The answer to this question is very comprehensive and there is no ONE correct answer to it. However, there are a number of possible solutions. Which of these is THE correct one depends on what type of learner you are.

The point is: we are all different

Some learn Chinese just by memorizing the characters. Others prefer to break down the characters into their individual components and learn their historical background and the radicals. Still, others prefer to study intensively with the good, old textbook.

Since we are also learning Chinese, we want to share some of our experiences with you.

Make friends with Chinese people

It’s a great way to broaden your own horizons, not just in terms of the Chinese language, but also in terms of culture.

You will learn without even realizing it and you will also have a lot of fun.

Eating out together, meeting in a bar, or just spending an ordinary Sunday walking in the area or strolling in the shopping streets and discovering China on the side.

You can’t go wrong with making friends with locals. Our ability to live with a Chinese host family during your stay is a great way to achieve this and to make friendships for life.

The Chinese are known to be extremely hospitable. They are also very open, friendly, and lovable people.

Have a relationship with a Chinese partner

Go one step further and have a relationship with a Chinese partner.

If you are ready to take the step, this is a really fantastic way to get to know the language and China as well as the cultural relations.

Preferably your partner should speak a little English.

The less English the partner speaks, the more you will learn. You will probably not choose your partner on the basis of this criterion now, but it will improve your language skills considerably and we can guarantee that. If things are going well between you, all the better.

Learn Chinese on the go with an app

Let’s be honest, we live in a time when everything is just a click away.

Thanks to the smartphone, we can now learn Chinese more easily than ever before.

There are so many apps out there that you can use to learn Chinese. You don’t know your way around and you don’t know which one to download?

Hello Chinese, Duolingo, Pleco, and Skritter are four great free apps that you can download and start learning right away.

Take advantage of your ride on the subway or just spend time learning with the app. This learning method is priceless and you should definitely use it.

Whether you spend five minutes or five hours a day, you will benefit from learning on your cell phone.

Master the sounds

Learning the sounds is essential and shouldn’t be neglected.

It’s a different concept from the concept most are used to, but it’s not as difficult as you think. While this isn’t a real tip on how to best learn Chinese, you MUST still have to do the sound part.

TIP: There are four tones and each tone has its own sound

Make sure you pay attention to the notes early enough to get the correct pronunciation. As you master this, you are laying the foundations for learning Chinese yourself at the same time.