Chinese

Why learn Chinese?

Chinese is one of the world’s most ancient surviving languages, and it is today the most spoken language in the world. Far more people speak Mandarin Chinese than English. The Chinese language is quite unique, and not as hard to learn as you think. Chinese is a tonal language, meaning that you must learn to hear the different tones or pitches used to express the meaning of a word. But because of the added tonal indicator, Chinese words are both short and phonetically simple. Chinese grammar is also easier than many other languages, with very little verb conjugation and no articles or gender.

Chinese is the only living language written using ideograms instead of an alphabet. A Chinese student will have memorized upwards of 5000 unique ideograms by the time he leaves university, although only about 1000 are necessary to be able to read a normal newspaper. Many Chinese words are formed by a combination of ideograms, for example the word "crisis" is formed from the ideograms for "danger” and “opportunity". It is this entirely novel way of looking at the world that makes learning Chinese such a rewarding experience. To learn Chinese is to learn to see the world in a new way.

What’s more, learning Chinese could be important for your career! China's citizens account for nearly 20% of the world's population. As China continues to open up to the West, there will be growing opportunities for employment in all areas. But because Chinese is still a rare language in public schools in, bilingual Chinese speakers remain rare, and are thus very valuable for international businesses. Speaking even a little Chinese will greatly enhance your CV for an international position!

Where can you learn Chinese?

If you want to learn Chinese, there is no better solution than to study abroad in China where you’ll be living surrounded by Chinese all day every day. Whether you’re in Chinese class with students from all over the world or just walking around town, you’ll always be surrounded by native Chinese speakers. With constant practice, you’ll be amazed how fast you’ll learn Chinese while studying abroad.