The Best Reasons to Learn Chinese

Nowadays many people choose to learn Chinese as a foreign language for various reasons. Considering the fact that Chinese has become a popular foreign language to learn in many countries, a question then arises: should you just go with the flow or consider learning Chinese for academic or professional purposes? In this article, we would like to tell you five reasons why you should choose to learn Chinese.

1. Job-Hunting

China’s rapid-growing economy has allowed the country to be “shortlisted” for one of the most fascinating destinations for career development. Shanghai, the country’s largest city, now plays a tremendous role in the global financial arena. As more and more multinational companies started to open branches and representatives in major Chinese cities, it’s sensible for expats to learn Chinese so that they can equip themselves with extra competitiveness when presenting their CVs to potential employers. If you have already started to work in China or plan on seeking job opportunities in China in the future, it would be a good idea for you to learn Chinese. Many expats have noticed that the language barrier is one of the main problems that they need to overcome when living in China. Therefore, acquiring a good knowledge of Chinese can help make your life in China more enjoyable and allow you to communicate with your coworkers more effectively.

2. Learn About New Culture

A lot of westerners are “attracted” to Chinese culture in that a different mindset can be observed in almost every aspect ranging from interpersonal relationship to enterprise culture. If you would like to gain a deeper understanding of traditional Chinese culture, it’s necessary for you to learn Chinese as the essence of Chinese culture is often explicitly reflected in Chinese literature. In addition, exploring Chinese people’s daily lives is also an inalienable part of cultural learning. One of the most efficient ways to get to know more about local people’s lifestyle is by carrying out friendly interaction with them, the prerequisite for which is to first learn Chinese.

3. Improve Language Learning Ability

Many people choose to learn a new language due to their desire to improve their language learning abilities. If you decide to learn Chinese, you’re on the right track to take your language learning ability to a higher level. Chinese is very different from any of the European languages, and there are quite a few grammar points and rules (such as the use of measure words) that require you to make an effort in order to thoroughly understand the logic behind them. Meanwhile, if you choose to learn Chinese, you’re expected to deal with a completely different phonetic system called pinyin, which will certainly be a challenge on your way to mastering Chinese. However, it can also be treated as an opportunity for you to adapt yourself to a brand new language.

4. Make Traveling Easier

Apart from being a competitive country for foreign investments, China is also a popular tourist destination with some world-famous monuments that attract millions of tourists every year. If you would also like to visit China and admire its stunning natural scenery, you’re advised to at least learn some basic Chinese as it would make your trip more pleasant when you travel around China. The reason for this is because English is not a language that every Chinese would understand, especially when it comes to rural areas, where many people don’t speak a word of English. Consequently, it would be a good idea to learn Chinese in case you need to, let’s say, ask for directions.

5. The Most Spoken Language

Finally, another reason why you should get motivated to learn Chinese is that it is a language spoken by approximately 1/5 of the world population. Being able to speak Chinese is something that you can brag about. It will allow you to have conversations with a huge number of people who consider Chinese to be either their mother tongue or their second language.

To find out more interesting and useful Chinese vocabulary, check out one of our blog posts 5 Ways to Say Awesome in Chinese: Takeouts, Dine-in and More