How Long Does It Take To Learn Chinese? (2024)

FAQs

How Long Does It Take To Learn Chinese? ›

According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) scale, it will take English speakers 88 weeks (2,200 hours of active learning) to reach native/bilingual Chinese proficiency. Chinese is one of the 5 languages which is most challenging to learn for native English speakers.

It takes about 4-7 years (roughly 2200 to 4000 hours) to become fluent in every aspect of the language, if you spend at least an hour and a half to study every day. However, it's quite common for learners to become more fluent in some areas than others depending on how they allotted their study time.

With the right study techniques and attitude, you can make massive progress in Chinese in three months.

Anecdotally, most students who study language full-time at a university in China are able to pass the HSK 5 after 1–2 years. As another generalisation from all the people I've met who've learned Chinese to a proficient level (both spoken and written), I'd estimate that it took most people somewhere between 3–5 years.

How long does learning Mandarin Chinese really takes. On average, conversational skills can develop in 2 years, but expect the overall journey to fluency in Mandarin Chinese to take 3 or 4 years (2200 hours or 88 weeks of learning) for most students.

Many people are curious about how difficult Japanese is compared to Chinese – a language that many learners have difficulty mastering. Compared to Chinese, Japanese does have its own set of complexities and challenges but overall, it's considered easier for beginners.

No. Duolingo won't likely make you fluent if used on its own. However, when you use Duolingo combined with other resources, activities and tools that work for you, then yes, Duolingo will play a part in making you fluent.

Most people who are interested in learning have two questions: "Is it hard to learn Chinese?" and "How long does it take to learn Chinese?" Based on government sources and anecdotes, Three to five years is a good estimate of how long it takes to learn Chinese fluently, but there are so many factors involved.

We've ranked Chinese as the second-hardest language to learn for English speakers, only behind Arabic. Within Chinese, Cantonese is generally harder to learn than Mandarin because of the extra tones.

How much Chinese do you need to be fluent? ›

For effective everyday communication, a foundation of around 2,000 commonly used characters is often considered sufficient. In the HSK system, HSK 5 requires knowledge of 1,709 Chinese characters, and HSK 6 comprises more than 2,600 characters.

Although Mandarin Chinese grammar is entirely different from other commonly spoken languages such as English, it is much easier and simpler to learn than various European languages.

Self studying Chinese online can seem exceptionally difficult! But it's not impossible! You can still make good progress or successfully maintain your current level, even from home. There are dozens of free and affordable ways to self-study Mandarin Chinese online.

Mandarin Chinese

Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. Mandarin Chinese is challenging for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the writing system is extremely difficult for English speakers (and anyone else) accustomed to the Latin alphabet.

Chinese high school students typically study for about 12-14 hours a day, including both school and after-school study time. It is common for them to attend school from 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 or 6:00 p.m., and then spend several more hours studying in the evening.

Speaking fluent Chinese and reading daily texts would more than likely be possible in 4 years. However, writing and listening really varies due to the complicity of the Chinese characters and the dialects (or languages) of the whole area.

Can you become fluent in Chinese after 6 months? Simply put, no. It's not possible. You can make great progress for sure, but fluency is a broad term, and you'd need a minimum of a year to get even close to spoken fluency in Chinese.

Chinese is considered one of the hardest languages in the world to learn. We've ranked Chinese as the second-hardest language to learn for English speakers, only behind Arabic. Within Chinese, Cantonese is generally harder to learn than Mandarin because of the extra tones.