The Top 10 Reasons to Learn the Beautiful Chinese Language

Typically, school requirements, living or visiting abroad, and career goals are the leading factors that influence people to learn an additional language. However, people seeking to expand their lexicon are not often informed of the beauty in languages outside of the one they speak natively. Languages across the globe have intrinsic characteristics that are not only useful in communicating but also feature some creative element that carries additional utility. This is briefly explored in romance languages such as French or Spanish.

Chinese civilization is over 3,000 years old, making it one of the world’s oldest living civilizations. As a result, its global impact is widespread and ever-growing. China’s influence can be evidenced from concepts as complex as religion and philosophy to everyday products such as silk and pottery. Chinese culture is so rich and cumbersome that by simply exploring why Chinese is a great language to learn or by simply beginning to learn the language, people begin to discover impressive details about the culture itself. KaiBan wants to share several artistic and cultural features present in Chinese languages and dialects. We have summarized a few of them in the following reasons to learn the beautiful Chinese language:

• The Chinese language is a portal to an amazingly rich culture. Based on the introduction to this blog post, we are sure you anticipated cultural exposure would rank within our top reasons to learn Chinese. From various foods that multiple countries enjoy and reinvent to athletic activities like Kung Fu and ping pong, learning the language will certainly introduce new speakers to new cultural artifacts.
• Practicing written proficiency can improve handwriting. Chinese is one of the rare languages that still use pictographic text. Although the art is widely referred to in its Greek form stemming from the words for “beauty” (kallos) and “to write” (graphein), the artistic writing style known as calligraphy was invented in China. In ancient China, the Shang Dynasty is credited with the oldest known Chinese characters, which they carved on the bones of animals before the advent of paper, which was also a Chinese invention. Chinese characters were written with a brush on the shells of turtles or bones of various other animals to be later carved. Over time, various Emperors and their dynasties matured the script until it transformed into today’s Hanzi– the oldest Chinese characters representing the language. Because of the meticulous care people must take in forming characters with a brush dipped in ink, their handwriting naturally improves. This strengthened fine motor skill also influences a stronger artistic acumen and appreciation, as Hanzi is not an alphabet like other languages possess, but rather symbols that carry meaning.
• Growing fluent can strengthen brain power. Studies suggest that learning Chinese uses more parts of the brain than are required for most other languages. This is particularly true for American citizens who currently speak English as their sole means of verbal communication. Learning English exercises the brain’s left temporal lobe. However, Chinese requires students to learn new phonetics in order to grasp the sounds of Chinese words, or Pinyin. They also must learn Hanzi, the Chinese characters that carry the actual meaning. As a result, learning a Chinese dialect exercises both sides of the brain.
  Learning Chinese is easier than you think! Chinese grammar is not as difficult. Unlike French, German, or English, Chinese does not require verb conjugation, or the changing of verbs based on the subject doing them. Therefore, there exists no need to memorize verb tenses! The basic word order of the Chinese language is “subject — verb — object,” exactly as in English. Also, in languages like Spanish, students must remember that words have genders and quantities, which dictate spelling and proper use alongside other vocabulary. However, in Chinese, there are no gender and number distinctions. This makes learning Chinese simpler and gives room for young learners to grow highly skilled rather quickly. And as we mentioned before, becoming good at something boosts children’s confidence!
• Learning Chinese leaves room for growth. Because it’s spoken by more than two-thirds of the country’s population, many people consider Mandarin synonymous with the Chinese Language. However, similar to the various dialects in Spanish, there are actually approximately ten or more dialects native to the culture. Other examples include Yue (that’s Cantonese), Wu, and Jin, to name a few. So, there is always room to expand your knowledge of the language and its culture.
• Chinese is the most spoken language in the world. With over 1 billion speakers, children who speak a Chinese dialect are prepared to hold conversations with more people in the world than they may meet in their lifetime. This is not surprising since China is ranked the most populated country in the world. With approximately one-fifth of the planet able to speak the same language, imagine the interesting chats you and your little one can have with new people! It is spoken in various Chinese communities in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, and Mongolia.
  Learning other Languages becomes easier. Similar to how Learning a romance language such as Spanish can help you more easily understand other cognates and language structures such as French or Latin, knowledge of Mandarin Chinese can make it easier to learn many other East Asian languages, like Burmese. Starting with Mandarin Chinese can suddenly open a world of less familiar languages. Additionally, its writing system and vocabulary immensely influenced other East Asian languages such as Japanese and Korean. Therefore, if your child later expresses an interest in most other Asian languages, they will already have a strong foundation. Couple this with the idea we shared about strengthening English skills and now your munchkin has transitioned from bilingual to multilingual!
• Exposure to Chinese culture can improve mental and emotional practices: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are three of the main philosophies (and religions) in ancient China. They have significantly influenced ancient and modern Chinese society. Without electing to practice these as religions, other cultures also heavily explore many Chinese philosophies, such as Daoism. It features a practice known as Wu Wei (pronounced “ooo-way”), a 2,000-year-old Chinese concept that helps people lead more balanced, fulfilling, and successful lives. It encourages allowing life to occur naturally and letting go of the need to control–especially circumstances that are beyond your control. It emphasizes taking action when necessary, but not pushing yourself with excessive tension. Research demonstrates that Woo Wei can lower stress and anxiety, thereby improving quality of life when navigating internal conflict or difficulties among others. Additionally, Buddhism is the most popular religion in China. Mindfulness Meditation, a commonly used therapy worldwide, is a meditative practice that derives from Buddhist traditions. Mindfulness involves purposefully and nonjudgmentally paying attention to yourself and your reactions in a particular way, in the present moment. According to the National Library of Medicine, it has been used in various clinical environments to heal mental and emotional struggles without medication.
• Learning Chinese with KaiBan Kids builds another bond with your little one. KaiBan is more than a show, it’s an experience. We designed KaiBan to be a moment the whole family can participate in and enjoy. As your child’s exposure and confidence grow, they will begin to share, in their day-to-day home life, more of what they’re retaining. Our little learners begin speaking with their parents in their newly acquired language. Children often enjoy when their parents are equally engaged in their interests–bringing the two of you closer together.
• Global Citizenship: Equipping children with Chinese language skills nurtures their role as global citizens, fostering empathy, respect, and appreciation for diverse cultures and perspectives. Having your little one immersed in diverse cultures early gives them a better sense of the world and a better opportunity to thrive globally.
• Social Skills: Proficiency in Chinese opens doors to new friendships and cultural connections, enhancing children’s social skills and cross-cultural understanding.
• Multilingual Advantage: Early exposure to Chinese alongside other languages enhances language acquisition skills, making it easier for children to learn multiple languages later in life.

How do you teach kids Mandarin at home?

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