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Mandarin Chinese in Motion: Your Very First Chinese Class

Master the fundamentals of Chinese tones, pronunciation, and numbers with this crash course in Mandarin for complete beginners.

320 enrolled on this course

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Mandarin Chinese in Motion: Your Very First Chinese Class

320 enrolled on this course

  • 4 weeks

  • 2 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Open level

Find out more about how to join this course

Learn Mandarin with National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Have you ever wanted to learn Mandarin Chinese but don’t know where to start? This four-week beginner course National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University will help you take your first steps to mastering Mandarin Chinese.

You’ll learn the Mandarin Chinese phonetic system and simple sentences to help you gain a solid understanding of language basics.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to improve your existing skills, this course provides a comprehensive guide to help you speak, listen, and interact in Mandarin Chinese.

Discover Chinese pronunciation and tones

Pronunciation is an essential part of learning Mandarin Chinese.

On the course, you’ll understand how to describe the features of Mandarin Chinese pronunciation that are important for mutual understanding.

With this knowledge, you’ll build a solid foundation for your pronunciation to help you develop your Mandarin Chinese accent.

Learn Chinese numbers and days of the week

Finally, you’ll master Chinese numbers and days of the week to help you start to communicate simple sentences.

By the end of the course, you’ll have the knowledge to apply your language skills and start communicating in Mandarin Chinese.

Skip to 0 minutes and 17 seconds Hi, I’m Teresa (Chia-Tung, Lin). This is a totally beginner course for Chinese learners. Before learning characters, it will take 3 weeks for you to learn Chinese Mandarin pronunciation. We learn the pronunciation in an easy and fun way. In the 4th week, we’ll learn the Chinese Mandarin numbers, and some topics related to it. After 4 weeks, you’ll find yourself be able to speak and understand Chinese in daily life. Again, welcome to the course.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Mandarin Chinese pronounciation 1/3

    • Welcome and introduction

      This activity is a short introduction to what you can expect throughout this course, in terms of structure, content, and workload.

    • Pinyin Part 1/3

      In this activity, we will look at pinyin, including b p m f, d t n l, i u ü and a o e ê and their pronunciation.

    • Tones

      Mandarin Chinese is a tone language. We will look at four main tones and one neutral tone, five in total. One pinyin with the combination of four tones can produce four different meanings.

    • What have you learnt?

      Now that we've learned the pinyin bpmf, dtnl, iuü, aoee, and also four tones. We are very curious - how have you found it and what have you learned? Great! We believe you get a completely new idea of Mandarin Chinese.

  • Week 2

    Mandarin Chinese pronounciation 2/3

    • Pinyin Part 2/3

      In this activity, we will look at more pinyin, including g k h, j q x, ai ei ao ou and sounds, which do not completely correspond to the phonetic symbols. We will focus on their relevance and the rules.

    • Can you tell the difference?

      In Mandarin Chinese, you may find two words sound a little bit different to you. But to native speakers, they may have different meanings!

  • Week 3

    Mandarin Chinese pronounciation 3/3

    • Pinyin Part 3/3

      In this activity, we will look at more pinyin, including zh ch sh r, z c s, an en ang eng er.

    • Tongue twister

      In this activity, you can see how native speakers perform tongue twisters in Mandarin Chinese, and then it’s your try!

  • Week 4

    Mandarin Chinese numbers and related topics

    • Numbers

      In this activity, we will look at how to type in Mandarin Chinese and recognize the numbers.

    • Topics related to numbers

      If you know from 1 to 10, you'll find out you know more than that in Mandarin Chinese! In this activity, we will learn to express age, date, and time.

    • How to conquer the Mandarin Chinese keyboard?

      After this activity, you'll learn more about two Chinese character systems, including traditional and simplified, and many methods to generate characters. So what are You Waiting For? Have a go at it!

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • features of Mandarin Chinese pronunciation that are important for mutual understanding.
  • what you have learned about Mandarin Chinese pronunciation to your Mandarin Chinese accent.
  • language skills for a first-time meeting.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for total beginners with no prior knowledge or experience of Mandarin Chinese.

You will learn the basics of pronunciation and counting in Mandarin.

Who will you learn with?

Who developed the course?

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) was originally founded in Shanghai in 1896 and was re-established in Hsinchu, Taiwan in 1958.

Ways to learn

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$27.99

For the first two months. Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$104/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 25 Apr 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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