How to Study Mandarin at Home

Studying Chinese at home can seem almost impossible. Many students fall behind when forced to learn at home without a physical class to attend. For English speakers, Chinese is a particularly difficult language to learn. I struggled during the pandemic because I was ignorant of effective study tactics, and although I was not studying Chinese, the tactics I learned have been very effective for my Mandarin studies. Coming into this summer, I decided to apply what I learned to my Mandarin studies.

The first study lesson I learned over the pandemic was to use flashcards. Flashcards helped me remember everything that I studied. I credit flashcards with high scores on many exams I took. When it comes to KellynKai’s Chinese tutoring, the same holds true. Thankfully, I do not have to create my own flashcards after each Mandarin class. KellynKai has an app that I, and other students, can take advantage of to study flashcards. The flashcard app pronounces Chinese words to aid with my memory and study. Additionally, KellynKai’s flashcard app synchronizes with every lesson I have taken. Because of the synchronization, I can study right after my tutoring class. Furthermore, the flashcard app provides valuable feedback on the progress I make. However, flashcards are not the only tactic I use when studying Mandarin.

KellynKai allows me to practice my Chinese speaking skills with advanced Mandarin tutors. This aspect allows for minor corrections in vowel pronunciation and simple Chinese conversations. The way vowels sound is important in Chinese; if a vowel is pronounced incorrectly, it means something completely different. Mandarin tutors are very helpful when learning pronunciation; they give great feedback regarding how well I do. Additionally, they work with the student using sample Chinese dialogs to practice things such as greetings, and this helps them learn pronunciation.

Since I, and other students, have a lot of free time during the summer, it is important to schedule dedicated Chinese study time. Although it can be challenging to set times, setting aside two or more hours per week to study Chinese is very doable. For example, I usually take Mandarin lessons on Thursdays or Fridays. Therefore, I schedule an hour of study for Monday and Wednesday. Of course, keeping myself accountable is very important. I have two methods that other students can take advantage of. First, I use my phone to send push notifications to me via the reminder app. Push notifications remind me to study; however, it is easy to ignore these notifications. The other method I use to remind myself is to get a friend to remind me - an accountability partner. Of course it helps if your accountability partner is an advanced Mandarin speaker.

Using these study methods will help keep you on track and get the most out of your Mandarin tutoring.