My Chinese Language Learning History

2026-03-01

Studying Chinese in Japan

In the past, Chinese was not particularly popular as a second foreign language at Japanese universities. However, as China became an economic powerhouse and interest in Chinese popular culture grew, the number of learners increased. Today, Chinese can be considered a language with relatively abundant learning materials and opportunities.

How I Began Learning Chinese

Chinese is a tonal language. In Standard Mandarin (Putonghua), there are four tones. Even the syllable ma can mean completely different things depending on the tone—“mother” can easily turn into “horse” if pronounced incorrectly.

Because of this, I wanted to learn from a teacher from the very beginning to avoid acquiring incorrect pronunciation. In my first year of university, I finally enrolled in Chinese classes.

I studied under two part-time instructors: Professor Yamamoto, a Japanese teacher, and Professor Zheng, who was from Taiwan. Even after earning official credit in my second year, I continued attending Professor Yamamoto’s classes unofficially for four years, receiving thorough training.

In graduate school, I took a course in comparative linguistics related to Chinese. During the spring break before starting my job, the professor worked with me one-on-one, reading the Chinese translation of Haruki Murakami’s A Sad Foreign Language together. That experience still benefits me today.

Thanks to learning “The March of the Volunteers” (the Chinese national anthem) in class, I was later able to sing it confidently at ceremonies during business trips to China.

Perhaps I had some aptitude for Chinese, as I did not experience severe slumps. I managed to pass Level 2 of the Chinese Proficiency Test. Still, there are people who achieve Pre-Level 1 within six years—there is always someone better.

The Self-Study Era

I could speak Chinese. I had also developed a fondness for socialist culture through studying Korean. If you imagine a Venn diagram, the logical conclusion was: an interest in Chinese Communist revolutionary culture.

Since I could not find what I was looking for at the time, I started a blog dedicated to Chinese revolutionary songs:

I translated more than 200 revolutionary songs. During business trips and stays in China, performing these songs for locals often delighted them. A skill can save you.

Whenever I had time, I would also visit Taiwan to meet friends and buy books and DVDs.

Until the 2010s, Taipei still had many bookstores, and DVDs were widely available. One advantage of Chinese and Taiwanese films is that they include subtitles. Even if you cannot catch everything by ear, you can follow the subtitles and understand the meaning. I considered them excellent study materials.

However, with the rise of streaming services, bookstores have declined in the 2020s, and DVDs have largely disappeared from store shelves.

Further Improvement (The Beijing Assignment)

During my posting in Beijing, my workplace subsidized Chinese lessons twice a week.

If you simply read books you enjoy without preparing for proficiency exams, your language ability can unexpectedly plateau. Chinese has many fixed expression patterns, such as:

  • 即使下雨，我们也会去旅行。
    (Even if it rains, we will go on the trip.)

  • 无论天气怎么样，我们都要坚持锻炼。
    (No matter the weather, we must continue exercising.)

Structures like “即使…也/都” and “无论…都” are important points in proficiency tests. They do not necessarily stick just by casually reading novels or watching dramas—you must consciously memorize them.

Looking Ahead

I communicate in Chinese with friends I met in China via WeChat, and with Taiwanese friends via LINE.

My Chinese is still far from perfect. I do not know many classical Chinese poems or four-character idioms that native speakers commonly learn. I need to continue studying.

According to my Taiwanese friends, my Chinese has a “Mainland accent.” I would like to master the ability to distinguish more naturally between Mainland and Taiwanese usage.

At the same time, since I can communicate reasonably well and travel without difficulty, I sometimes struggle to maintain high motivation. I do not aspire to compose classical Chinese poetry, nor do I plan to pursue academic research on China.

However, I would very much like to continue deepening my understanding of Taiwan.