{"id":10707,"date":"2018-09-18T08:06:36","date_gmt":"2018-09-18T08:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?p=10707"},"modified":"2024-08-06T02:51:25","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T02:51:25","slug":"recommendation-over-40-resources-for-studying-mandarin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/recommendation-over-40-resources-for-studying-mandarin.html","title":{"rendered":"Recommendation: Over 40 Resources for Studying Mandarin"},"content":{"rendered":"
This may surprise some people but the quality and variety of resources available to Mandarin learners are really high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the constant improvements in technology, the amount of a language that you can learn via online materials continues to grow. Not long ago, learning Mandarin independently would have been really expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nowadays, you can learn nearly everything on your own from online resources without spending much money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regardless of your budget, level, learning style, or focus area, you\u2019ll be able to find something to help you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re studying on your own, it can be easy to lose the benefits of a structured study plan. But, it\u2019s easy enough to add structure to your own learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The traditional way to structure language learning would have been through textbooks. While textbooks are incredibly useful, I\u2019ve always had a hard time sticking with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luckily, there are some affordable, and free online courses that can help keep you on the right path (I\u2019ll mention some of my favorites nearer the end of this article).<\/p>\n\n\n Learning Mandarin is a long-term activity. You\u2019ll be studying for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s hard to stick with only a couple of resources for such long periods of time. You should be willing to try out lots of different tools. If you get bored with one, there\u2019s nothing wrong with moving on to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think it\u2019s also quite important to periodically assess your strengths and weaknesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the first year of studying Chinese, I primarily used ChinesePod and Pleco\u2019s flashcards. This led to my listening and vocabulary skills becoming high but my speaking and grammar fell behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By regularly assessing yourself, making adjustments, and altering your study plan, you\u2019ll avoid major gaps in your Mandarin skills.<\/p>\n\n\n Studying doesn\u2019t need to be expensive. If you go out and purchase or subscribe to lots of different resources, they can get costly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spending some money will get you access to better resources that are more convenient to use. But if you don\u2019t have money to spend, there is still a plethora of high-quality free tools to help you.<\/p>\n\n\n There are far too many good resources for me to list them all here. But, let\u2019s look at some of the best resources for a few different categories.<\/p>\n\n\n Online Chinese courses<\/a> have become just as good, if not better, than traditional courses. Some of the best are Chinese For Us<\/a>, Chinese Zero to Hero!<\/strong>, Yoyo Chinese<\/a>, Ninchanese<\/strong>, Hello Chinese<\/strong>, LingoDeer<\/strong>, edX<\/strong> and Coursera<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n It\u2019s quite easy to find interesting content to read written using simpler language for learners. Some of the best options are The Chairman\u2019s Bao<\/strong>, Du Chinese<\/a>, Manga Mandarin<\/strong>, Wordswing<\/strong>, LingQ<\/strong>, MandarinBean<\/a>, and Iron Mandarin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n You can practice writing characters with Skritter<\/strong> or TofuLearn<\/strong>. Alternatively, can also have passages you\u2019ve written corrected for free in the notebooks section of italki.<\/p>\n\n\n There are lots of podcasts for learning Mandarin but the most popular is ChinesePod<\/strong>. Some others are Learn Mandarin Now<\/strong>, Slow Chinese<\/strong>, Coffee Break Chinese<\/strong>, and iMandarinPod. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, there are two popular platforms for making it easier to watch tv shows (FluentU<\/strong> and Yabla<\/strong>) but I prefer the free alternatives (CaptionPop<\/strong> and Captron.tv<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n Obviously the ideal option for improving your speaking is having friends to speak Chinese with. But, even if you have a hard time finding any Chinese speakers, you can still improve your speaking skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For affordable online tutors, you can try out italki<\/strong> or Verbling<\/strong>. If you\u2019d prefer a language exchange, then Hellotalk<\/a>, italki<\/strong>, Speaky<\/strong>, Tandem<\/strong>, or Lingbe<\/strong> could all be helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, for improving your pronunciation, try out Speechling<\/strong> or WaiChinese<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n There are a few good places where you can learn grammar online for free, with the most popular being The Chinese Grammar Wiki<\/strong>. Ninchanese<\/strong> and Chineseboost<\/strong> also have lots of in-depth grammar lessons online.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n
Use something to structure your study plan<\/h3>\n\n\n
Be willing to try out different resources<\/h3>\n\n\n
You don\u2019t need to spend a lot of money<\/h3>\n\n\n
Some of my favorite resources<\/h2>\n\n\n
Courses<\/h3>\n\n\n
Reading<\/h3>\n\n\n
Writing<\/h3>\n\n\n
Listening<\/h3>\n\n\n
Speaking<\/h3>\n\n\n
Grammar<\/h3>\n\n\n
Characters and Vocabulary<\/h3>\n\n\n