4 Common Chinese Measure Words – 个/只/支/头
Many people have trouble understanding which “measure word” they should use in different situations. If you don’t know what a measure word is – it’s a word that is used…
10 ways to use 点 (diǎn)
点 (diǎn) is one of those characters in Mandarin that pops-up all over the place. In the dictionary, there are multiple meanings given, including “dot”, “point”, a “small amount”. In…
The Major Differences Between 两(liǎng) and 二(èr)
Numbers are often one of the first topics that learners tackle when starting a new language, and Chinese is no different. However, Mandarin is unique in the fact that it…
Mastering Chinese Characters Through Radicals – Understanding the Three Drops of Water Radical
A radical in Chinese is a collection of brush strokes that convey a certain meaning. Radicals combine to form characters, and recognizing a particular radical can often hint at the…
5 Common Mistakes Chinese Learners Make
Having taught Chinese for a while, we’ve noticed a lot of common errors that English speakers make when learning Chinese. This is understandable, as Chinese has very different grammatical rules…
3 Sets of Similar Chinese Words…or are they?
Chinese is a rich language with a vast vocabulary – every nuance of a given concept or object is expressed by its own word. This can get confusing, as there…
Essential Mandarin Phrases for Speaking with Your Chinese Customers
As increasing numbers of Chinese nationals are traveling abroad, more and more of us are welcoming Mandarin speakers to our hometowns and workplaces as guests and clients. No longer is…
Recommended Cool Games for Mandarin Learning
Imagine if you could play a role playing game and by the end of it, you would be fluent in Chinese? Sounds stupid, right? Traditional logic states it is stupid…
Using “很 (hěn)” with Adjectives
“How do you describe something in Chinese?” This is a question that our tutors often encounter in our Chinese classes for beginners. It sounds like a basic grammar rule, but…