It takes about 4-7 years (roughly 2200 to 4000 hours) to become fluent in every aspect of the language, if you spend at least an hour and a half to study every day. However, it's quite common for learners to become more fluent in some areas than others depending on how they allotted their study time.
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.
With the right work and attitude, you can make massive progress in your Chinese learning in three months. And if having a conversation in Mandarin Chinese is your primary goal, it can be achievable with just three months of study, even if you're starting from zero.
According to the Foreign Service Institute, Chinese is a level IV language—a “super-hard language” for English speakers to learn. Everything is new: the writing system, the sounds, the words, the sentence structures.
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.
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.
Required Time to Achieve the Advanced Level
It takes about 4-7 years (roughly 2200 to 4000 hours) to become fluent in every aspect of the language, if you spend at least an hour and a half to study every day.
Whether you're looking for a new academic pursuit, new career skills or a new perspective on life, learning Mandarin Chinese is one of the absolute best investments you can make with your free time.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It is never too late until you are dead. While many believe that it is much easier for children to learn the Chinese language than adults, you must know that it is not impossible for an older person to learn. Children are able to learn '” faster” because they don't have a lot on their plate.
2500 words are about the minimum amount it takes to be “fluent” in Chinese. This is not as many Mandarin words as a native speaker knows, but it's enough to describe whatever it is you are trying to say.
In general, Japanese may take longer to learn due to its three writing systems (hiragana, kanji, and katakana). However, there are many similarities between Japanese and Chinese pronunciation so if you have prior knowledge of Chinese then learning Japanese may not be overly difficult.
Though this can provide you with some useful phrases, it will not help you to become fluent. To learn Chinese, you really need to get a good grasp of the grammar principles, so for this reason Duolingo alone will not help you (especially at the higher levels).
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.
Cantonese is by far the more challenging of the two languages, particularly for a beginning Chinese language learner. This is because there are more tones used in Cantonese (Cantonese uses up to nine tones, whereas Mandarin only uses four).
Of all the languages in China, Mandarin, with roughly 1.1 billion total speakers, is the most spoken one. To sum up, around 15% of the global population, i.e., one in six people, speaks Mandarin! This makes Mandarin the most spoken mother tongue in the world. This is the magnetic influence of the Chinese.
First, he learned the language alone at the dinner table and later opted for a tutor—and that's, of course, the best way go about it. Chinese is considered as one of the toughest languages to learn and Mark realized he needed the help of a pro to improve his Chinese.
Some studies suggest yes. “The digit system is very simple in Chinese,” Leung says, “making at least arithmetic very easy to learn.” Researchers of early childhood education have found that the way a language describes numbers can affect how quickly children do sums.
“Is it hard to learn Chinese?” 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. Chinese is one of the 5 languages which is most challenging to learn for native English speakers.
It is a pretty tricky for native Chinese speakers to learn English, and it is no mean feat to master it. There are so many differences between the languages that without guidance and support, it is very difficult for Chinese speakers to fully grasp English and its intricacies.