Many letters and letter sets have pronunciations unique to Chinese, including the sounds associated with q, x, and zh. Pinyin uses the Latin alphabet (the same one used in English and 100+ languages) to help readers match speech sounds with a manageable set of letters and accents. Pinyin was introduced to schools to boost literacy rates-and now, we can thank Pinyin for bridging the gap between Chinese and non-native speakers. In the 1950’s, China developed its own romanization system.
With over 50,000 characters, Mandarin’s writing system can feel inaccessible to beginner learners, even those fluent in spoken Chinese. In place of an alphabet, Mandarin has a writing system, which makes learning Mandarin tricky. Memorize the alphabet, and you’ve conquered a key stepping stone to written language. Many widespread languages-like English, Russian, and Hindi-have alphabets, or standard sets of letters that represent specific sounds. For this guide, Mandarin elements are listed in order of utility-a quick introduction to Pinyin and basic grammar rules will help you put sentences together faster!Ĭheck out Mandarin fundamentals below, or head over to our subscription page to find a plan that works for you! Pinyin: The Chinese Phonetic Alphabet With each Rosetta Stone lesson, you’ll pick up new vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation skills through a carefully structured Dynamic Immersion environment. Rosetta Stone’s team of language experts knows exactly what you need to succeed! In this Mandarin essentials guide, you’ll find almost everything a Rosetta Stone learner masters in their first unit. Are you eager to learn Mandarin, but aren’t sure where to start? You came to the right place.