FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
General Questions about the Chinese Language
- What is Mandarin Chinese? How many people speak Mandarin Chinese worldwide?
Standard Mandarin Chinese, based on Beijing Dialect and the northern Dialects, is the commonly spoken language of Han group and the lingua franca of all ethnic groups in China.
It is originally spoken by the Han people, who account for approximately 92% of the total population. Up to now, the Chinese language is spoken by over 1 billion people worldwide, outnumbering any other language in the world.
- Are there any regional languages in China? How do they differ from each other?
Chinese language is distinguished by its high level of internal diversity. Modern Chinese comprises of seven major dialects, namely Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese), Gan, Kejia (Hakka), Min, Wu, Xiang and Yue (Cantonese). Each language group contains a large number of dialects. All the dialects are quite different in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary. However, they all share the same writing system - that is, Chinese characters.
- Can people from Hong Kong, Taiwan or Singapore understand Mandarin Chinese?
Yes, Mandarin Chinese is also used in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. In order to solve the communication problems issuing from the different regional dialects, in October 1955 the Minister of the Department of Education defined Standard Mandarin Chinese as the official language of the People’s Republic China and as the national language of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
- How many characters are there in the Chinese language?
There is no upper limit to the number of characters. The number of Chinese characters listed in the Kangxi dictionary is approximately 47,035. The first official list of simplified characters was published in 1956. It included 6500 simplified characters. However, studies carried out in China have shown that full literacy in the Chinese language requires only three to four thousand characters.
- What are the differences between simplified Chinese characters and traditional Chinese characters?
Questions about the Chinese Linguistic System
- What is Pinyin?
Pinyin is formally called hanyu pinyin. Hanyu means the Chinese language, Pin means ‘spell’ and Yin means ‘sound’. Aiming at making Chinese language learning easier, in February 1958, the National People's Congress ratified the final version of the pinyin system. The Pinyin system, including 21 initials, 39 finals and 4 tones, has proved to be very helpful in learning Chinese language.
- What does written Chinese look like?
Unlike the alphabetic systems of Western languages, the Chinese language integrates both semantic features and phonological information in its characters. A Chinese Character, also known as a Han Character, is written as '汉字'.
- Are the four tones very important in learning Mandarin Chinese? Will it cause misunderstanding if I fail to read the four tones correctly?
Yes, the same syllables with different tones may cause differences in meanings. Normally Chinese people can anticipate what you are talking about according to the context. But on some occasions, reading four tones incorrectly can cause misunderstanding.
- Is it difficult to master Chinese Pinyin and tones?
It is possible for anyone to master Chinese Pinyin and tones as long as you put in the effort. There are many efficient ways to learn Pinyin and tones, and Chinese Original will help you master Pinyin and tones during at stage of your development in learning Chinese.
- Must I learn Chinese characters? Can I learn Chinese language by Pinyin only?
This very much depends on what level of literacy you are looking for and what your objectives are for learning the language. However, even if you only attempt to learn oral Chinese, we recommend that you to have a general understanding of the Chinese characters.
- How many characters do I have to learn if I want to read newspapers and magazines in Chinese?
Although studies carried out in China demonstrate that full literacy in the Chinese language requires a knowledge of three to four thousand characters for native Chinese speakers, it was also said that only 100 characters cover 45% of the most commonly used words. Many teachers of Mandarin Chinese are of the view that some 800 - 1000 characters are more than sufficient to attain an excellent grasp of Chinese in daily use.
- What is stroke order? Is it necessary to follow the stroke order?
Stroke order 笔顺 refers to the correct order in which the strokes of a Chinese character are written. A stroke is a movement of a writing instrument where the nib is touching the page. It is not necessary to follow the stroke orders of each character but following the right stroke order will be the easiest and the most efficient way to write Chinese characters.
- Are Chinese grammatical rules very complicated to learn? Is Chinese totally different from English?
It's not so difficult - you can infer the whole from a single instance. A total beginner, zero-level foreign student of Chinese can conduct an everyday conversation after two or three months of intensive training. As Chinese is different from European languages, including English and French, it calls for practice before getting used to it.
Questions about Studying Chinese
- How soon can I use basic Mandarin to communicate with native speakers?
You will be able to communicate with native speakers after your first lesson (1.5 hours). Normally after your first lesson, you will be able to say some basic expressions such as ‘你好’ (Hello), ‘谢谢’ (Thank you) and ‘再见’ (Good-bye)
- How can I find a character or a word in the dictionary?
Looking up for a single word in a traditional dictionary requires certain knowledge of Chinese characters, including the right pronunciation of the character, or the radicals and the stroke orders. However, there are many types of electronic dictionaries, which make Chinese language learning easier and more efficient.
- How can I type Chinese characters on my keyboard?
- Are there any useful websites for learning Chinese?
Yes, there are many useful websites to meet your needs in getting information about learning Chinese. Please refer to ‘useful links’ on our website.
- How much time shall I spend learning Chinese if I want to achieve advanced level?
It’s hard to measure how much time is enough as it varies among individuals. As a famous Chinese saying goes, practice makes perfect. You will be benefit from everyday practice.
Questions about our Programmes
- What kind of courses do you provide?
We offer a range of fast-track Mandarin Chinese language programmes for individual and small groups to suit you. All programmes are tailored to match your specific business needs and personal goals. For further details, please refer to our Corporate Training Section. Or, you are always welcome to contact us to get more information.
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Landline: +44 (0)20 7193 6036
Mobile: +44 (0)78 0976 3788
Skype: chineseoriginal
- How do I know which level is suitable for me?
We offer free test before the class. Students can visit us to take an oral and written test formally with a specialist in order to make sure you choose the most suitable level.
- How can I evaluate my learning outcomes?
We will provide you with Study Report after each course. It shows how much you have learned and where you need further improvements. However, you can always contact our teachers to learn about your learning progress.
