Category: Featured
Mandarin 604 meetup hosted by Key Language Training
Learn, practice, connect! Originally a gathering for Key Language Training (KLT) students to form friendships and practice Mandarin outside of class, we now open our doors to anyone with an interest in Mandarin, starting...
Mandarin: Easier than you Think
This post is for two kinds of people, those who’ve thought about trying Mandarin but think it’s impossible, and those who’ve already learned a little Mandarin but are frustrated. Good news for both of you: there are parts of Mandarin which are really easy.
Cultural Differences between Canada and China – Traffic
By Suzanne Zhu, Dec 2012 Chinese people who come to Canada will first notice that there are more cars here than pedestrians. You see people in Starbucks, in the restaurants and in the cars...
Cultural differences between Canada and China -Family name and given name
Family Name and given name By Suzanne Zhu, Oct 2010 In Canada, when you call people, in most occasions, you call them by their first names, whether they are your boss or a new...
Cultural differences between Canada and China -Yes and No
Yes and No answer By Suzanne Zhu, Dec 2010 You may find that Canadians communicate in a more straight-forward manner. They are much more direct. These cultural differences partly result from the language difference...
Cultural differences between Canada and China – “Please” and “Thank You”
“Please” and “Thank You” are some of the most common courtesies in English. However, generally speaking, You may find Chinese immigrants or individuals whose first language is Chinese not use such courtesies as often as those who’ve been...
Mandarin Chinese Pronunciation
Chinese pronunciation is difficult for those whose first language is English, as the two languages share very little in terms of phonetics, but it can be mastered quickly once the basic principles of the Chinese...
Introduction to Mandarin Chinese
While some in the West are under the assumption that the “Chinese language” is just Cantonese. The fact is, Cantonese is merely one of the eight major dialects spoken in China.
Mandarin Chinese Tones
In Chinese, each syllable (or character) has a tone, and in Mandarin there are four tones. In PinYin(Chinese Phonetics), the mark above a syllable indicates its tone: ( ˉ ) first tone, ( ́...