Top 5 Challenges When Learning Chinese and How to Overcome Them

Mandarin (also called Putonghua) is a language that is growing globally. It is already one of the world’s most spoken languages, with more than 1.14 billion people speaking it. Figures suggest that 972 million are native speakers, while 200 million have it as a secondary language.

Given its increasing importance, more people are motivated to learn Mandarin—especially through Chinese immersion (online or in China). China's growing influence as a global superpower and economic leader has only amplified the appeal of mastering this language.

What Challenges Can Be Encountered When Trying To Learn Mandarin?

Despite its appeal, Mandarin is considered one of the more challenging languages to learn, particularly for English speakers.

Its unique features present hurdles that learners might not encounter when studying more familiar options like Spanish or French.

While there are many challenges, here are the most common ones that learners often face—whether they are beginners or advancing their skills in this fascinating language:

1. Tones

One of the most unique and challenging aspects of learning Mandarin is mastering its tones.

Mandarin is a tonal language, meaning the pitch or intonation used when speaking can completely change the meaning of a word. There are four primary tones, although some include a fifth—the neutral tone—which is used in specific contexts.

For beginners, distinguishing and reproducing these tones can be a daunting task.

To overcome this challenge, beginners should immerse themselves in listening to native speakers and practicing by mimicking their pronunciation. Many learners also keep a pinyin chart nearby as a quick pronunciation + tone reference.

Regular tone drills can also be incredibly effective in helping learners refine their tonal accuracy. With consistent practice, mastering tones becomes less intimidating and significantly improves conversational proficiency.

Mastering Mandarin's tonal system, with its four primary tones and a neutral tone, requires consistent listening, mimicry, and practice to improve pronunciation and conversational skills.

2. Alphabet

One of the biggest challenges Mandarin learners face is its unique writing system.

Unlike many other languages, Mandarin uses a phonetic system called pinyin alongside its intricate characters (useful reference: pinyin chart). However, pinyin doesn’t follow a standardized alphabet like ABC. Instead, Mandarin characters are distinct symbols that represent words or phrases.

For beginners, this can feel overwhelming, as the characters look unlike anything they’ve encountered before.

To overcome this hurdle, students should focus on memory-enhancing learning techniques. Repetition is particularly effective—regularly seeing and practicing characters helps reinforce their visual recognition.

A practical way to start is by building familiarity with the 100 most common Chinese characters, then expanding from there. Hearing words spoken aloud can also support the learning process, as connecting written characters with their sounds makes it easier to commit them to memory.

Mandarin's unique writing system, combining pinyin and intricate characters, challenges learners to use repetition and sound association to build visual recognition and memory.

3. Sentence Structure

Students may encounter sentence structures in most foreign languages.

While Mandarin often follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order, similar to English, it can vary in more complex sentences or specific grammatical constructions. This variability can make it difficult for English speakers to adapt.

Another common speed bump is learning Chinese measure words, which don’t map neatly onto English.

Learners should be looking to implement basic practices when trying to overcome this challenge. Gradually introducing more complexity as they progress helps build confidence and a deeper understanding of sentence patterns.

Chinese textbooks and graded reading materials can be especially helpful here, since you can see real sentence patterns repeatedly and start to internalize them. When you’re unsure why a sentence works the way it does, keep online Chinese dictionaries handy for fast example sentences and usage notes.

Mandarin's variable sentence structures, though often SVO like English, challenge learners to gradually build understanding through reading and analyzing sentence patterns.

4. Pronunciation

Pronunciation is a key area where Mandarin can be particularly tricky. In many languages, the spelling of a word provides clues about its pronunciation.

In Mandarin, however, characters offer no such hints, making auditory learning crucial. This is also why understanding pinyin early (and reviewing a pinyin chart regularly) can make a noticeable difference.

Students should aim to hear the words and phrases used or being taught as often as possible. If they have a sense of how it sounds and are regularly exposed to it, there is a greater likelihood that they’ll be able to remember how it should be pronounced. As they hear it, they should try to replicate how it sounds each time, as this will help them build muscle memory, which can help them retain the word.

5. Deciphering Different Words

For a beginner, different words in Mandarin can sound very similar yet have very different meanings. For an individual who isn’t exposed to the language, it can be difficult to understand conversations when native speakers communicate with each other, as they’ll often speak very quickly.

Students must try to build their listening skills to decipher the words that are used correctly.

They should also expose themselves to the verbal aspect of the dialect as much as possible, whether through TV and film or immersion in a community that continually speaks it.

Mandarin's similar-sounding words and fast native speech challenge beginners, who can improve by building listening skills through media exposure and immersive practice.

Using A Tutor To Help Overcome The Potential Challenges

Students can follow several tips to ensure they manage the challenges of learning a complex language like Mandarin.

While many can apply to multiple languages—such as immersing themselves in the dialect and practicing regularly—some options can make a huge difference to the learning process.

For example, if you need to, it’s often helpful to enlist the support of a tutor. CLI offers personalized online Chinese lessons taught by experienced native-speaking teachers—starting with a free Chinese lesson so you can see the approach and teaching style firsthand. A dedicated tutor can tailor lessons to your goals, target common challenges (like tones, pronunciation, and sentence structure), and keep you progressing with focused practice and feedback.

Personalized support makes mastering Mandarin easier—CLI’s native-speaking tutors combine immersive practice with tailored guidance to help you overcome challenges and progress faster.

The CLI Team

The CLI team is comprised of China experts with advanced degrees in China studies, teaching Chinese as a foreign language, education, and other related disciplines. Founded in 2009, CLI is a center for Chinese language and cultural studies based in scenic Guilin, China.