{"id":2221,"date":"2025-10-31T15:13:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T22:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/?p=2221"},"modified":"2025-10-31T15:28:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T22:28:29","slug":"chinese-summer-isnt-over-yet-some-pointers-for-beginning-chinese-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/langlabbies\/2025\/10\/31\/chinese-summer-isnt-over-yet-some-pointers-for-beginning-chinese-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese summer isn\u2019t over yet \u2026 some pointers for Beginning Chinese students!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Zhupu<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you\u2019ve been wanting to start learning Chinese, but don\u2019t know how to get over the initial hurdles that make it seem impossible. Never fear, for I am here to help demystify this incredible language! I started learning Chinese at Reed from the beginning level and studied abroad this past summer in Taipei, Taiwan. Trust me when I say that it\u2019s a challenging language to learn, but not impossible! (And I might even argue that it\u2019s been the easiest and most fun language to study\u2026) Here are my personal strategies for approaching Chinese as a beginning student, while keeping it fun!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Need help with pronunciation?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chinese pronunciation is quite different from English, but it doesn\u2019t have to be impossible! Whether you are struggling with tones or the pronunciation itself, I recommend checking out pinyin charts. These websites are fully comprehensive with all possible syllable sounds in all four tones. I like this pinyin chart<\/a> from Yabla.com the most because it has recordings from real Chinese speakers, rather than a robotic-sounding voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you find tones to be challenging, I suggest listening to tone pairs. The Yabla.com website also has a great tone pair chart<\/a> with multiple word examples. Tone pairs can help you recognize differences between tones, and how multiple tones sound when put together. To get the most out of this resource, you can first listen to the tone pair, then repeat after the audio. Note: this website also has a wonderful tone pair listening and speaking quiz, but requires a subscription for full access ($9.95\/month). This YouTube playlist<\/a> by AllSet Learning can give you the same practice for free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last, to practice tone recognition, I recommend this self-correcting quiz<\/a>. Doing a few drills can be really helpful in identifying tones and pinyin syllables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practicing vocabulary in Beginning Chinese<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For many speakers, Chinese vocabulary is completely different from their native languages and may not be very intuitive. However, what I love about Chinese is the character system\u2014intimidating as it is, it\u2019s surprisingly fun to learn and practice. When I was in Beginning Chinese last year, I made flashcards on Flippity.net to stay organized amidst the mountain of characters I had to memorize each week. And this resource is available for all students, I hope it helps!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese 111<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese 111 simplified and traditional<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese 111 simplified vocabulary<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese 111 traditional vocabulary<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese 112<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese 112 simplified and traditional<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese 112 simplified vocabulary<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese 112 traditional vocabulary<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some ideas of how to use these flashcards:<\/p>\n\n\n\n