Parting

Learning Chinese at home. How do I learn Chinese on my own

Cheers to everyone! Many people would like to learn Chinese on their own. The reasons are obvious: not everyone has the opportunity to go to China, and perhaps there is no time or extra money to enroll in courses Chinese. Everyone has their own situation. The easiest way out is to search for suitable resources on the Internet.

The only problem is that many are either paid or have meager material, which you yourself still need to put together in a common mosaic, which, you see, for a beginner, is not very easy. What then, give up all this business associated with independent study of the Chinese language? Of course not, because retreat is not our way! And since you are reading this article, I will tell you a secret: you have already taken the first step towards your goal, and for some, dreams are possible.

When learning Chinese on your own, you need to show two qualities. Sometimes it seems to me that many economically developed Asian countries engraved them on their hearts.

It's simple: it's curiosity and perseverance. The first you have by nature, every person is interested in something. The second must be brought up by everyday activities! For a beginner, you need to spend 3-5 hours if you want to have real progress. Again, this is an estimate. Each person is unique by nature, you may need less time or more.

One thing I know for sure, no matter what language you learn, what matters is why you do it and how you do it. If there is no interest and you force yourself to do it, just because it’s necessary or because everyone does it, because it’s fashionable, then my sincere advice to you is to quit this activity, don’t waste your time, because the Chinese language will easily take away you the lion's share of the time.

Better do what really brings you pleasure. Well, if you are serious, and even better, like to enjoy the process itself - then welcome!

So, as we already know, there are four basic skills in the language on which all language learning is built. Chinese is no exception in this regard.

Speaking skills.
Listening skill.
Reading skill.
Writing skill.

There is also grammar, but in reality this is not a skill, but only a set of rules that you need to understand in order to competently build your speech orally or writing. Before studying, analyze what personality temperament you belong to. From my own experience I can say that if you are an extrovert, like to chat, then you will be given better than introverts.

Introverts, on the other hand, may need to change their habits a bit. To improve your speaking skills, reading books aloud every day will help you. Books are good, books help us to replenish vocabulary. But anyone who studies foreign language, will tell you that communication with a native speaker is an integral part of the process of learning a foreign language.

What you need to know before learning Chinese?

Before you start learning Chinese, you need to know a few key points, after learning about which you yourself decide whether it is difficult to learn Chinese at home or not:

About hieroglyphs

There is no alphabet in Chinese, which means there are no letters. Instead of letters, there are hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphs and letters are completely different things. Let's try to explain: in the alphabet, each letter has its own sound: the letter "a" - carries the sound [a], the letter "b" - the sound [b]. Separately, the letters do not carry meaning, but they acquire it when they are combined with others and a word is created.

From ancient times, hieroglyphs recorded meaning, not sounds. Very often, only one small hieroglyph, even alone, carries a certain meaning, and it is often pronounced already as a whole syllable: 马 - - horse.

So, due to the lack of an alphabet, in order to more or less freely read, speak and understand hieroglyphs, you will have to learn about 2000 of them (on the simplest everyday topics) and about 5000 in order to more or less freely understand TV shows and films.

You can easily find a lot of materials about hieroglyphs on the Internet, as well as in Chinese textbooks.

About phonetics

There is no alphabet, but there must be something instead of it! Naturally! Otherwise, how to speak it and how to listen to it? So, the Pinyin transcription system is responsible for pronunciation, which includes the usual letters or a combination of letters, but their pronunciation sometimes differs from the original. There are not so many of them, they learn and remember pretty quickly.

In addition to letters, there are well-known tones. There are four of them and the fifth is neutral. This means that you can pronounce one syllable in five different options, and each time it will have a different value.

You shouldn't be afraid of them. The main thing at the very beginning, when pronunciation is set, is to give this moment Special attention so that there are no further problems.

This part is perhaps the most problematic for those who are going to learn Chinese on their own. Of course, a teacher, and even better a native speaker teacher, would be extremely useful for setting pronunciation at the very beginning. But if you do not have such an opportunity, then we use the “work on mistakes” method using a voice recorder (record yourself, and then listen and correct the pronunciation), or we are looking for media through special services - both paid and free.

About grammar

Grammar in Chinese is much easier than in Russian: there are no endings, prefixes, just a few suffixes, words do not change at all（breathe freely!）But there is a certain word order in a sentence and various particles and prepositions that compensate for tenses, gender , endings, etc.

Currently, there are many tutorials, as well as a lot of information on the Internet about Chinese grammar.

About vocabulary

In my opinion, it is the vocabulary that becomes a big stumbling block when your vocabulary has long been filled with everyday words that carry some specific meanings. At this moment, the era of endless synonyms begins, which the Chinese have come up with in great numbers. And each has its own nuances in meaning and use. Not for nothing that at the levels of the state. of the HSK exam, an entire part is devoted to this section.

Vocabulary can be replenished independently with the help of certain services or simply by reading texts.

About logic

In my opinion, it is worth saying a few more words about Chinese logic. During the course of learning a language, it often happened that you seem to know all the words in a sentence, but you can’t understand its meaning. And all because our thinking is very different from the Chinese. Therefore, when studying Chinese, be prepared also for a partial restructuring of thinking.

You don't need a teacher to understand Chinese logic. Just show more interest in their culture and habits.

And now for the fun, learning hieroglyphs will increase the number of neural connections in your brain, which in turn will strengthen your memory and speed of thinking.

Technique setup

Before proceeding directly to learning the language, let's set up our little "helpers" - a phone and a computer to make learning Chinese more comfortable and efficient:

Installing a Chinese keyboard

Let's start with the computer. It is very easy to do this. We go to the start (in the lower left corner), then the control panel, select the clock, language and region. - change the keyboard layout or other input methods - change the keyboard - add - find "Chinese (simplified PRC!!!)" - in the drop-down list, select: input style Microsoft Pinyin ne. - press ok and see that it appeared in our list of installed keyboards - press ok again and exit the control panel.

Now try changing the language. We do this with alt+shift hotkeys, and you can simply click on the language icon and it will change to the next language installed on your computer. Select Chinese and try typing something in Notepad for example.

Now let's move on to our mobile assistant: install the keyboard on the phone. Go to the service with applications and download the Chinese keyboard. The Chinese themselves often use a keyboard called 搜购输入法 (sōugòu), but you can download another one, the main thing is to download simplified input or input of simplified characters.

Dealt with the keyboard. What other programs do we need?

Dictionaries

To begin with, we need to save several sites in our bookmarks - dictionaries, with the help of which in the future you will be able to view the translation of the necessary words, their pronunciation, as well as examples of use. From online dictionaries we use the well-known BCRS - big dictionary Chinese language (https://bkrs.info). Going to home page, you will see an input field where you can enter the desired character and thus translate from Chinese into Russian online.

Chinese characters with translation into Russian can also be found using the Jong dictionary. (http://www.zhonga.ru) You can also bookmark it, because sometimes there are controversial points and you have to look at the meaning of some words in different sources to better understand the meaning. But wait! There is one more good thing in Jong: it is a key table, without which a novice sinologist cannot do without. The link to the plate is http://www.zhonga.ru/radicals, save it for yourself.

You may not always have access to the Internet, so we recommend that you also download offline dictionaries to your phone. You can again download the dictionary from BKRS. How to do this is described in detail on the site itself.

We also use the Trainchineese dictionary. Its convenience lies in the fact that you can see how the hieroglyph is written, what part of speech it belongs to, and also the counting words corresponding to it. You can download it in the play store.

For those who are good at English language the option with the Pleco dictionary is also suitable.

Other services

Let's also bookmark Chinese YouTube in advance - youku.com - where a huge amount of video materials are collected that we will definitely need in the future, and there are also many films in Chinese.

It would not be superfluous to download the Anki program. There you can drive in the learned words and repeat them regularly, or use already ready-made kits and learn words from them. How to do this in detail in our article about this program.

In addition to Anki, there is another very convenient service for replenishing vocabulary - https://quizlet.com/ru Save it to your bookmarks, or download the application to your phone. Here, again, you can create your own decks, or you can use those uploaded by other users using the search field. The advantage of the service is that there you can not only learn words, but also test yourself in every possible way, train, check - and sometimes even in a playful way.

Another program that you will have to download sooner or later is a Chinese messenger called 微信 or wechat in another way. Most Chinese people use this program to communicate, so it's easy to find someone to practice Chinese with. In general, the program is very versatile with many functions, and is especially indispensable for those who are going to learn Chinese on their own. You can download it in the same play store or on another third-party service.

The preparatory work has been done, which means it's time to go directly to the Chinese!

Step-by-step instructions for learning Chinese

We go through phonetics, and to be more precise, we learn the transcription system, master the rules of pronunciation and tone. We practice more, listen to our own pronunciation, or send our recording to a Chinese friend or Sinologist.
Did you learn pronunciation? So it's time to move on: get acquainted with the hieroglyphs. First, familiarize yourself with (did you think everything was that simple?) and writing them.
Read about or otherwise radicals that will help save time and effort when learning hieroglyphs. Explore the most common ones.
Do not forget to read the very useful article "", which can greatly facilitate the memorization of hieroglyphs.
Let's start adding vocabulary. Let's start with the most common words and phrases that will come in handy in Everyday life. Speak each phrase several times until it automatically pops out of your mouth without any hesitation. Another option for replenishing vocabulary is to open a list of words and learn the words given in it. When you learn words, do not forget to look at examples of their use, as well as make up your own. Drive new words into the anki program and daily, or you can repeat them according to the method.
When we have at least a few words in your vocabulary, you can slowly begin to study the corresponding level.
It will take time to master the grammar, so at the same time we replenish the vocabulary with the help of dialogues and It is advisable to find texts with voice acting for beginners. Listen to the speaker several times. Then look at what words you don't know. You can translate them using a dictionary. Pay attention to how this or that word is used in the text. After everything unknown words translated and memorized, read the text several times. Record yourself again on the recorder and compare the sound.
When your vocabulary is about level 4 (this can be determined by opening 4 levels, run through them and figure out how many of them you know), start watching children's cartoons or simple series on everyday topics. Read more texts in Chinese, starting again with the simplest ones, listen to Chinese radio.

Methodology for learning Chinese on your own

Make a plan for learning Chinese. Set aside a time in your daily schedule when you will study Chinese, and do not forget about this very important element in learning. As they say, repetition is the mother of learning!

I advise you to study the language in the morning, since it is at this time that information is best absorbed. Still, we are all different and not everyone wants to change habits overnight, so watch yourself at what hours you have the peak of brain activity, and it is at this time that you work hard.

If it’s really hard to memorize a huge stream of information, break it into several subtasks and complete each with a certain period of time.

Example: in the morning you can learn words, at lunchtime you can find time for and writing, in the evening listen to audio recordings and read. Repeat before going to bed. Experiment, see what works for you.

I want to wish you diligence in such a difficult task as learning Chinese.

Everything is currently more people decide to start learning Chinese. Everyone has their own way to this decision, but having made it, everyone wonders, how to start learning chinese?

In this article, we have tried to collect basic tips and tricks for beginner sinologists.

The main thing is perseverance and patience, as in many other endeavors. As trite as it sounds, it's true. This is probably true for Chinese, more than for any other language. To say that the language is difficult is to say nothing.

But, as the Chinese say folk wisdom- who wants, he will achieve. Therefore, from the very beginning, tune in to the maximum investment of strength and dedication.

First you need to understand what the Chinese language is. In fact, this is a collective concept. AT different parts China has its own Chinese dialects, so phonetically different from each other that if speakers of different dialects try to talk to each other using each of their dialects, they simply will not understand each other. But if they take a piece of paper and write their words on it, then mutual understanding will be achieved. Chinese hieroglyphic writing is common to all dialects, therefore they cannot be separated into separate languages, although the degree of their phonetic difference for such a distinction is more than enough.

In order to have a universal means of communication throughout the country, an official language was developed on the basis of the most common dialects. official language China putonghua(普通话). This is the Chinese language that we foreigners usually learn. Of course, you can purposefully study one of the many Chinese dialects, but this must be due to some specific goals, for example, scientific ones. For you will spend an amount of effort comparable or incomparable to learning Putonghua, and you will be understood only in that part of China where this dialect comes from. And Putonghua is a universal variant of the Chinese language that is spoken (or should be spoken) anywhere in China.

The sound structure of the Chinese language. Chinese tones

It is worth starting the study with the concept of the sound system. The sound composition of the Chinese language is fundamentally different from the sound composition of our language family(Russian English German, Spanish etc.). This is how it is with us - the smallest sound unit is a sound, a letter corresponds to it in writing, syllables are formed from sounds, and words are formed from them.

In the Chinese language, there is no concept of a letter, the minimum sound unit is a syllable, rigidly consisting of several specific sounds. In writing, a syllable corresponds to a hieroglyph. The number of syllables in Chinese is limited, in Putonghua it has 414. Each syllable has a Latin spelling, which is called pinyin(拼音). First you need to familiarize yourself with the syllables and remember the pronunciation of each of them. We have prepared for you two versions of the syllable table, which differ in the way Chinese syllables are written in Russian letters.

Then, when you master the correct pronunciation, you will need to study the Palladium system. Why is this necessary if it does not correspond to the real in everything Chinese pronunciation? Then, in order to correctly write Chinese proper names in Russian. Maybe you will become a translator, and deviations from the norm in translations are unacceptable. And just leaving messages on forums on the Internet, you also need to do it correctly, and not write, for example, Guangzhou, if Guangzhou is accepted, etc. At first glance, the difference is insignificant, but the norm is the norm, and for experienced Sinologists such errors immediately hurt the eye.

Next, you need to understand the concept of Chinese tones. Tone is the intonational characteristic of a syllable, i.e. the way we pronounce this syllable - with rising intonation, falling, etc. There are 4 tones in Putonghua, which are indicated in pinyin transcription by a dash above the vowel:

Like syllables, for correct memorization, it is better to listen to tones performed by a teacher or a native speaker; audio recordings will also work.

Tone is a characteristic of a syllable and has a meaningful function. The same syllable, pronounced in different tones, has a different semantic meaning. Each of the 414 syllables can be pronounced in a different tone, which somewhat expands the phonetic range of the language. But even taking into account the presence of tones, the set of sounds still remains quite limited, which leads to a large number homonyms in Chinese, when the same sound, even with one specific tone, can have different meaning. In this case, the meaning is often determined from the context.

Keys and characters of the Chinese language

The basic written unit of the Chinese language is the hieroglyph. Each hieroglyph, unlike our letter, has its own semantic meaning (the hieroglyph 你 is you, the hieroglyph 好 is good, the hieroglyph 爱 [ài] is love, etc.). The vast majority of Chinese words consist of one or two characters (modern Chinese is dominated by two-character words).

There are also words of three or more hieroglyphs. These are mostly complex terms or foreign proper names. Total hieroglyphs in the Chinese language is not exactly defined, numbers of 40 thousand, 50 thousand, etc. are called. But the most common ones are about 3-4 thousand. Having mastered them, you will easily understand Chinese official texts, the press, etc.

Each character is an ordered set of traits and keys. Each key individually has its own semantic meaning, and is, as it were, the simplest hieroglyph. Some keys can therefore be used as independent hieroglyphs, but still most of the keys are used only as a component of hieroglyphs.

Keys must be learned. Many are limited to a part of the keys, but it is better to learn the majority (this is quite real, there are not so many keys), ideally, everything. In this case, it will be necessary to remember the spelling and semantic meaning of all keys. Without this, further memorization will be problematic. a large number hieroglyphs. Pronunciation (pinyin) is enough to memorize only those keys that can be used as independent hieroglyphs.

Download the Chinese language keymap.

Chinese textbooks, Chinese language courses

At the same time, start studying one of the Chinese textbooks, of which there are many now. For example, "Practical course of the Chinese language", author Kondrashevsky A.F., "Elementary course of the Chinese language", authors Zadoenko T.P., Shuin H. and others. In textbooks new material It is given in portions and structured. Be sure to listen to the accompanying audio materials. It is very important that you get used to the correct phonetics from the very beginning, especially if you are not constantly in China and do not have a language environment.

You can, but at the very beginning you need to enroll in Chinese language courses. There are now a great many of them, both at the faculties of oriental languages of universities, and within individual institutions. additional education. Find out carefully about the training program, and most importantly, about the teachers, it is better that they are experienced teachers with teaching experience and experience in language practice in China. It’s good if they are native speakers, Chinese teachers with normal level Russian language.

Continue the further process of studying in accordance with the selected textbook, if you are studying on your own, or with the course program. When you reach the elementary level, it will be great to find a Chinese colleague who studies Russian. Where - look at the situation. Maybe at the nearest institute where Chinese exchange students study, maybe in the market, and of course on the Internet. By supplementing the training with communication with a native speaker, you will accelerate your progress, and he - his. textbook textbook, eh live communication always increases learning efficiency.

So, summing up all of the above, in order to start learning Chinese, you must:

1. Have more patience and perseverance.

2. Familiarize yourself with the syllables of the Chinese language. Start with the table "how to confess" and remember the pronunciation of each syllable. Then learn the Palladium table (this is how to write Chinese syllables in Russian letters). It is better to do this with an experienced teacher or native speaker.

3. Learn 4 tones of Chinese.

4. Learn the keys, remembering their spelling and meaning. Pronunciation is enough to memorize only the keys that can be used as independent hieroglyphs. Download Chinese language keys.

5. Parallel to point 2, choose a Chinese textbook and start passing it, or better, sign up for Chinese language courses.

6. Optional, but highly desirable - to find a native speaker of Chinese, and organize regular communication.

Chinese self-instruction manual

This article will be useful to those who decide to learn Chinese on their own and, accordingly, are looking for the best Chinese language tutorial for beginners. In fact, on the Internet you can find a lot of literature on the Chinese language for any level of knowledge. But it's more likely to confuse than help. After all, those who are just starting to learn the language do not know many of the nuances and variety of methods for learning the Chinese language.

I advise you to definitely look at various forums where students with experience will talk about how to choose a Chinese language tutorial for beginners. I, in turn, want to tell you about a few of the main and most popular publications.

Practical course of the Chinese language of Kondrashevsky A.F.

This Chinese language tutorial for beginners is considered almost the most popular in Russia. The fact is that the publication of this manual is regularly updated and improved, according to the latest requirements. The main task of the textbook is to lay the basic knowledge of the student. As for the content of this course, it consists mainly of texts and dialogues regarding the daily life and life of China. Thus, by studying this tutorial, you will not only gain basic knowledge of the Chinese language, but also general idea about the culture, traditions and even history of China.

Kondrashevsky's textbook is written in an easy and understandable language even for a schoolboy. The basic rules of grammar and pronunciation are explained in a simple way. Thanks to this manual, you can really master the basic knowledge on your own.

It is known that in Chinese it is very important to learn to speak with the correct tonality. With this in mind, the author has prepared an audio CD that accompanies each edition of the Practical Chinese Language Course. The disc includes all the textbook materials, namely texts and dialogues, and is recorded exclusively by native speakers, so you don’t have to worry about the correct pronunciation.

Self-instruction manual of the Chinese language for beginners Kondrashevsky A.F. also contains the basic hieroglyphs, which are necessary at the first steps of learning the language.

Generally tutorial compiled competently and for people, so I can safely advise it to you.

"Fundamentals of the Chinese language" by T.P. Zadoenko, H. Shuin

As for me, this textbook is the second most popular Chinese language tutorial for beginners. This manual is written in a more strict language, some even consider it boring, but we are still doing a serious job, so the textbook should be taken seriously. It contains materials on vocabulary, grammar, phonetics and, of course, Chinese hieroglyphics in accordance with modern requirements. The highlight of the manual is learning rhythm, which you will not find in any other textbook. Otherwise, the structure of the tutorial is the most common: the main course, at the end of which is a dictionary, index and answers to assignments.

Milena Karpova "Manual of Chinese"

First, I would like to say a few words about the author of this manual. Milena Karpova is a Chinese tutor and author of many scientific papers with great experience. Given this, her textbook came out convenient and understandable to everyone. All material is chewed simply utterly. Karpova's Chinese self-instruction manual for beginners also includes an audio CD, which she recorded herself. Each lesson in this textbook contains exercises, assignments and even recipes that allow you to use all types of memory and reduce the time of studying the material.

I want to repeat once again that there is a lot of literature for learning Chinese on the Internet, therefore, when choosing a manual, rely on personal requirements and wishes regarding the presentation of material, disclosure and consolidation.

So you've decided that want to learn Chinese. Well, that's great. Now the question arises - how to study it? Which learning method to choose? There are several options, but not as many as it seems. Study at a university, in a Chinese language course, with a private tutor, or on your own. Each study option has its pros and cons. We will talk about them in this article.

Here is our advice- prioritize. Think about why you need Chinese.

1) If you definitely want to connect your work with him in the future, then you have a direct road to the university. 5 years of study, a one-year or half-year internship, then perhaps a graduate degree, and you are ready to find a job with the Chinese language.

Pros: a fairly deep degree of language learning, an internship in China, after graduation you are ready to work with the Chinese language. The main thing is to choose the right university.

Minuses: time, not everyone can spend 2-3 years for a second higher education or 5 years for a basic higher education. Our advice - if you want to get two specialties in one - look for universities with economic disciplines, so that at the same time Chinese is studied there. There are such, for example, MSLU.

2) If you need Chinese for work, behind shoulders for more than one year labor activity and there is no time to get a second higher education, our advice is intensive courses Chinese. Many companies are doing this now. As a rule, you are assigned to a Chinese language learning group from scratch. Classes can be held either on weekends or several times a week in the evenings.

Our advice- leave the weekend to rest. It is best to practice 2 (minimum) - three times a week, 1.5 - 2 hours. In this case, on the weekend you can independently repeat the studied material at home, understand that it is not clear what questions you have, so that you next class ask the teacher.

Pros: the degree of study depends on the time spent. Exist various levels training (from scratch, primary, secondary, higher). Possibility to choose the time for classes.

Minuses: with all the diversity, find good courses Now it's not as easy as it seems. Courses are opened by many, and few of them are professionals. In one of the following advice articles, we will help you decide on the choice of Chinese language courses.

3) If you need Chinese for business, for example, to communicate with Chinese partners, or to business correspondence, you can study with a Chinese tutor, and study the rest of the time on your own. The situation is even worse than with courses. For some reason, it is believed that everyone who has completed at least 1 year of university can teach Chinese.

We strongly recommend choosing teachers carefully, and give preference to students of at least 4th, and preferably 5th year, or teachers who have already graduated from the university and teach at universities or courses. Detailed recommendations we will give in one of the following articles-tips.

Pros: The ability to choose the time of classes, the ability to choose a tutor, i.e. You decide who you want to work with.

Minuses: there is no need to talk about university education in this case. What you can learn depends entirely on the choice of tutor and in proportion to the time spent on learning.

4)Independent study of Chinese.

Many people are now learning Chinese on their own. All conditions have been created for this - sites that help in learning Chinese, forums where you can ask for advice, chat with those who are also learning Chinese. More about self-study we will talk in one of the following articles-tips.

Pros: The ability to plan your classes, do as much as you want, and where it is convenient for you. Opportunity to learn Chinese for free.

Minuses: Everything depends on you. You will not see someone who also learns Chinese (as at university or in courses), so you will not have to experience any sense of competition and additional motivation. The level of your preparation will also depend entirely on your diligence, on the time you devote to studying the Chinese language.

Starting to learn the Chinese language, you should immediately accept the fact that you will have to form a completely new one that differs significantly from the usual system of thinking. However, thanks to sufficient motivation, properly selected learning materials, as well as diligence and hard work, it is quite possible to learn Chinese from scratch on your own.

Hieroglyphs

There are about 80,000 characters in Chinese. For a free understanding of the press, it is enough to master 4 thousand, and for reading fiction in the original, you will need at least 6-8 thousand.

There is a clear order of writing traits and keys. A key is a kind of simple hieroglyph that has a certain semantic meaning. Some of them are used in their pure form, but in most cases the keys are part of the whole character. Starting to learn Chinese from scratch on your own, you need to memorize them. A good base will allow you to continue the successful development of this system.

According to certain rules writing hieroglyphs, each line is written from left to right and from top to bottom. In order for the study of Chinese from scratch (on your own) to be successful, it is important to memorize from the very beginning correct order styles. This will help you navigate the dictionary, since Asian languages do not have the usual alphabet for us, the words are arranged in a certain order in which hieroglyphic elements appear.

Of course, in order to memorize Chinese words, you need to devote a lot of time to writing hieroglyphs. But there are also original ways of remembering. Chinese words are not just a code, they are an image. Many hieroglyphs depict the object or phenomenon, the meaning of which they hide in themselves.

The translation is as follows: the first line is fire, wood, sun, moon; second line - man, mouth, doors, mountain.

sound system

Learning Chinese from scratch (on your own) will require much more effort than when working with a Romano-Germanic group. One of the features that distinguishes the Chinese language from the rest is that intonation does not have an emotional function, but a semantic one. There are four tones plus one neutral:

1 tone is pronounced with a high even and lingering intonation;
2 tone resembles an interrogative intonation, pronounced from the bottom up;
3 tone is also called low: the intonation first decreases, then rises;
4 tone falls, starting from a high note;
neutral is also called light and usually falls on unstressed vowels.

In some cases, the tones may change. For example, if two third tones are located side by side, then the first syllable acquires the intonation of the second tone. For example, in the word níhǎo (hello).

The same combination of sounds, pronounced with each of the above tones, carries a different meaning. To get used to such a system, it is important to listen to the speech of native speakers as much as possible and try to repeat it out loud. For this reason, learning Chinese from scratch on your own is quite difficult. The best option there would be immersion in the language environment combined with intensive training (many hours of daily classes with representatives of the PRC). Such a study would bring tangible results within two years.

Grammar

Anyone who starts learning Chinese from scratch on their own has to face a completely new system. There are no conjugations and declensions familiar to us in this language. And the line between times is not always perceptible. However, the syntax plays a very important role. The same word can take on a role various parts speech depending on its location in the sentence.

Dialects

The Chinese language, like many others, has many dialects. Each of them has its own characteristics. And the differences are sometimes so significant that representatives of different regions of China can hardly understand each other's speech. If your goal is not to move to any particular city, then learning a common literary language called Mandarin (普通话) is the best option.

Pinyin

Anyone wishing to learn Chinese from scratch on their own will encounter a system called pinyin (拼音). This is a transcription in Latin, which was created in order to facilitate the reading of hieroglyphs. In addition, each syllable has its corresponding tone. Over time, you will learn to read original texts without pinyin, but at the beginning of learning, transcription is essential.

Learn Chinese from scratch on your own

One of important principles successful learning are willpower, diligence and regularity of classes. There are simply no secrets on how to learn Chinese on your own from scratch without much difficulty. This goal can be achieved only through sincere interest in the subject being studied and diligence.
Another tip: knowledge is better fixed in memory with intensive training. A couple of lessons a week will not give good results. This also applies to other languages.
To get used to speech, in addition to working with textbooks, you also need to watch TV shows and listen to audio books and songs in the original. Do not worry that some phrases remain incomprehensible. It's important to get used to the sound.
Do not be afraid to ask for help from the Chinese. Many of them are happy to help foreigners learn the language.
For self-testing, it is recommended to take an international examination for foreigners called HSK (Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì). The exam is divided into six levels. To successfully pass the first level, knowledge of 150 words is required, and the sixth step implies the possession of 5 thousand words.

Anyone who decides to learn Chinese from scratch on their own will have to make a lot of effort. However, this is a great opportunity to plunge into amazing world different from what we are used to.