Articles tagged with ‘Pinyin’
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Don’t learn Mandarin pronunciation by reading, listen and mimic instead
Don’t try to learn pronunciation by reading. Instead, the best way to improve is to listen to and mimic native speakers. Focusing too much on how sounds are written down can actually make it harder to hear them!
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Course discount: Hacking Chinese Pronunciation: Speaking with Confidence
Hacking Chinese Pronunciation: Speaking with Confidence will help you speak Mandarin clearly and naturally. Get $31 off if you enrol before the end of October 13!
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Student Q&A, October 2024: Pronouncing the final -i after sh-, the initial z- and if Pinyin is a good transcription system
How is the Pinyin final -i pronounced after sh? How is the initial z- pronounced compared to z in English? And is Pinyin a good transcription system for learning pronunciation?
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24 great resources for improving your Mandarin pronunciation
Using the right resources is important when learning anything, but it’s essential when learning Mandarin pronunciation. In this article, I share my favourite resources, most of which are completely free!
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The Hacking Chinese guide to Mandarin tones
Learning tones is a unique challenge for most learners of Chinese. What are tones? How important is it to learn tones? And how do you learn to both hear and pronounce them?
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Student Q&A, November 2023: Reading Pinyin or characters, comprehensible vs. compelling content and reading tools
How do you transition from reading Pinyin to reading characters? Are compelling texts better than comprehensible texts? And which tools should you use when reading Chinese?
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How learning some basic theory can improve your Mandarin pronunciation
Listening, mimicking and getting feedback is the best way to learn Chinese pronunciation, but unless you’re a small child or extremely talented, adding some theory to the mix can also be helpful.
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7 ways to write Mandarin tones
There are many ways of writing down the tones of Mandarin beyond the standard tone marks. Which are they and what pros and cons do they have for learners?
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A guide to Pinyin traps and pitfalls: Learning Mandarin pronunciation
When learning to pronounce Mandarin, you need to learn both the sounds and how they are written, usually with Pinyin. Did you know that many student errors actually come from a poor understanding of Pinyin, rather than the sounds themselves being difficult? Welcome to my guide to Pinyin traps and pitfalls.
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6 challenges students face when learning to read Chinese and how to overcome them
Learning to read Chinese comes with several challenges, some of them unique to Chinese. What are these challenges, what do they mean for you as a student and how can you overcome them?
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