Chinese is a popular language among foreigners. More people take up Chinese as a second language during their college and many more who learn it are professionals. Their main aim to learning Chinese in Singapore is to open doors to new career opportunities.
In short, different people learn Mandarin Chinese for different purposes. However, not everyone wants to learn how to write Chinese. Many are content with learning how to converse in Chinese. But if you want achieve fluency in Chinese, you will have to learn how to write it.
Here are some useful tips to help you improve your basic Chinese writing skills.
Tip #1 – Improve your vocabulary
While this is a no-brainer, it must be mentioned here, because a good vocabulary is so important for writing. Although it must be said, writing is more than knowing the meaning of words. What you need to write well in Chinese, or for that matter in any other language, is the knowledge of how to combine words.
How to improve vocabulary you may ask. Well, there are many different ways, each having its own advantages, to improve vocabulary, like word dictation, vocabulary cards, sentence writing, and so on. You will need to pick the one that suits you best. Allot a part of your Chinese learning to improving vocabulary every day. And, yes, don’t forget to revise the words you’ve previously learned too.
Tip #2 – Familiarize yourself with Chinese Characters
You can’t write Chinese unless you have familiarized yourself with Chinese characters, which are so different, in every regard, from English letters. Chinese language uses hieroglyphs instead of letters. Each word is made up of different strokes, with each stroke being different from next stroke.
Tip #3 – Read more
Read as many Chinese articles as possible. This will help develop the ability to write Chinese sentence patterns accurately and with greater ease. While practicing reading articles in Chinese, pay attention to two important things. One, after reading an article, always make an attempt to summarize it. This will improve your ability to write sentences in Chinese. Two, do both extensive and intensive reading. The latter helps you improve your vocabulary fast. On the other hand the former hones your ability to pick the right words while writing in Chinese.
Tip #4 – Translate articles from your native language
You can effectively improve not only your Chinese grammar but also sentence structure skills by translating articles from your native language in the beginning. It is best to pick up articles which are available in your first language as well as in Chinese. This is because then you can compare your Chinese article with the Chinese version and make corrections wherever you have made a mistake. Comparing with the Chinese article will also give you a fair idea of where you currently stand.
Tip #5 – Whenever you have an inspiration, pen it down in Chinese
A common tip that teachers give to their students in Mandarin classes in Singapore is to carry a notebook with them everywhere. This will allow them to pen down whenever they have an idea or feeling about a certain topic. However, note it is important what comes to your mind in Chinese, not in your first language.
