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MANDARIN
How to Read Mandarin: A Guide for Heritage Readers
Mandarin Chinese is spoken by 70% of all Chinese speakers, and is one of the largest part of the Sinitic languages. It is the second most spoken language in the world, with approximately 1.3 billion speakers. Mandarin is primarily spoken in China.
Learning to read Mandarin Chinese can seem intimidating due to its complex characters, but with the right resources, you can master it step by step. Whether you're a heritage speaker, a second-language learner, or simply fascinated by Chinese culture, these tools will help you develop strong reading skills.
01. Flashcards and Resources for Vocabulary and Script Recognition
Mandarin Alphabet Learning Apps:
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Skritter: Perfect for learning to read and write Chinese characters with stroke-by-stroke guidance and spaced repetition.
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Duolingo Chinese: A beginner-friendly app that introduces Chinese characters alongside pinyin and basic sentence structures.
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Pleco: A powerful dictionary app with handwriting recognition and flashcard features for learning new Chinese characters.
Below are some available flashcards sets on Quizlet that can be utilized to memorize Arabic's alphabet and familiarize yourself with some vocabulary.
Anki flashcards for Mandarin:
02. Youtubers
YouTuber LearnChineseWithEmma is a great resource, as she goes over characters, sentence structure, and basic Chinese reading skills. Below are a few videos from her playlist: "Read Chinese Books with Emma" where she reads a picture book outloud.
03. Where to Learn About Mandarin Morphology
Follow along with native-speaker recordings of the classic My Bengali Book textbooks. Each chapter is read clearly and at a gentle pace, helping young learners match words on the page to sounds — building reading confidence and proper pronunciation.
04. Where to Learn About Mandarin Grammar
Follow along with native-speaker recordings of the classic My Bengali Book textbooks. Each chapter is read clearly and at a gentle pace, helping young learners match words on the page to sounds — building reading confidence and proper pronunciation.
05. Sites/Apps
Follow along with native-speaker recordings of the classic My Bengali Book textbooks. Each chapter is read clearly and at a gentle pace, helping young learners match words on the page to sounds — building reading confidence and proper pronunciation.
06. Kutubee
Follow along with native-speaker recordings of the classic My Bengali Book textbooks. Each chapter is read clearly and at a gentle pace, helping young learners match words on the page to sounds — building reading confidence and proper pronunciation.
07. Workbooks/Children”s Books
Follow along with native-speaker recordings of the classic My Bengali Book textbooks. Each chapter is read clearly and at a gentle pace, helping young learners match words on the page to sounds — building reading confidence and proper pronunciation.
08. Listen Along — Audiobooks
Follow along with native-speaker recordings of the classic My Bengali Book textbooks. Each chapter is read clearly and at a gentle pace, helping young learners match words on the page to sounds — building reading confidence and proper pronunciation.
09. Graded Readers
Follow along with native-speaker recordings of the classic My Bengali Book textbooks. Each chapter is read clearly and at a gentle pace, helping young learners match words on the page to sounds — building reading confidence and proper pronunciation.
10. Textbooks
Textbook: A New Arabic Grammar of the Written Language
11. Grammar Books to Learn Grammar
Here is a flashcard set as well for practicing Chinese grammar: Chinese Grammar (汉语 语法) HSK1 - HSK 6
The original flashcard is based off of AllSet Learning's extensive Chinese Wiki found here: https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/
Digchinese has a few comprehensive online eBooks for Chinese grammar, from HK1-HK6, including video resources: https://www.digmandarin.com/chinese-grammar-pdf
12. Picture Books and Graded Readers to Apply Reading
The following are a few picture book and graded readers in mandarin that can effectively help one practice their reading.
Here are some links to websites with beginner level picture books:
https://cforchinese-jc.hk/en/chinese-learning-storybooks#gsc.tab=0
Overseas Chinese Language and Culture Education, which include textbooks and exercises: http://old.hwjyw.com/textbooks/downloads/zhongwen/