How to Learn Chinese Characters in a Fast and Easy Way

Chinese is one of the most commonly used languages in the world due to the sheer numbers of Chinese! The written language is fascinating and has changed over its 5000 year history. Today I will share some easy and interesting ways to help you remember characters quickly.

1. Try to recognize characters first, then practice writing.

Chinese characters are composed of two parts. So the student needs to first learn the forms and understand their meaning.

2. Calligraphy copy book

To learn proper calligraphy form, primary students practice writing characters with a “workbook” created specifically for the task. Pages have a grid with squares and broken lines at angles to guide the learner. These can be bought at stationary and book stores, along with brushes and ink. You can also buy a long scroll with the grid printed on it and use a brush with water to practice. Of course, when the water dries the writing disappears. But this is a great way to practice and save paper.

3. Learn the Individual Strokes

Learn the basic strokes before trying to write the character. Whether you are learning from a teacher or other resource, you will be taken through the basic steps of how to “deconstruct” a character, breaking it down to is basic strokes.

4. The Order of Strokes

Start with the characters whose strokes are easily confused, such as “与、车、火、出、脊、登、考、皮、讯、管、凹、凸.”

5. Character Cards

There are several types of character cards on the market that can make it easy to learn by yourself. The cards should have the character on one side and pinyin on the other. Pictures are also helpful. You can practice alone or with a partner, and try not only pronunciation but also writing the characters.

6. Dictation

This is the most common way to test whether the student had fully acquire a Chinese Character, however, this is not the only way and it can’t be the only way to test. For Chinese Studying is always starting with Pinyin studying which make the learner difficult to connect the sound to a certain Chinese Character.

Still feel too hard to learn Chinese characters? Register here and let me help you now! Good luck on your Mandarin and character learning journey!