Learn Chinese through PinYin

With the Chinese language, do you immediately think of the complex characters that appear to be drawn rather than written? Learning the Chinese language, therefore, seems an impregnable fortress. The Chinese found something for it in the 1950s: the pinyin.

Pinyin is written in Chinese according to the Latin script. It was developed to give Westerners more insight into the Chinese language. But it has also contributed to increasing literacy in China itself. Since 1979 pinyin has been officially recognized. Especially in recent years, writing has taken a big flight. This is partly due to the digital world. After all, the pinyin is more suitable for use with a regular keyboard.

Help with Chinese pronunciation

During a Chinese language course at Regina Coeli, students start working with the pinyin on the first day. It is an ideal way to get to know words quickly and learn the correct pronunciation immediately. For that, you need to know how to pronounce the letters and how it works with different tones.

Is it a mother or a horse?

There are four different tones in Chinese, which are indicated in pinyin with an accent. Such an accent determines the meaning of a Chinese word because many words in Mandarin also consist of the same sounds. For example, the word ‘ma’ can have the following meaning depending on the tone:
– Mother (mā)
– Hemp (má)
– Horse (mǎ)
– Scolding (mà)

A good Chinese tutor knows the correct pronunciation of the words and can convey that to students very precisely so that they do not accidentally call a mother a horse. 

The status of the hanzi

Can you then completely ignore the Chinese characters – the hanzi? No, in contemporary China you mainly come across traditional hanzi characters.

Without the pinyin you would have to learn the language completely by ear. Especially when you start learning Chinese, the pinyin is very helpful. However, you will not get there completely without knowledge of the characters. Beginners get to know the main characters at Regina Coeli so that they can manage in China and Taiwan.

Take the challenge!

If you want to learn to speak Chinese, please contact us. During an intensive training course, we teach you how to communicate in Chinese, so that you can ask for directions in China yourself, get to know the Chinese, order something in a restaurant. You name it!