Ways to Learn Chinese Characters Simply and Efficiently

Chinese language is a new territory for many whose first language use an alphabetic system such as English. Instead of combining letters to form words, Chinese language uses strokes to form characters. The commonly used Chinese characters alone contain 3000 approach. Not only that, Chinese is one more tonal language with four different tones, commonly marked with accent marks, and whenever unmarked represents the neutral tone. The accent marks are only available using furniture that is PinYin to represent the pronunciation. The word sh for instance, can have different meanings depending on its tone. The first tone sh can mean poetry or wet or teacher. The second tone sh can mean ten or time or a fact. The third tone sh can mean history or to start or to cause. Last tone sh can mean yes or room or matter. In essence, strategies many similar sounds distinctive meanings. As a a couple of fact, a Chinese linguist in the 20th century Zhao Yuanren composed a 10-line classical Chinese poem using only the sound shi.

Next, it isn’t always possible to guess the pronunciation of a role. The character for wood, for instance, is pronounced mu. The character for forest, could be composed of two-character for wood, is pronounced lin. Although in this example the pronunciation can not related, the meaning of the characters may possibly. On the contrary, when the pronunciation can be related due to similar root character, the meanings are not necessarily related.

PinYin itself, although alphabetized, is not pronounced the same manner as the alphabetic sounds. There are unfamiliar sounds with regard to u with an umlaut () that sounds like a combination of I and u. Like as much as possible unfamiliar, it typically causes uncertainty and fearfulness. Thus, knowing the challenges learners face is the most important step in devising effective learning strategies that directly affect their language accomplishments.

The Strategies Usually Learn Chinese Characters

Prof Ko-Yin Sung of Chinese Language Study from Utah State university conducted a hunt amongst non-heritage, non-Asian Offshore learners and uncovered interesting results may be help future learners in forming a complete study tactic. Her study revolves round most frequently used Chinese character learning strategies and how those strategies affect the learners’ ability in understanding and producing the sound and the writing in the Chinese characters.

The study finds that among greatest twenty most important used strategies, eight pros are springing out of when a personality is first introduced to learners. These include:

1. Repeating the character several times aloud or silently.

2. Writing the character down.

3. Noting how the character is utilized for context.

4. Noting the tone and associating it with pinyin.

5. Observing the character and stroke order.

6. Visualising the figure.

7. Following the explanation of the type.

8. Associating the character with previously learned character.

The next six strategies are used to increase learners’ understanding of the newly introduced character.

9. Converting the character into native language and finding an equivalent.

10. Looking in the textbook or dictionary.

11. Checking if the actual character been recently used above.

12. Discovering this how intensive testing . used in conversation.

13. Making use of the character in sentences by mouth.

14. Asking how to say hi in chinese the character could be taken in lines.

However, learning strategies tossing the second diminish beyond those two learning concentrations. There are only three strategies played with memorising newly learned character.

15. Saying and writing the character at once.

16. Saying and picturing the character in your head.

17. Imply sound, visualising the character shape and meaning.

And there is only one strategy utilized for practising new characters.

18. Making sentences and writing them out.

And new characters are reviewed brand-new types of two strategies only.

19. Writing the characters many time intervals.

20. Reading over notes, example sentences and the textbook.

Of the twenty strategies mentioned above, four are found to be most significant in increasing learner’s skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing of the new characters. The 4 strategies are:

Writing the characters down

Observing the stroke order

Making connection to a similar character

Saying and writing the type repeatedly

Discussion

A research by Stice in 1987 showed that students only retained 10% of how they learned from what they read, 26% from whatever hear, and 30% from what they see. When studying modes are combined, an essential improvement in mastering retention is noted. Learning retention jumped to 50% when seeing and hearing are combined, and even higher at 70% when students the materials yet learning, and learning retention is in the highest at 90% when students repeat the materials these kinds of are learning though they do the one thing. Simply reading the characters are not enough. Learners must associate the sound with the characters, make a connection is not characters to make them memorable, and practice recalling the newly learned characters.

Study demonstrates that recalling new characters learned improves learning retention and reinforces learning. One way learn the correct this will be using an app such as The Intelligent Flashcards. Additionally flashcard app is manufactured for the New Practical Chinese Reader textbooks, making it convenient evaluation characters based on chapters. Also does it show stroke order animation, it can be accompanied by native speaker sound files, making this app bunches of more convenient that another app regarding example Anki. With Anki, although user will add personal notes on it, the sound file isn’t available and must be imported through another app.

Another important learning method to incorporate is observing any characters are widely used in perspective. This can performed by observing real-life conversations to supplement the textbook and audio files conversation. Around the globe interesting to note that individuals studied in the abovementioned research were not wanting to adopt the educational strategies recommended by the instructors, such as watching Chinese TV shows or listening Chinese music tracks. There could be many causes this. The style of the shows or songs could not appeal on the learners.

Use of this program is not only convenient. Instances if the shows become accessed online, rarely are they subtitled in both both Chinese and English which will make the shows more necessary to beginner learners in having the language. Also, most among the very popular Chinese Television fall into the historical genre, which can be a favourite on the list of Chinese, with regard to The Empress of China’s websites. However, the language spoken in this type of TV show is a great deal complex compared contemporary spoken Chinese.