The Best Tools for Learning Chinese

The Best Tools for Learning Chinese Apps, Sites, and Books for Learning Standard Mandarin Chinese. ChaptersLearning Chinese: The Apps for Getting AheadLearning Chinese: The Best WebsitesLearn Chinese by Watching VideosLearning Chinese: Which Books Should I Get?The digital age has completely changed the way we learn foreign languages and learning to speak Chinese is no exception.  There are now plenty of people who are now using their computer, smartphone, tablet or television to learn more about the Middle Kingdom’s most popular language and Chinese culture.Mobile e-learning apps are also innovative and exciting ways to learn Chinese Mandarin  when you compare them to dusty old tomes and textbooks.Learning Chinese isn't always free. (Source: Peter Griffin)Chinese Characters First Steps  currently has a rating of 4.0 out of 5.0 stars on Google Play. The app will teach you about the characters and also help you practise writing them.  It includes over 400 different Mandarin Chinese characters for you to practise from the Open University’s Beginners’ Chinese module which was ba sed on the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of Education’s frequently used words list.It’s perfect for getting started with Chinese characters and once you’ve learnt them all, you can actually start combining them in order to make over 200 extra new words. This will help you both learn and remember Chinese characters, making your language learning process a little bit easier.Pleco English-Chinese DictionaryThere are plenty of Chinese students from around the world who recommend using Pleco. This is probably why the app is so highly rated both on Android  (4.6 out of 5) and iTunes  (5 out of 5 for the current version).“Pleco is alone in it's class of products for excellence and they offer many add-on features, dictionaries, and it has a good flash card system. I highly recommend it.” - Josh DillonThere are nearly 130,000 Mandarin words, 22,000 Cantonese words, and 20,000 examples of expressions in Pinyin,  a writing system that uses the Latin Alphabet to transcribe Chinese words.The Pleco Dictionary App also offers a number of useful functions and features:Practise writing the Chinese characters. A great way to become a pro in Chinese calligraphy.Scan Chinese characters on your smartphone and get a real-time translations.Listen to Mandarin, Pinyin, or Cantonese audio clips from native speakers.Say a Chinese word or phrase into the app and it’ll tell you the Chinese character.Try it yourself!Learning Chinese: The Best WebsitesForvoLearning Chinese on the Internet couldn’t be simpler and learning Standard Mandarin Chinese online is becoming increasingly popular..The Confucius Institute promotes the Chinese language and Chinese culture around the world. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)If you’re learning Chinese, you have to add the pronunciation dictionary “Forvo” to your browser favourites.  Just type whatever Chinese word you’d like to pronounce into the search bar and the website will tell you exactly how it’s pronounced.However, thi s isn’t just a website for those learning Chinese. Forvo claims to have pronunciations for every word in the world! While this probably isn’t true, there are still tonnes of different languages available with multiple examples of pronunciations for each word.In addition to words, there are also examples of full sentences, expressions, and idioms for you to listen to as well.JukuuWhile dictionaries are great for looking up words, you’ll understand a word much better if you can see it being used in context or in a sentence.  This is where Jukuu comes into play. Jukuu is more than a dictionary, it’s a search engine for Chinese-English sentences and translations so that you can see both what the word means and how you’d use it in a sentence.Personally, I find that these kinds of websites are far more useful than dictionaries since an out-of-context translation of a word can result in you completely misunderstanding a word or a whole sentence.Chinese ForumsIf you want to improv e you Chinese from the comfort of your own home, you need to get involved with communities of other language learners, too.  Chinese Forums is one of the best places to go if you have any questions about learning Chinese or are having a problem.There are plenty of very active users who are happy to help absolute beginners as well as more experienced students. You can find the answers to almost all of your questions on Chinese here as well as meet other forum users who are just as interested in Chinese as you.The best thing, though? It’s completely free!Learn Chinese by Watching VideosWhen we mention e-learning and videos, we can’t not mention YouTube, which is home to plenty of language learning resources that are completely free.Chinese is often considered one of the most difficult languages to learn. (Source: Peter Griffin)Since Chinese is generally considered a difficult language to learn, it’s a good idea to learn Mandarin Chinese through videos in addition to taking Chine se language courses. This will help you memorise the tones (which can be rather tricky) as well as master the pronunciation.You can teach yourself some Mandarin Chinese (or any other variety of Chinese, for that matter) by watching one of the many educational channels on YouTube. Alternatively find Chinese tutors across the UK (including Mandarin courses London) for in-home or online lessons.Whether you want to start learning Chinese, master your recognition of Chinese characters and ideograms, or even become a master of Mandarin Chinese grammar, YouTube is one of the first places you should go looking for quality language learning resources.However, to make things a little simpler, Superprof has put together a list of a few of the very best YouTube channels for learning Chinese:Yoyo Chinese: The host of Yoyo Chinese is Yangyang Cheng, a resident of Los Angeles who’s fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. In addition to the lessons on the channel, you can also find interviews with other native Chinese speakers as well as some recordings of Google Live Hangouts that she’s conducted.Learn Chinese with Emma: Emma’s online Chinese lessons are very well produced and aimed at both absolute beginners and advanced beginners. While most of the videos are in English, there are sections completely in Chinese that are accompanied very clearly by subtitles so that you won’t get lost.Chinese with Mike: While Mike’s lessons are never serious, that doesn’t mean they can’t be educational. These are a great way to learn Chinese while having a load of fun. The videos are between 10 and 15 minutes each and go at a very good pace for those learning. You’ll never be bored in Teacher Mike’s (MIKE LAOSHI) classes.Aside from all the educational videos you can find on Chinese on YouTube, don’t forget that there are other ways to use videos to help you learn Mandarin Chinese. Younger readers (and maybe even a few of our older readers) should be familiar with Net flix. If you’ve never heard of it (somehow), it’s a TV and film streaming service and a service you should check out if you’d like to watch TV series and films in Chinese!Learning Chinese: Which Books Should I Get?Discover the best books for learning Chinese.??????| Integrated ChineseIntegrated Chinese (3rd Edition)  is a textbook written by Yuehua Liu and published by Cheng Tsui. This book is highly recommended by Chinese professors and students alike and while it's probably a bit dry for some learners, it does have everything you’ll probably want to know about Chinese.There are plenty of great places to learn Chinese. (Source: Lilla Frerichs)The book is highly rated on Amazon (between 3.5 and 5 stars, depending on the version) and is available in paperback for less than £20.Unfortunately, if you’re wanting to do the audio exercises, you’re going to have to pay extra for the CD or audio. The CD can set you back around £40, too. Ouch! With all that said, this is a res ource that you’ll be able to keep referring back to every time you need to refresh the basics.It’s perfect for:Students just starting out in ChineseGetting used to Chinese characters, how they’re written, and how to use them.Anyone preparing to stay in China (or any other Chinese-speaking country) for an extended period of time who needs to familiarise themselves with the basics of the language.Chinese for DummiesNever underestimate the “Dummies” series of books. The version on learning Mandarin Chinese by Wendy Abraham is worth picking up and is available on Amazon for less than £20 (and for only a couple of quid if you’re happy to buy a used copy!).Aimed at absolute beginners, the book can teach you how to have everyday conversations, get to grips with the tones used in Chinese, and get around in China. Furthermore, the accompanying CD can help you listen to actual Chinese being spoken by native speakers and help you to train your ear to the tones.This book is great f or anyone getting ready to go to China as it covers all the basics that you’ll need from the second you get off the plane.Additionally, it also covers customs and taboos, meaning that you’ll never make any embarrassing errors and nor will you offend anyone when you go to China. You should also consider buying the book of Chinese expressions for dummies.??????? | New Practical Chinese ReaderThis book  is a useful Chinese course.  However, don’t forget to buy the workbook as well so that you can actually practice your Chinese.  While there isn’t much difference between the first and second editions in terms of content, the second edition has changed the layout slightly.You’ll be able to get both the textbook and workbook for under £30 and for even cheaper if you look around for used versions of the textbook  Obviously, don’t buy a used version of the workbook as you’ll not be able to use it!Get started learning Chinese with a private tutor from Superprof:Chinese courses LondonChinese tutors in Scotland