Did you know that there are over 50,000 characters in Chinese? How crazy is that?
Out of that 50,000, how many characters are language students expected to learn?
Most Chinese dictionaries only list about 20,000 characters, and just like …
Author Archive | Sheena Dizon
The Hardest Chinese Words to Pronounce and How to Master Them
Yin and yang, P.F. Chang’s… Chinese words can’t be all that difficult to pronounce, right?
The truth? Chinese is one of the hardest languages for English speakers to learn.
There are tons of vocab words that are difficult to …
Instant Mandarin: 5 Chinese Character Recognition Apps
Have you ever had to order from a Chinese menu with no pictures?
In China, you’ll find that a lot of local places have their list of food items on the wall, with no English translations and no images to …
4 Ways Mandarin Speakers Show Love Without “I Love You”
How do you say “I love you” in Mandarin?
Well, that would just be as simple as saying 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ), right?
Unfortunately, the reality is that the translation isn’t as straightforward as you’d think.
But that should …
Chinese Birthdays 101: “Happy Birthday” in Mandarin and More
Your Chinese partner just invited you to their mother’s birthday celebration.
It’s your first time meeting the parents (and the rest of the family).
You want to make a good first impression, so you decide that you …
5 Totally Uncomplicated Tips to Master Basic Chinese Grammar
How many times have you been told that Chinese has no grammar?
My guess: too many.
I get it, though.
Mandarin Chinese does have sentence patterns that are radically different from the ones in English, and to an outsider, …
Blessings and Good Fortune! How to Wish Someone Good Luck in Native Sounding Chinese
Luck is a huge part of Chinese culture.
It underlies Feng Shui, gift-giving etiquette, unlucky numbers and colors of prosperity and vitality.
So it may come as no surprise that there are many different ways to wish …
