Author Archive | Sheena Dizon

Chinese for Beginners: 6 Basics You Absolutely Need to Learn First

Imagine learning a language with no cases, genders or tenses. Believe it or not, those are just some of the many perks you’ll get when learning Mandarin Chinese! Mandarin is often painted as one of the most difficult languages …

过 Guo in Chinese: 11 Ways Guo Functions as a Verb, Adverb and Aspect Particle

You’ve probably come across tons of vocabulary lists, with one simple translation per character or word. But if you have any experience with the language, Chinese characters rarely have a singular definition. On top of that, characters can take on …

Chinese De Particles: What’s the Difference Between 的, 得 and 地?

Ever heard of the Chinese de? It may sound like the exclamation “duh” in English, but it’s something slightly more complicated in Chinese. The Chinese de isn’t just some simple utterance, but rather, an important (and nuanced) element of Chinese …

Chinese Grammar: The Complete Guide to 15 Core Elements

Chinese grammar is logical, structural and simple. To be completely honest, Chinese language structures make more sense to me than grammar rules of other languages—English included. Let’s explore the key grammatical elements of the Chinese language system, and I think …

Top 28 Chinese Apps You Must Download in 2023

No access to Google, YouTube, Facebook or Whatsapp in China? No problem! The Great Firewall of China might prevent you from browsing your usual sites and platforms, but there are plenty of alternatives and essentials that will tide you over.…

10 Popular Video Games in Chinese for a Chill Immersion Experience

Do you want a good Chinese review sesh where you don’t actually feel like you’re studying? Then you need some 电子游戏 (diàn zǐ yóu xì) — video games in Chinese! It’s amazing how much you can pick up when you’re …

My Complete ChineseClass101 Review: Is It Worth Upgrading from a Free Account?

It has been floating around on language learning forums that ChineseClass101 is pretty good in terms of course flexibility and catering to all levels of learners, so I thought I’d give it a go. If you’ve been curious about …

The 24 Best Apps for Learning Chinese in 2023

Chinese learning apps are an awesome addition to your study toolbox. They can connect you with native speakers, teach you how to write Chinese characters, help you remember vocabulary, and more. We’ve been reviewing Chinese learning resources and written hundreds …

Pinyin Subtitles: 6 Useful Tools for Watching Chinese Videos with Ease

If you’re interested in Chinese culture, you might have gotten into it by being captivated by Mandarin-language movies and television shows. But unfortunately for beginner learners, watching Chinese films authentically usually isn’t possible. Most Chinese films offer 汉字 (hàn zì)…

How Many Chinese Characters Are There? A Guide for Fluency and HSK Goals

How many Chinese characters do you need to know to be considered fluent in Chinese? Or to pass the different HSK test levels? In this post, we’ll walk you through the importance of Chinese characters and how learning them …