What are we learning in Week 1 and 2

This course currently consists of two weeks of content. In Week 1, we will be learning about the sound system of Chinese and the romonisation system called Hanyu Pinyin. In Week 2, we will learn greetings, basic expressions, and self-introduction.

Topic of Week 1: After an introduction to the Chinese language and Malaysian Chinese, we will teach you how to pronounce Chinese vowels and consonants. Audio recordings are provided for you to practise Chinese sounds. Certain similar-sounding consonants are put in pairs to help you learn how to distinguish them. Following vowels and consonants, we will dive into Chinese tones. Finally, at the end of Week 1, you will learn how to write and read Hanyu Pinyin correctly.

Topic of Week 2: Equipped with the basics of pronunciation and Hanyu Pinyin, we can start learning words and expressions in Week 2. The content of Week 2 begins with basic greetings and some expressions related to thanking people and apologizing. Then, we will teach you how to introduce your name, where you come from, and your nationality. You will also be taught words and expressions related to tourist spots in various places in Malaysia. The last two subtopics are dedicated to introducing your family and others around you. Words and expressions in Week 2 are taught through dialogues so you get to practice your pronunciation and absorb the Chinese language more easily.

In this course, each simple Chinese sentence is presented in the following format:

1. First line: Sentence written in Chinese characters;
2. Second line: Sentence written in Hanyu Pinyin (romanisation system of Chinese);
3. Third line: Word-for-word English translation of the Chinese sentence;
4. Fourth line: Natural English translation.

Additionally, we will also highlight certain common Malaysian Chinese features in some sections.