While there is an abundance of quality stuff on YouTube for learning Mandarin Chinese, there’s actually very little when you try to focus in on Taiwan, particularly for beginners. The first two channels on this very short list focus on teaching Chinese from Taiwan and the last two are geared more toward upper intermediate learners…
Should you learn Mandarin from Taiwan or China? (& What are the differences?)
Well, Taiwan…obviously. ;] Just kidding, sort of. Personally, I’ve always thought that Mandarin from Taiwan had a more melodious tone to it. It always sounded softer than the Mandarin I heard from the mainland. However, it really depends on where you want to travel and use Mandarin. If you’re not sure yet where you want…
Behind the Scenes: How I’m Learning Mandarin
Whenever I meet someone who is learning a foreign language, I am endlessly curious about how they’re doing it. What textbooks are they using? How did they get from the beginner to the intermediate stage? How often do they use the language? And on and on. Because of that curiosity, I thought it would still…
9 Phrases You’ll Definitely Learn from Taiwanese Dramas
I watch an inhuman amount of Taiwanese dramas. In fact, when I was in high school, I would spend full days binging on dramas desperate to make sure that the main characters ended up together (and of course, they always do…after some fainting, hospital visits, fireworks and visits from ex’s). However, all of the hours…
Mandarin Chinese Word Speed Dates: 才 (cái)
When you learn Mandarin, running straight into words that have no real English equivalent is a daily normality. They’re frustrating, yet interesting. …pain-inducing, yet necessary. 才(cái) is one word that takes pleasure in confusing eager language learners like yourself. So how can you unwrap it and make it your own to the point where using…
Should you learn Zhuyin (Bopomofo) or Pinyin for learning Chinese pronunciation?
If you haven’t heard of Zhuyin (Bopomofo) yet, it’s a system used for teaching Chinese pronunciation to children before they are able to read and recognize the torrents of characters that will be in their future. It uses a symbol plus a tone mark like this: Character: 漂亮 Pronunciation: ㄆㄧㄠˋ ㄌㄧㄤˋ These symbols are placed…
7 Resources for Learning and Practicing Tones in Mandarin Chinese
If you’re reading this article, then I’m going to take a not-so-wild guess and say that it isn’t your first attempt to learn tones in Chinese. In fact, it’s likely that you’ve been told that you need to work on tones, have realized that you were taught incorrectly in school, or just want some more…