Many people are trying to learn a new language. Some consider it a hobby. Others have to learn a language because of their jobs or studies. As a foreigner who is really interested in Chinese culture, I like learning Chinese.

It is thought that a person needs to know at least 3,000 Chinese characters (汉字) to understand most Chinese newspapers. The problem for most foreigners, however, is that knowing 3,000 characters sounds like an impossible task, because many of the Chinese characters look the same. That’s why some people give up halfway. It’s the most arduous part for me, too. But I managed to learn how to write each character by watching videos online. Whenever I saw a character I didn’t know in the street or on a menu, I would just write it down on my phone and then look it up. Slowly, I’ve learned the common characters in daily life.

It’s also important to listen to Chinese as much as possible. I downloaded (下载) a lot of listening materials onto my phone and listened to them on the way to school and work. I also watched a lot of Chinese TV shows and films, where the words are not so difficult, and there are always subtitles (字幕). It’s really helpful for my listening.

As for speaking, I practice talking about different topics in Chinese when I am walking around, talking to myself or in my head, thinking through different conversations and situations. For example, whenever I was going to a shop, I would think about how to say that in Chinese. It helps me to think in a Chinese way, which is really important.

Learning a language is never easy. As for me, I just use every tool on hand and take my learning step by step, and I’m still learning new things to this day!