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China Elevator Stories
Is Chinese Hard to Learn?
Chinese is often said to be hard to learn. Is this true?
16/01/2025
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
Oftentimes, when people in Austria hear that I have studied Chinese, they are in awe. More often than not, they will then say, “But isn’t Chinese really hard to learn?”
Is Chinese hard to learn?
Certainly, learning Chinese is not “easy.” It can be very challenging at times, but so is learning Arabic, Japanese, or Thai. With any language, becoming proficient requires a talent for language learning. A love for the language and an appreciation for Chinese culture also help immensely. Additionally, you need to invest a significant amount of time into learning the language. Those who give up within the first semester are usually not the ones who truly love the language. But is it really as hard to learn as people think? I believe it’s not. This is a preconceived notion. For me, economics or project management—since I’m not naturally talented in those areas—would be hard to learn. But Chinese? It required a lot of hard work, and I had to be deeply committed to it, but it wasn’t actually as hard to learn as people often assume. Here’s the thing: we hear it’s hard to learn and immediately accept it as the truth. We don’t even question our assumptions or challenge ourselves to try learning it anyway.
Most of my former colleagues loved learning Chinese as much as I did and were naturally interested in China. Some were drawn to Chinese literature, others to Chinese history (like me), and others to Chinese traditions. Quite a few studied Chinese as a minor, with their major being economics. Chinese was considered a valuable language to know for careers in (international) economics or (international) business. Some people studied it primarily for the job prospects rather than out of enjoyment for the language itself.
In my experience, if you have a genuine love for the language, learning it becomes easier. If you’re a visual learner, mastering the characters can actually be quite fun! I am more of a visual person, and since the characters work like pictures, I found them easier to learn and memorize.
Initially, I was better at reading characters than at listening and speaking. However, after spending a semester in China, my listening and speaking skills improved significantly. The more time you spend in China and immerse yourself in Chinese society, the easier it becomes.
Learning Chinese without studying in China can be more challenging, and your language level may not match that of someone who has lived there. However, students who had only studied Chinese in China often mentioned that they struggled more with understanding and applying Chinese grammar compared to those who had studied it abroad.
When it comes to learning this beautiful language, some aspects may be easier for certain individuals, while others may find different aspects easier. Learning Chinese involves mastering Chinese characters, studying grammar, developing speaking and listening skills, and practicing writing.
Chinese characters
The characters are certainly not easy to learn, and many consider them the hardest part of studying Chinese. However, Chinese characters have repeating components called radicals, and once you familiarize yourself with these, recognizing and memorizing characters becomes progressively easier.
Mandarin Chinese: The four tones
The tones are another major challenge for Westerners, as most Western languages don’t use tones. Mandarin Chinese has four tones, and learning to recognize and pronounce them correctly is difficult for many. I found it particularly challenging and often mixed them up.
Chinese grammar
Chinese grammar, while unusual and very different from German or English grammar, isn’t overly difficult once you get the hang of it.
How to improve your Chinese while studying abroad
During my studies, I spent countless hours in the university library in Vienna memorizing characters, even more time practicing tones, and additional hours watching Chinese TV shows on YouTube. Watching these shows helped me become more fluent than I would have been otherwise. Immersing yourself in the language—ideally by spending a year or more in China—is the best way to achieve fluency.
My writing skills aren’t very strong because I mostly didn’t learn how to compose texts in Chinese (I also haven’t found many free videos online). I would strongly recommend that universities place more emphasis on this area, as it was neglected during my studies.
In my opinion, the recipe for becoming a great learner is having the right talent combined with a genuine interest in and love for the language.
What do you think?