Ulysseus Chinese for Beginners 1 中文一初级

This course is aimed at everyone who is interested in learning the basics of Chinese Language and Culture at your own pace in Ulysseus Moodle with an optional weekly online teaching at 16:00-17:00 Finnish time (15-16 CET) every Tuesday starting 3.10.2023.

 

Chinese is the most spoken language in the world and used officially in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore as well as in Malaysia and the business world of Southeast Asia to a large extent. Thousands of Chinese characters 漢字 are also borrowed and used in the Japanese language, and about 65% of Korean words have their origin in Chinese.

 

Learning basics of Chinese language is a good investment for your future career.  Out of the 197 countries in the world, China is the biggest trade partner of 120 countries, and that would have impact for your future career one way or another.

Registration dates 04 September 2023 29 September 2023
Course dates 02 October 2023 15 December 2023
Registration is now closed
Ulysseus Chinese for Beginners 1 中文一初级

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of the course, the student will become familiar with the whole Mandarin Pinyin transliteration system and the fundamentals of the Chinese writing system. The student is able to manage in short superficial everyday communication situations. The student will have a deeper-than-usual understanding of Chinese culture and the Chinese ways of thinking and behavior as well, and obtain a solid knowledge for further study in Chinese language and culture.

Contrary to what many people believe, Chinese is not that difficult to learn. The grammar is extremely simple, the verbs are not conjugated and most words are short – only one or two syllables. Learning the Chinese characters takes time, but the graphic writing system is extremely interesting. The art of writing characters, i.e. calligraphy, is itself one of the most esteemed art forms in East Asia.

Course content

  • the four main tones and the 5th toneless
  • all the consonants and vowels of the Pinyin transliteration system
  • vocabulary and sentence types from everyday conversation
  • grammar rules on adjectives, verbs, tenses and sentence structure, etc.
  • different areas of Chinese culture
  • over 100 Chinese characters