Anecdotally, most students who study language full-time at a university in China are able to pass the HSK 5 after 1–2 years. As another generalisation from all the people I've met who've learned Chinese to a proficient level (both spoken and written), I'd estimate that it took most people somewhere between 3–5 years.
It takes about 1-3 years to become fluent in daily conversations in Chinese. At this level, you'll be able to talk about what you've done and express your feelings, which are considered intermediate-level topics.
Most people who are interested in learning have two questions: "Is it hard to learn Chinese?" and "How long does it take to learn Chinese?" Based on government sources and anecdotes, Three to five years is a good estimate of how long it takes to learn Chinese fluently, but there are so many factors involved.
In summary, the time it takes to learn Mandarin fluently varies depending on the individual learner and their level of dedication. With the help of live lessons with native tutors, you can achieve basic fluency in as little as 6-12 months and full fluency in 2-3 years of consistent study and practice.
In any case, learning Chinese quickly will require time and motivation, so it's best to set out with reasonable expectations. While you can learn basic Chinese in a month or two, to become fluent enough to work in a Chinese company, you'll need at least a year of intensive study.
It takes a learner with average aptitude only 15 weeks to reach level 2 for Spanish or French, but about 50 weeks to reach a similar level of the Chinese language. If you want to be fully fluent in Mandarin, you'd better plan to spend about 230 weeks, which is about 4 years.
There are several different tones (read more here) so in short – if you want to be able to speak it with a native accent, the earlier you start, the better. For children, it would be best if they could start learning before the age of 12. However there is no age limit for true bilingualism.
While children are generally more adept at quickly learning and remembering new information, including languages, it is possible for individuals of any age to become completely fluent in Chinese (including the written and spoken language) as long as they are willing to put forth the time and effort.
The HSK tests put basic fluency around Level 4, but Level 6 is when you can effectively express yourself in spoken or written Chinese. Just remember that fluently speaking those characters and words doesn't completely depend on knowing how to read or write them.
It is definitely possible to become fluent in Mandarin Chinese as an adult. According to data (and the vast amount of people who've done it), it's also possible to reach a native level if you start learning after you turn 18 years old. The big difference is you learn differently as an adult.
Japanese is slightly easier to learn. But, Chinese is much more widely spoken. Both languages have their pros and cons. Ultimately whichever language pulls on your heartstrings the most is the winner.
Can you become fluent in Chinese after 6 months? Simply put, no. It's not possible. You can make great progress for sure, but fluency is a broad term, and you'd need a minimum of a year to get even close to spoken fluency in Chinese.
The correct answer is: “it depends,” but you probably already knew that. The next and most accurate answer is that it can take anywhere between three months to two years to learn how to speak, write, and read in a new language fluently.
However, to become fluent, experts estimate that it'll take 2,200 class hours. If you put the rest of your life on hold and focused only on studying Chinese – at 5 hours of practice a day, it would take you 88 weeks. Here's the long story. When it comes to Chinese, you have two options - Mandarin or Cantonese.
Many want to know how many words they need to learn before they can fluently understand TV shows or easily read novels. Estimates as to how many words are required to reach fluency vary from as few as 400 to as many as 20,000.
Korean vs Chinese: Which one's the easiest to learn? In conclusion, the Mandarin Chinese writing system is far more complex than its Korean counterpart. Hangul is far easier to learn than Hanzi. But, while Chinese grammar is rather predictable and stable, Korean grammar has some extra layers of difficulty.
With the most common 3000 characters you can recognize 99.2 percent of modern Chinese. With the most common 3500 characters you can recognize 99.5 percent of modern Chinese. With the most common 5000 characters you can recognize 99.9 percent of modern Chinese.
As mentioned before, Mandarin is unanimously considered the most difficult language to master in the world! Spoken by over a billion people in the world, the language can be extremely difficult for people whose native languages use the Latin writing system.
Mandarin Chinese
Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. Mandarin Chinese is challenging for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the writing system is extremely difficult for English speakers (and anyone else) accustomed to the Latin alphabet.
If you've passed the Chinese Efficiency Exam (HSK), then there's a long list of potential employers you should look into. From teaching Mandarin Chinese to working for the government, there's no shortage of jobs that require Chinese language skills. And many of them pay handsomely.
According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) scale, it will take English speakers 88 weeks (2,200 hours of active learning) to reach native/bilingual Chinese proficiency.
It depends on what you are planning to do with your language after you've learned it. If you plan to do business in China or with a Chinese-speaking company, then Mandarin is definitely the way to go. If, however, you plan to settle in Hong Kong, then it would be worth it to pick up Cantonese.
Relatively, Korean would be an easier language to learn. Thanks to its phonetic alphabet and more simplistic grammar rules, Korean is not the most challenging Asian language to learn. Chinese on the other hand is much more widely spoken. This means that finding study materials and practice partners would be easier.