Learn Chinese through Pinyin
When you think of Chinese, do you also immediately think of complicated characters that look more like drawings than words? This can make learning Chinese seem like trying break through an impenetrable fortress, which is why the Chinese came up with something quite clever in the 1950s: pinyin. We gratefully make use of this in our Chinese language courses at Regina Coeli.
Pinyin is Chinese, Romanised. It was developed to give Westerners more insight into the Chinese language, but it has also contributed to increased literacy in China itself. Pinyin has been officially recognised since 1979, and this form of writing has taken off in recent years in particular. This is partly thanks to digitisation, as Pinyin is a better match for standard keyboards.
Help in the pronunciation of Chinese
Students start working with pinyin on the first day of their Chinese course at Regina Coeli. It is an ideal way to quickly get to know words and immediately learn correct pronunciation. For this, you need to know how to pronounce the letters and how the different tones work.
Are we talking about a mother or a horse?
There are four different tones in Chinese, which are indicated in pinyin by an accent. This accent is all-determining when it comes to meaning, because many words in Mandarin consist of the same sounds. For example, the word ‘ma’ has the following meanings, depending on the tone:
- Mother (mā)
- Hemp (má)
- Horse (mǎ)
- To swear/curse at (mà)
Because some Chinese words are pronounced so similarly, we at Regina Coeli only work with language trainers who are native speakers. They know how to correctly pronounce words and are able to communicate this very accurately to students so the students do not inadvertently swear at a mother by calling her a horse.
The status of hanzi
So, can you completely ignore the Chinese characters—hanzi—then? Actually, you cannot. In modern China, you mainly see traditional hanzi characters. Pinyin is a tool for learning the language. Without it, you would have to learn the language completely by ear. For this reason, pinyin is incredibly helpful, especially when you first start learning Chinese. You won’t really get there, though, without knowledge of the characters. At Regina Coeli, beginners get to know the most important characters so they can survive in China and Taiwan.
Challenge yourself!
Do you want to speak Mandarin, than simply contact us. After having had a week of Chinese language training with a total of twenty private lessons, you will be able to confidently express yourself in Chinese. For an overview of our basic programme please read the information on the page about our Chinese courses.
Gerelateerde blogs
Learn a bit of Chinese to break the ice
If you are planning to do business in China or Taiwan, learning to speak fluent Mandarin might not be your first priority. Sometimes it can be better to first see whether you can get your foot in the door before investing in learning the language. For this reason, Regina Coeli is now offering a short Chinese culture and language course—one which will give you a good understanding of the culture and a bit of language to break the ice.
Chinese is a puzzle with clear game rules
After nineteen years of hearing the sounds of Chinese, Leo van Wuijckhuijse wanted to learn Chinese himself—at Regina Coeli, naturally, because he had already learned to speak Spanish fluently there. And although Chinese is vastly different to Spanish, it is going admirably well for him.
Learn Mandarin Chinese the western way
Have you wanted to learn Mandarin for your work or spice up your CV for some time, but been holding back because everyone has told you that it is such a difficult language to learn? Then you really need to read on. Numerous professionals have learned how to speak Mandarin in five days through our extremely practical approach. You can, too!