Language Institute also offer online lessons with certified Mandarin teachers.
When searching for a Mandarin teacher online, it’s important to consider factors such as qualifications, teaching style, and availability.
You may also want to read reviews or ask for recommendations from other language learners before committing to a teacher or course.
I have had good experiences with Your Mandarin, a well-run and professional language school in Chongqing, a large metropolis in southwest China.
They offer in-person and online classes for beginners while creating custom-tailored courses for advanced learners.
Check out the video below to learn some basics of Mandarin!
5. Graded Readers
Graded readers are an excellent tool for developing language skills and increasing confidence in reading and understanding a foreign language.
They are accessible to learners of several languages, including Mandarin, and are divided into levels based on the language’s difficulty and lexical depth.
Graded readers can be found online or in physical bookstores.
There are many Mandarin-graded readers you can purchase on your Kindle through Amazon.
Another benefit to using digital graded readers is that they have dictionaries built into them so that you can look up any new words you don’t know.
Conclusion
In conclusion, learning Mandarin requires dedication and practice, but anyone can learn this beautiful language with the right resources.
Whether you prefer textbooks, online courses, language exchange programs, finding a teacher, or graded readers, there is a resource out there that will work for you.
Just remember to choose resources appropriate for your proficiency level and commit to regular practice to achieve your language learning goals.
Learning this incredible language can open doors to opportunities all around the world.
I hope this helps you better understand the amazing language of Mandarin and inspires you to embark on your own language-learning journey.
Good luck and have a wonderful day!
Image Attribution: All images licensed via canva.com
