Blog

Writing Chinese characters: The purpose

Ninchanese February 28, 2020

I think at one point everyone who starts learning Chinese asks themselves the same questions about writing Chinese:

Do I need to learn to write Chinese characters?
When is the best time to begin with them?
Where do you start?
How do you write Chinese characters? Are there any rules?

With this article, I want to share a bit of my experience in writing characters and maybe a helpful additional way of learning Chinese. To be clear, I’m not talking about the art of Chinese Calligraphy but just casual hand-writing. Handwritten Chinese with a pen a piece of paper.

Advanced, Beginner, Chinese learning tips, Ninchanese, Vocabulary chinese, Chinese characters, Chinese learning, chinese words, learning fundamentals, vocabulary, writing chinese

How is the Corona Virus affecting daily life in China?

Ninchanese February 7, 2020

Stefan, currently living the fear of the virus as an ex-pat in China, will give you all the tips you need to make it safe with a well-handcrafted list of vocabulary to know. Read Stefan’s story below.

Advanced, Beginner, Chinese culture, Intermediate china, coronavirus, learn Chinese

Public Transportation in China, your traveling guide with useful Chinese sentences

Ninchanese November 12, 2019

It’s pretty easy to get from one place to the next in any country, but in China transportation is a convenience of everyday life. Take a ride with me to know all about them.

Chinese culture, Nincha Travels china transport

How to review words on Ninchanese when the number is too high

Ninchanese November 8, 2019

When you want to learn Chinese, you need to go for it and work on it every day. Everyone will tell you that. It’s true for every language you are learning. Regularity is the key. As is reviewing words you’ve just learned, so they go from your short-term to your long-term memory. We know, however, that it’s not always easy to stay focused and to review daily. It’s even more complicated when you’re a beginner to intermediate learner since you can’t enjoy Chinese content from TV (for example) passively yet. So, you may skip one or two days. That’s alright! But what happens when you skip learning for weeks? Or even a month? Your words to review start to pile up. Is there any way to start learning Chinese again? To handle your word reviews? The short answer is YES.

Beginner, Chinese learning tips, Intermediate, Ninchanese

5 Chinese Idioms that Sound Like English Idioms

Ninchanese October 21, 2019

If you already use these idioms in English, then you’ll be surprised how simple is it to use these Chinese idioms and sound as smart as an old Chinese uncle.

Beginner, Chinese culture, Chinese expression, Chinese quote, Expressions, Vocabulary

The top 30 Chinese celebrities to know!

Ninchanese May 20, 2019

Don’t you feel that, as westerners, you don’t know many Chinese celebrities? We had a conversation with Possopo. He’s been a learner for a good time on Ninchanese now and has an intermediate Chinese level. He came across Chinese names he did not know before on Ninchanese. We started to have a conversation about this topic and so Possopo decided to explore more that cultural aspect. He made a great list of Chinese persons to know with very clever and funny explanations about them. I’ll let you read his blog article and discover his Chinese celebrities list at the end of the article.

Beginner, Chinese expression, Intermediate, Popular, Vocabulary chinese celebrities, chinese culture, chinese stars, people

Should I do more than my daily Chinese character learning reviews? If yes, then what?

Ninchanese April 4, 2019

Recently, a Chinese learner phrased something in a particular way. He reached out to us and said: “I have a memory problem. How can I do more reviews?”

Beginner, Chinese learning tips, Ninchanese

14 meowsome websites about China and the Chinese language

Ninchanese January 21, 2019

We have selected some of the best tools and websites about Chinese culture and language we use every day or visit regularly. These are just a few that we particularly appreciate, the real gems you can use to learn Chinese online or to explore China from the comfort of your home.

Beginner, Chinese culture apps, chinese apps, Chinese books, chinese music, chinese websites, selection, translation, websites

Ninchanese is out of Beta!

Ninchanese December 18, 2018

On our mission to deliver the best Chinese learning app, we’re thrilled to announce that Ninchanese is out of beta!

Advanced, Beginner, Intermediate, Ninchanese

The super hidden (and insanely useful) tone trick no one tells you about

Ninchanese December 7, 2018

An easy way to memorize and pronounce tones! The first time you hear a Chinese speaking a sentence, were you like “wow, I understand nothing and why do they sound like they’re going on a rollercoaster”? No wonder, you’re hearing tones for the first time! They may seem daunting, but I have a secret to tell you. There’s a super easy tone trick to know: you’re actually already using tones in English, so all you need to do is apply that knowledge to your Chinese! Read on so I can explain more.

Beginner, Chinese learning tips Chinese learning, chinese tones, learn Chinese, speak Chinese, tips