There will be a Japanese version of this video coming soon. For all those studying Chinese, get started with lessons here www.chineseclass101.com/member/go.php?r=453861&l=%2F and then try out your new words after 3 weeks with a FREE language partner here brc.hellotalk.com/OrientalPearl
There are no short cuts, but there ARE a lot of dead ends or wasted routes. So planning your method of learning is important to avoid traps like becoming a duolingo level 99 master.. but not being able to have a conversation because you never practiced actual speaking. Or vice versa, you can do smooth small talk and ordering in person, but you can't read.
@@RadioactivePretzels I'm not gonna lie, Duolingo learned me more Spanish than expensive very crappy grammar book. Jokingly speaking with my Spanish boyfriend is the second best source of learning haha
This is one of the best, honest, straightforward language channels I've seen. No bs, no sugar coating, but you're still so motivating at the same time!! Thank you so much 🙏
This is so true. Many people were surprised I became reasonably fluent in Spanish in one year despite never having studied it before, and at an age most people consider past the age of learning a language very well (40). Well, during that year (in Spain) I didn’t just hang out, eat tapas, and expect Spanish to just sink in. Ok, yes I ate a lot of tapas but you know what else I did? After I walked the kids to school, I spent that time studying it for 4-6 hours a day and spent the rest of my time trying to speak Spanish to the people around me. When home I watched Spanish tv, and turned off English subtitles very quickly into my time there. My kids got mad at that at first but they ended up fluent in only a few months, though, and stopped asking anyway! After a year, well, I was fluent. People sometimes dismiss it when they find out I was not just studying it from my home country, and say oh, well, immersion just works. As if it just passively leaks into you simply by being in a foreign country. And I agree that immersion is always better than trying to learn a language from far away, but that’s not the whole story, and it devalues the massive effort I put in each and every day: academic classroom study, rigorous homework, and challenging myself with conversations at every opportunity, just to maximize every bit of that immersion. I also hear “oh you’ve just got a knack for languages” and while I think I do have a bit of a knack for it, I would never have gotten as far as I did without the work I put in.
I was normally watching the video and then, by the end of it, I was almost crying in happiness. Everything is possible, thank you for reminding it to us :)
@@OrientalPearl - no you put in the work! You learned those languages, are super nice and genuine, plus have good content (and I’m assuming you put some effort into marketing/ learning RUclips)
Since I started watching your videos everything has gotten better, nice edit nice background music, and great topic. Your videos are the reason why I started learning chinese😃.
Me: “How do you have time to study 6 hrs a day?!” Right after thinking that, I get a notification from Facebook saying I’ve spent an average of 3 hrs/day on FB over the past month. Well...bye bye FB lol
@@OrientalPearl the issue I see with this is afterwards, when you’ve „mastered“ the language. If you have no connection, you will forget things and all this work will be for nothing. With Japanese for example, you can watch a lot of Anime and read manga, if you’re into that. But I wouldn’t know how to upkeep my Chinese. Watch a lot of RUclips? Try reading books ? I live in Germany, so there’s not even a Chinatown I can visit. So I think there’s a lot of work involved even afterwards.
@@MinaDracula The answer is in the video. You do the stuff that's interesting to you in Chinese. You like reading, read in Chinese. You like movies, watch them in Chinese. You like to chat, do it in Chinese. The language becomes the tool to access things that are interesting to you. And even if there is no Chinatown, there is a significant Chinese population. You can find language partners, i.e. Chinese students to exchange your languages.
@@MinaDracula I relate to you. Ich lerne Koreanisch, Vietnamesisch und Chinesisch und suche schon eine gefühlte Ewigkeit nach Language Exchange Partnern, Sprachkursen oder Möglichkeiten mit Muttersprachlern in Kontakt zu treten, aber leider erfolglos 😓
Thank you for making your videos! I started learning Japanese in university and you really give me confidence that it is still possible to learn languages as an adult. Your videos really help keep me going
Great comparison between your Spanish learning and Chinese learning experiences. Arguably Spanish is much closer to English than Chinese is to English, so you're showing a living proof on putting your mind and efforts into what you want. Good going girl!
It's so inspiring to hear other talk about the hard work they put into learning a foreign language. I hear so often from strangers that "oh, I could never learn a language like that", or "you're so lucky that you're good at languages", but they don't see the hours that are poured into learning vocabulary and grammar, practicing with natives, refining pronunciation... I just started learning Chinese, and I hope one day I can become as good at it as you are!
Right now, this is the motivation I needed to hear. I'm learning Mandarin and literally struggling with tones of new characters while constantly wondering why I pick it when I can probably learn Japanese in less time. It's gonna be tough be I will keep on learning till I reach proficiency. 加油中文
You say you *don't* have a gift for languages (using Spanish as an example), which is a good point. What you do have is a *strong motivation* to learn Chinese and Japanese. Motivation is the key, especially when you get a chance to use it daily in China or Japan. Your second gift is that you are *willing to make mistakes* (which you've mentioned before). Those two traits are crucial for success in any endeavor.
In other words no replacement for hard work and the language and its difficulty needs to be respected.... a reminder for me with my Arabic, thank you :)
I have been studying chinese by myself for almost a year, and it has been very hard to get immersed into it. I can't travel now, but I'm saving money because I want to go to China to study Chinese, you are such an inspiration, 谢谢 Anming ❤️
Listening to you speaking both English and Chinese really relax, i can hear all :))). I love it, could you do more video like this? Very helpful, thank you
Great video that motivates people ! Still learning Mandarin. I began learning it 10 years ago, but dropped it a few years later and had a break of many years. Picked it up for a while, then and dropped it again. Now, recently, I'm back more motivated.
Heya! I lived in Japan in 2019 for the entire year, my Japanese isn’t quite as good as yours, I went to a school in Takadanobaba, I lived in Shinjuku-Ku and I have to admit It’s nice to see you had similar experience to me, I’m from the U.K. and it’s very obvious to tell I’m not from Asia, so whenever I spoke ‘fluent’ ( I’m not fluent but sometimes I sounded it if I was lucky enough. x) ) they would be blown away. I used to enter pubs in local area’s and talk to the locals, it was great to better understand how Japanese people lived day to day. I’ve been really enjoying your videos and they’re making me miss living in Japan. Keep up the videos! And if you ever have like an online session of talking to people with like an AMA or something, I’d gladly come by and attempt to use my conversational level of Japanese to ask you some questions ^-^ I do occasionally refresh my Japanese でも 日本語はちょっと難しいですね-
My retention was pretty good because I was living in China at that time and I could use the words. I also read a lot so that reinforced the words. Because I work so hard then, I can relax now. I believe in short-term intensive study.
@@thomasf1639 Ah it actually makes more sense if she's in the country continuously surrounded by Chinese. I became pretty fluent in English in under a year when I moved to an English province in Canada and attended sixth grade. A lot of cartoons, talking to other kids, doing schoolwork in English, you pick it up super fast. It's muchhhh slower if you're in a place that doesn't speak your target language.
@@OrientalPearl My memory is so poor, I can only memorize 5 words a day. Eventhough I exercize it. It has always been very poor since my childhood 😖 Edit : yesterday I tried to focus for a longer time (3 hours just on vocabulary) and I think I reached 10 words ☺️ thank you for giving me this motivation with your video !
@@OrientalPearl - Only 3 years? Do you know how many hours that is lol? You could be a master welder, learn to make knives, be a real good mechanic, be a licensed carpenter, get your masters degree twice over, etc
@Frank Burjan - I was proposing the same question/ comparison. Is it worth it? Different answer for everyone. Many times being fluent in a language is worth most than a Masters degree, was just providing context
I started studying chinese about 5 months ago, but I've started slacking... the harder it got, the more I started to forget my motivation. It's good to see other people who did achieve their goals to use as motivation that, if I put in more effort, I will eventually get there! so, thank you for sharing your story with us. It helps us people that are getting doubts about whether they can actually do it.
Not going to lie, this video has become a regular part of my life. When I start to feel depleted or discouraged,I watch this video all over again. I’m so glad I discovered Orientalpearl. I love her channel and I love how down to earth everything is. Keep up the hard work. Thank you
This is one of your best videos for knowledge, listening practice, and motivation. But to master HSK 6 in three years many people I know who did just that lived in China. I do plan on making the move once the borders open up.
This channel is so unique and genuine. I don't have any interest in learning Chinese or Japanese, but I find most of your vids entertaining. I really liked the intimate view of your house tour and friends, and I of course like the interactions, food and culture. You are very pleasant to watch and I appreciate how honest and genuine you are. You are a weirdo, and I love it...lol. You got a Subscriber in me. Also, patreon and merch... get it going!
For years I had wanted to learn Chinese but was always afraid and held back because of my fear of the tones! watching your videos really inspired me to kick myself into gear and just start! I have been taking 3 one on one classes a week online since september on Italki and after the first month and getting a good grip on Pinyin and LOTS of practice and coaching, that fear has completely disappeared and I have begun to develop a real love for this language. So thanks for that boost of inspo that made me take the plunge! :)
I almost skipped your channel entirely when I read the title because I assumed it would be just another "how I learned x language in x (way too short) amount of time." Im so glad I didn't! Getting a solid command of a language takes such serious time and effort, I'm glad you're actually showing people the REAL results of study and dedication. I'm at the very beginning of my Chinese journey after spending the last 4 years focusing on French. It's going to be a long road, but these inspirational videos really help to stay motivated!
Your experience with Spanish is so much like mine! And yet unfortunately I continued it through college when I studied Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin 😂 I'll check out your guides, I just hope I can pick one language to focus this time!! Thanks for your inspiration!
You are a great inspiration to all out there who wants to learn a new language. Love your smarts, beauty, and independence that you have for yourself. You have proven to be a strong woman. Respect!
WOW! YOU ARE SIMPLY AMAZING! It just brings back memories... the way I've learned English. I remember doing the same thing: writing new phrases, slangs and sayings in a notebook! I used to carry it with me, everywhere I went(still have it, ha ha)! Then I started highlighting words and phrases in newspapers and magazines. It took me a while, but hey...here I am, writing with ease. It wasn't easy...but eventually I've succeeded...I guess?! Now, I started doing the same thing with Spanish. You are truly an inspiration. Thank you! Keep it up! Christian/ NYC
@ Kristin: don't give up and don't stress. I had a very funny experience trying to arrange my first date with a beautiful Chinese girl (over the phone). I didn't speak enough Mandarin and she didn't speak enough English. But just by wild, pure coincidence, two Chinese women happened to to be walking past me at that precise moment. I handed my phone over to them for help. Result: success!
Definitely agree that you should dedicate time on learning a language. For someone who has a full time job like myself, an hour a day of study is a big accomplishment. Also listening to pod101 during travel or lunch break helps squeeze in some more study time. Thanks for this! Arigatou gozaimasu!
Thanks so much for sharing this @Oriental Pearl ! I'm learning Japanese and 50 yrs old. I appreciate your comments and advice on how to study/learn a new language! Arigato gozaimasu! 👏🏾👏🏾👍🏾👍🏾
Anming, Thank you for the inspiring way you make your videos. I watch your videos at work and at home. I am learning Japanese and now would like to try to learn some Pinyin.
You are such an inspiration, Oriental Pearl! I've been lazily learning Mandarin over a few years. The little I know I use in a way that gives the impression I know much more meaning my pronunciation is good. Nali nali. You spoke to the aspects of properly learning Mandarin that seem so daunting-reading and writing. Xiè xie nín, lǎo shī.
thank you. I have been self teaching myself. At first it was a little tricky getting the hang of the pin yin, but it didn't take me too long. I am passionate about Chinese, I always have been.
I speaks Chinese and currently I'm studying English, Japanese and Korean because your videos give me much motivation of learning languages! Thank you, Anming! It's nice to get to know you on RUclips!
Awed is not the word I'll use; but rather, astounded, open-mouthed, awestruck, amazed, and flabbergasted! You're so great!!! I'm now super motivated and inspired to the max 🤣 Salamat!
After you realized just how crucial tones are, how long did it take you to reliably/naturally A) recognize and B) speak them? Love the video btw - you are truly motivating!
I have been following your language learning advice since I first discovered you on RUclips. Not to learn Chinese but to learn Japanese. I average two to three hours a day now. Somedays, words, sentence structure, and comprehension just flow easily. I'm a genius. Other days I can't recall stuff I know I know, I can't write a sentence, and I can't comprehend hardly anything. However, rather than just dropping it for a day or a week, as I used too, I power through making minimum daily quotas while cursing my stupidly. Your example gave me the inspiration to battle, daily. I know the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and then putting one foot in front of the other until you reach your goal. However, I'd like to not fall as much cause skinned knees and hands hurt. They heal, and I plod on a little further. That's the inspiration that your video's have given me. Thanks.
I’m so glad that you’re learning Japanese and that you are inspired by these videos. I’ll have so advice for Japanese learners coming soon. Stay tuned.
I see by the subtitles you "didn't have a nag" for languages. So I need somebody to keep badgering me until I master it? YES! Makes perfect sense now. 🤣 Great video, by the way, thanks! You have a knack for them. 🙂
You're a big inspiration, thank you for these videos!!! After almost 2yrs at a Chinese company I now feel like I really, really want to learn the language. Pros: I can get help from my colleagues (and they really like to help) so I can study while working and Cons: It is hard... :D
Hello, saw this video 14 hours ago though. I love you and the inspiration you give to all of us!♥️ A wave of young people will go to China and Japan inspired by you in just a few years, and all thanks to you. (I include myself) Thank uuuu!⭐
6 hours a day! At times like this, I wish I didn’t have ADHD. (Or I wish my ADHD loved to hyperfocus on my target lang) Still, I appreciate the logical argument and you not hiding what truly is involved. Now I just need to figure out a way for me to actually do it 😩 (or accept it will take me 36 years at best)
I believe in short intensive burst of studying. I would do 6 hours a day for 6 months, then bring the pace down for 6 months and then increase it again. Now I’ve done the work and can just sit back and enjoy the benefits.
Keep up the good work. I also speak English, Spanish and French fluently. I learned to write in Spanish and French when I was only 14. It took years and years of watching movies, writing, learning the IPS sounds, and reading of course. I’m moving on to German this year and I’m 20 btw.
Agreed. But there are mistakes that can be avoided, which is why it always becomes easier after each language. In other words, I underestimated how much of Portuguese I’d lose after studying it for a almost a year when I was a teen. After a decade and 0 practice, I could no longer form more than a single sentence. After only 6 months of very casual studying, I was at a solid B1, and now I doubt I’m at a B2 but Ive had enough português for at least a few more months. in a year I’d hope so. I do like time goals because I seem to always underestimate myself. My main tip would be to take a break whenever you feel burntout and dip your feet into the very basics of other languages. Each language is different, and toying with it for a while before the final plunge has helped me with French so far. But yeah, take breaks, so that the motivation can naturally creep back up to you after some time, but never allow more than a year to go by without studying unless you’re truly at a C2 level. One major tip I never see talked about is the effort to keep your linguistic plans to yourself, at least until you reach a more advanced level. I think out of passion, the impression could be that you’re showing off (stupid I know) when the truth is we’re just excited to have finally chosen a new language. I highly recommend language stacking as it prevents you from burning out. It’s even a more effective way if the two are related (though there is also a paradoxical effect of confusing two languages if you’re not strong enough in one of the two). Also never more than two at a time I’ve learned that the hard way. I tried learning Port & Italian at the same time for about a month and the only end result was a slight regression in my Portuguese. Anyway, in the early phases, listening and listening helps, both phonetically and grammatically, more than you’d think. Writing and handwriting is still just as important but getting the rhythm and patterns of its sounds helps accelerate the learning process. Or perhaps it just makes it more enjoyable. As a native English speaker, learning a language is more of a hobby than anything else and I’m grateful/aware that it’s unnecessary to learn anything other Spanish (which i was raised speaking) here in the US. But, many people just cannot wrap their heads around how fun, interesting, and personal studying any languages can be. Which brings me back to my tip: eventually a well-meaning person will challenge your logic, sometimes even aggressively. As if I’m wasting my time or mentally weird for choosing the wrong one in their eyes. there are the people who equate studying to acquiring. By studying them I HOPE to one day speak well enough to say with confidence I am fluent and “speak” it.!Will I ever need to use French? I doubt it. Portuguese? Never. Will it benefit me financially these days? French, I somewhat doubt it. And I definitely doubt it with Portuguese. Will I form some meaningful bonds with French speakers? 100%. But even that isn’t the most rewarding part! t’s a spiritual journey that doesn’t end, is akin to opening endless doors. Language is more abstract than it is made out to be. I’m studying French by secretly stacking it with Portuguese, and I’ve already had people assume that I gave up on Portuguese. Or that I should’ve chosen Italian, when the reality is no other major language is more similar to French than Italian is, at least lexically. It is actually my next choice until my French is strong enough to be used as a stacker for Italian (Just as Portuguese was for English, Spanish when I learned Portuguese, etc). Anyway, I wish I knew more people who understand.
That is very nice to hear that. I can't wait when you mastered it with Japanese language! BTW, I couldn't to learn anything other language due to my limited time :D (Maybe duolingo.... maybe not.)
I just started learning this week, so this is a great pep talk! I'm 39, and I've had a lot of people telling me it will be harder... but I have a lot more dicipline than when I was younger and in a pandemic.. I now have the time. I think my teacher is very good and I will make sure I don't neglect any aspects. Thanks for being so encouraging to everyone! I'm off to do my homework 😉
It was so hard for me to follow the text, Chinese is so distracting when you try to read :) I used to play the clarinet (and saxophone, same thing) and at every contest, the Chinese were the best. Every single time! Followed by Russians, ofc. So keep practicing the violin in China and you might start a violin youtube channel. How about you play the violin on the channel one day? (I just hope you didn't already and I made a fool of my self)
I used to play the clarinet in middle school too! It would be fun to play the violin on the channel one day, but sadly my violin is in China right now.
This has inspired me to start learning more and really focussing. My wife is chinese and I want to learn more to speak with her parents. Do you recommend any books to help study? Also, love your videos 👍.
Yes, I highly recommend the book series by “Beijing language and culture university”. I mention it in the video “20 secrets of successful language learners.”
It is interesting that almost all Japanese knows 一石二鳥 as a proverb but only a few people know that it is originally from Chinese. It is also funny that the pronunciation is totally different between Chinese and Japanese.
It's true. It's all about interest. The more fun you have the more you'll want to practice all four skillsets of a language. Making native friends is really fun too because you'll learn from them when they speak to you whether it be voice or writing.
唯有努力學習, 才能掌握外語 It's all about self discipline. I also at first learning so hard after a year I realize that three to five word a day is enough if you really understand the words. The only way is to ask native and daily practising.
I noticed that as well. Confused at first, but then thought to myself that you were just using it for footage and it can’t possibly be Hanzi. But thanks for clarifying it 👍🏻 Keep those great educational videos pouring in ❤️👍🏻
I am so impressed that your pinyin is so accurate. Its v easy to tell whos a foreigner based on pinyin. But ur pinyin is almost 100% like a native speaker, same with the flow of ur sentences and expressions. I would have thought you grew up in a chinese speaking family or country. Amazing man!
Languages and cultures really are amazing. They may be the best things about humanity. I am so glad to have inspirations like this. Thank you for telling everyone to never give up. It seems like not much but it really is everything! Don't give up everyone! No matter what you are persueing! : )
Danm I've been since September going to chinese classes and I can say it's pretty difficult, anyway, I am quite proud I can get some of the words in this video
You are actually one of my inspirations to learn chinese. I'm struggle with tones as an english and spanish speaker though. I love that you share your experience abroad. Do you/ anyone know any good Chinese music playlists? Thanks
I have watched your other video about polyglotism, I couldn't agree more on the point you said that learning a language takes a lot of years of dedication and endeavor. I have been living in Canada for 19 years, I still make a lot of mistakes in English. I can speak 10 languages, I would not say I am fluent in all these languages, because every language is so difficult to reach a native level, even some native speakers are not being able to speak their mother tongue very well. I am still improving my English, I want to be a simultaneous interpreter in English to Chinese or English to French, but I still have a lot to improve. I really love your videos, you are a wonderful woman with talents. You are very humble that you said you have no talents at all learning a language, but I believe you have such a talent.
Thank you for this helpful video. I'm gonna share this video with my brother who just started learning Chinese. It was actually surprising to me, because I always wanted to motivate him to start learning the languages I'm learning myself. But I guess he found his own language he wants to study☺.
Hi Anming, I really enjoyed your videos and 鼓励。In your video, you showed all the hand writing characters are Japanese! Of course, it does show that you gave the same dedication and method to learning Japanese as you did Chinese. It did remind me, I must also do the same as I’m also trying to learn Mandarin and Japanese too. Thank you!
Thank you for creating this video! Learning a new language can feel very discouraging at times, and there’s too much glorification and bs about mastering a language IN 3 MONTHS here on RUclips
There will be a Japanese version of this video coming soon. For all those studying Chinese, get started with lessons here www.chineseclass101.com/member/go.php?r=453861&l=%2F and then try out your new words after 3 weeks with a FREE language partner here brc.hellotalk.com/OrientalPearl
Happy I can be your manfriend lol
Love your vids... Still watching 👍
学习外语是一件好事。 我们所有人都在学校学习第二语言。 没什么大不了的。 如何利用语言是另一个问题。 就像您的国务院马修·波廷格（Matthew Pottinger）一样，他会流利的汉语和对中国很好的理解,敦促中国改善人权。 我在youtube上观看了他的视频。
利害啊！ 三年考到六級！
@@张先生-l1o 谢谢你给我介绍这个人的视频。
There are no short cuts to learning a new language. It's a lot of dedication and hard work.
There are no short cuts, but there ARE a lot of dead ends or wasted routes. So planning your method of learning is important to avoid traps like becoming a duolingo level 99 master.. but not being able to have a conversation because you never practiced actual speaking. Or vice versa, you can do smooth small talk and ordering in person, but you can't read.
I'm one of those people who study for a long time and give up😁
@@ravenone6255 How long did you study for?
@@RadioactivePretzels I'm using Duolingo to study Chinese and your comment killed me🤣🤣🤣
@@RadioactivePretzels I'm not gonna lie, Duolingo learned me more Spanish than expensive very crappy grammar book. Jokingly speaking with my Spanish boyfriend is the second best source of learning haha
Question: How did I learn Chinese??
Answer: I worked hard, like really hard, like all day hard.
This is one of the best, honest, straightforward language channels I've seen. No bs, no sugar coating, but you're still so motivating at the same time!! Thank you so much 🙏
Thanks so much! That’s exactly what I was hoping the channel would become.
Agreed.
I am tremendously impressed by this young lady's linguistic achievements. Oh, and she is also so utterly, irresistibly nice!
This is so true. Many people were surprised I became reasonably fluent in Spanish in one year despite never having studied it before, and at an age most people consider past the age of learning a language very well (40). Well, during that year (in Spain) I didn’t just hang out, eat tapas, and expect Spanish to just sink in. Ok, yes I ate a lot of tapas but you know what else I did? After I walked the kids to school, I spent that time studying it for 4-6 hours a day and spent the rest of my time trying to speak Spanish to the people around me. When home I watched Spanish tv, and turned off English subtitles very quickly into my time there. My kids got mad at that at first but they ended up fluent in only a few months, though, and stopped asking anyway! After a year, well, I was fluent. People sometimes dismiss it when they find out I was not just studying it from my home country, and say oh, well, immersion just works. As if it just passively leaks into you simply by being in a foreign country. And I agree that immersion is always better than trying to learn a language from far away, but that’s not the whole story, and it devalues the massive effort I put in each and every day: academic classroom study, rigorous homework, and challenging myself with conversations at every opportunity, just to maximize every bit of that immersion. I also hear “oh you’ve just got a knack for languages” and while I think I do have a bit of a knack for it, I would never have gotten as far as I did without the work I put in.
Very well said, and good work!
I was normally watching the video and then, by the end of it, I was almost crying in happiness. Everything is possible, thank you for reminding it to us :)
Yes! I’m really glad to read this comment! Never give up.
That’s an eternity compared to how quick you got from zero to 136K+ subscribers! :D
It's all thanks to you and the others!
@@OrientalPearl - no you put in the work! You learned those languages, are super nice and genuine, plus have good content (and I’m assuming you put some effort into marketing/ learning RUclips)
Since I started watching your videos everything has gotten better, nice edit nice background music, and great topic. Your videos are the reason why I started learning chinese😃.
Thanks. I'm a new youtuber so it can only get better from here.
Me: “How do you have time to study 6 hrs a day?!” Right after thinking that, I get a notification from Facebook saying I’ve spent an average of 3 hrs/day on FB over the past month. Well...bye bye FB lol
I did intensive burst of studying for 6 months, lowered it down, and did 6 months again, and repeated. I sacrificed a lot of spare time after work.
@@OrientalPearl the issue I see with this is afterwards, when you’ve „mastered“ the language. If you have no connection, you will forget things and all this work will be for nothing. With Japanese for example, you can watch a lot of Anime and read manga, if you’re into that. But I wouldn’t know how to upkeep my Chinese. Watch a lot of RUclips? Try reading books ? I live in Germany, so there’s not even a Chinatown I can visit. So I think there’s a lot of work involved even afterwards.
@@MinaDracula The answer is in the video. You do the stuff that's interesting to you in Chinese. You like reading, read in Chinese. You like movies, watch them in Chinese. You like to chat, do it in Chinese. The language becomes the tool to access things that are interesting to you. And even if there is no Chinatown, there is a significant Chinese population. You can find language partners, i.e. Chinese students to exchange your languages.
@@MinaDracula I relate to you. Ich lerne Koreanisch, Vietnamesisch und Chinesisch und suche schon eine gefühlte Ewigkeit nach Language Exchange Partnern, Sprachkursen oder Möglichkeiten mit Muttersprachlern in Kontakt zu treten, aber leider erfolglos 😓
@@staymile372 an unis kann man sich manchmal als gasthörer einschreiben
Thank you for making your videos! I started learning Japanese in university and you really give me confidence that it is still possible to learn languages as an adult. Your videos really help keep me going
I’m so glad that these videos are helping to keep you going!
Great comparison between your Spanish learning and Chinese learning experiences. Arguably Spanish is much closer to English than Chinese is to English, so you're showing a living proof on putting your mind and efforts into what you want. Good going girl!
It's so inspiring to hear other talk about the hard work they put into learning a foreign language. I hear so often from strangers that "oh, I could never learn a language like that", or "you're so lucky that you're good at languages", but they don't see the hours that are poured into learning vocabulary and grammar, practicing with natives, refining pronunciation...
I just started learning Chinese, and I hope one day I can become as good at it as you are!
Congrats on taking on Chinese!
Right now, this is the motivation I needed to hear. I'm learning Mandarin and literally struggling with tones of new characters while constantly wondering why I pick it when I can probably learn Japanese in less time. It's gonna be tough be I will keep on learning till I reach proficiency. 加油中文
You say you *don't* have a gift for languages (using Spanish as an example), which is a good point. What you do have is a *strong motivation* to learn Chinese and Japanese. Motivation is the key, especially when you get a chance to use it daily in China or Japan. Your second gift is that you are *willing to make mistakes* (which you've mentioned before). Those two traits are crucial for success in any endeavor.
That’s right! Language learning is just like many thing in life,
In other words no replacement for hard work and the language and its difficulty needs to be respected.... a reminder for me with my Arabic, thank you :)
Thanks for not sugar coating it.
Honesty is my specialty.
No , I want your channel to grow in record time 🥳
We can do it together! Share this channel with your friends.
I have been studying chinese by myself for almost a year, and it has been very hard to get immersed into it. I can't travel now, but I'm saving money because I want to go to China to study Chinese, you are such an inspiration, 谢谢 Anming ❤️
That’s amazing! I’m so glad that you are interested in moving to China and learning Chinese.
Listening to you speaking both English and Chinese really relax, i can hear all :))). I love it, could you do more video like this? Very helpful, thank you
I’ll defiantly do more like this!
Great video that motivates people !
Still learning Mandarin. I began learning it 10 years ago, but dropped it a few years later and had a break of many years. Picked it up for a while, then and dropped it again. Now, recently, I'm back more motivated.
The good thing about a language is even if you forget a lot of it, it’s easy to pick up again.
Heya!
I lived in Japan in 2019 for the entire year, my Japanese isn’t quite as good as yours, I went to a school in Takadanobaba, I lived in Shinjuku-Ku and I have to admit It’s nice to see you had similar experience to me, I’m from the U.K. and it’s very obvious to tell I’m not from Asia, so whenever I spoke ‘fluent’ ( I’m not fluent but sometimes I sounded it if I was lucky enough. x) ) they would be blown away. I used to enter pubs in local area’s and talk to the locals, it was great to better understand how Japanese people lived day to day.
I’ve been really enjoying your videos and they’re making me miss living in Japan. Keep up the videos! And if you ever have like an online session of talking to people with like an AMA or something, I’d gladly come by and attempt to use my conversational level of Japanese to ask you some questions ^-^
I do occasionally refresh my Japanese でも
日本語はちょっと難しいですね-
That’s so cool that you lived here too and had similar experiences!
50 words a day is honestly pretty insane... That's a 1000 words in 20 days :O
What was your retention rate overloading your brain like that?
My retention was pretty good because I was living in China at that time and I could use the words. I also read a lot so that reinforced the words. Because I work so hard then, I can relax now. I believe in short-term intensive study.
the whole HSK6 vocabulary in 100 days while in university :DDDDDDDDDDD sure sure
@@thomasf1639 Ah it actually makes more sense if she's in the country continuously surrounded by Chinese. I became pretty fluent in English in under a year when I moved to an English province in Canada and attended sixth grade. A lot of cartoons, talking to other kids, doing schoolwork in English, you pick it up super fast.
It's muchhhh slower if you're in a place that doesn't speak your target language.
I started Chinese exactly 1 year and 1 month ago and I'm doing HSK4, I really admire you videos☺️☺️
You have studied Chinese 6 hours a day and memorized 50 words each day?
That's a lot of work....!!
Indeed it was. That's why I only did it for 3 years. Now I'm enjoying the benefits.
@@OrientalPearl Wow, you're one of my biggest inspirations!
@@OrientalPearl My memory is so poor, I can only memorize 5 words a day. Eventhough I exercize it. It has always been very poor since my childhood 😖
Edit : yesterday I tried to focus for a longer time (3 hours just on vocabulary) and I think I reached 10 words ☺️ thank you for giving me this motivation with your video !
@@OrientalPearl - Only 3 years? Do you know how many hours that is lol?
You could be a master welder, learn to make knives, be a real good mechanic, be a licensed carpenter, get your masters degree twice over, etc
@Frank Burjan - I was proposing the same question/ comparison. Is it worth it? Different answer for everyone. Many times being fluent in a language is worth most than a Masters degree, was just providing context
I started studying chinese about 5 months ago, but I've started slacking... the harder it got, the more I started to forget my motivation. It's good to see other people who did achieve their goals to use as motivation that, if I put in more effort, I will eventually get there!
so, thank you for sharing your story with us. It helps us people that are getting doubts about whether they can actually do it.
Thank you for watching! I hope this video helps encourage you.
Not going to lie, this video has become a regular part of my life. When I start to feel depleted or discouraged,I watch this video all over again. I’m so glad I discovered Orientalpearl. I love her channel and I love how down to earth everything is. Keep up the hard work. Thank you
This is one of your best videos for knowledge, listening practice, and motivation. But to master HSK 6 in three years many people I know who did just that lived in China. I do plan on making the move once the borders open up.
This channel is so unique and genuine. I don't have any interest in learning Chinese or Japanese, but I find most of your vids entertaining. I really liked the intimate view of your house tour and friends, and I of course like the interactions, food and culture.
You are very pleasant to watch and I appreciate how honest and genuine you are. You are a weirdo, and I love it...lol. You got a Subscriber in me.
Also, patreon and merch... get it going!
I’m so glad that even people that are not interested in Chinese and Japanese are watching too! Thanks for subscribing.
In other words, nothing beat hard work.
For years I had wanted to learn Chinese but was always afraid and held back because of my fear of the tones! watching your videos really inspired me to kick myself into gear and just start! I have been taking 3 one on one classes a week online since september on Italki and after the first month and getting a good grip on Pinyin and LOTS of practice and coaching, that fear has completely disappeared and I have begun to develop a real love for this language. So thanks for that boost of inspo that made me take the plunge! :)
Yes! I’m so glad you took the plunge! God luck with your classes.
7:44 Having a feeling for the language . Absolutely agreed
I almost skipped your channel entirely when I read the title because I assumed it would be just another "how I learned x language in x (way too short) amount of time." Im so glad I didn't! Getting a solid command of a language takes such serious time and effort, I'm glad you're actually showing people the REAL results of study and dedication. I'm at the very beginning of my Chinese journey after spending the last 4 years focusing on French. It's going to be a long road, but these inspirational videos really help to stay motivated!
I’m glad that you gave the video a chance. I’m with you, I don’t like those videos that give people unrealistic expectations.
Your experience with Spanish is so much like mine! And yet unfortunately I continued it through college when I studied Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin 😂 I'll check out your guides, I just hope I can pick one language to focus this time!! Thanks for your inspiration!
Your talk is vey logical and persuasive. Your Chinese language is of university level. 你有一颗充满和平，充满爱的心灵。祝福你!
谢谢😊❤️
You are a great inspiration to all out there who wants to learn a new language. Love your smarts, beauty, and independence that you have for yourself. You have proven to be a strong woman. Respect!
Anming, terrific video. Hopefully I can one day speak Chinese as a well as you--and I am Chinese!
You give me the motivation to learn more languages! ❤️❤️
I'm so glad!
Thank you for sharing your story and the process of learning a language. This gave me motivation to work harder and study more! :D
WOW! YOU ARE SIMPLY AMAZING! It just brings back memories... the way I've learned English. I remember doing the same thing: writing new phrases, slangs and sayings in a notebook! I used to carry it with me, everywhere I went(still have it, ha ha)! Then I started highlighting words and phrases in newspapers and magazines. It took me a while, but hey...here I am, writing with ease. It wasn't easy...but eventually I've succeeded...I guess?! Now, I started doing the same thing with Spanish. You are truly an inspiration. Thank you! Keep it up! Christian/ NYC
Gives me encouragement to keep
going with my Chinese self-study. Eventually I’ll need to find a teacher to speak with.
@ Kristin: don't give up and don't stress. I had a very funny experience trying to arrange my first date with a beautiful Chinese girl (over the phone). I didn't speak enough Mandarin and she didn't speak enough English. But just by wild, pure coincidence, two Chinese women happened to to be walking past me at that precise moment. I handed my phone over to them for help. Result: success!
@@robguyton3577 I’m glad it all worked out! ❤️😁
Definitely agree that you should dedicate time on learning a language. For someone who has a full time job like myself, an hour a day of study is a big accomplishment.
Also listening to pod101 during travel or lunch break helps squeeze in some more study time.
Thanks for this! Arigatou gozaimasu!
You are getting popular so one have to comment early to be able to catch your eye :)
I'll always pay attention to you!
@@OrientalPearl Welp
Probably the most interesting of your videos, honest and straight forward
Watching your mouth move is nice. I have no clue so I watch your eyes. Much better.
Keep your site alive. Best, as always ...
Thanks so much for sharing this @Oriental Pearl ! I'm learning Japanese and 50 yrs old. I appreciate your comments and advice on how to study/learn a new language! Arigato gozaimasu! 👏🏾👏🏾👍🏾👍🏾
You’re amazing to study at 50!
Anming, Thank you for the inspiring way you make your videos. I watch your videos at work and at home. I am learning Japanese and now would like to try to learn some Pinyin.
That’s so cool! I’ll be making a Japanese version of this video soon.
You are such an inspiration, Oriental Pearl! I've been lazily learning Mandarin over a few years. The little I know I use in a way that gives the impression I know much more meaning my pronunciation is good. Nali nali. You spoke to the aspects of properly learning Mandarin that seem so daunting-reading and writing. Xiè xie nín, lǎo shī.
Thanks for watching! I hope this video makes you want to keep on going.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this, at the moment I’m learning Japanese, and this was inspirational
I’m glad to hear you feel inspired to learn. There will be a Japanese version of this video coming out soon!
@@OrientalPearl thanks for the reply, I’m really looking forward to the Japanese video!!
thank you. I have been self teaching myself. At first it was a little tricky getting the hang of the pin yin, but it didn't take me too long. I am passionate about Chinese, I always have been.
I speaks Chinese and currently I'm studying English, Japanese and Korean because your videos give me much motivation of learning languages! Thank you, Anming! It's nice to get to know you on RUclips!
Nice to get to know you too! Don’t be a stranger. I’ll read all of your comments.
Awed is not the word I'll use; but rather, astounded, open-mouthed, awestruck, amazed, and flabbergasted!
You're so great!!! I'm now super motivated and inspired to the max 🤣
Salamat!
After you realized just how crucial tones are, how long did it take you to reliably/naturally A) recognize and B) speak them? Love the video btw - you are truly motivating!
It took about 3 months to understand simple conversation and 6 months to participate in it without a lot of misunderstandings and mistakes.
I have been following your language learning advice since I first discovered you on RUclips. Not to learn Chinese but to learn Japanese. I average two to three hours a day now. Somedays, words, sentence structure, and comprehension just flow easily. I'm a genius. Other days I can't recall stuff I know I know, I can't write a sentence, and I can't comprehend hardly anything. However, rather than just dropping it for a day or a week, as I used too, I power through making minimum daily quotas while cursing my stupidly. Your example gave me the inspiration to battle, daily. I know the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and then putting one foot in front of the other until you reach your goal. However, I'd like to not fall as much cause skinned knees and hands hurt. They heal, and I plod on a little further. That's the inspiration that your video's have given me. Thanks.
I’m so glad that you’re learning Japanese and that you are inspired by these videos. I’ll have so advice for Japanese learners coming soon. Stay tuned.
I see by the subtitles you "didn't have a nag" for languages. So I need somebody to keep badgering me until I master it? YES! Makes perfect sense now. 🤣 Great video, by the way, thanks! You have a knack for them. 🙂
我非常喜欢听你说汉语！Thank you so much for expiring me! I hope to reach this level one day!
I’m so glad that this video encourages you.
You truly are an inspiration! Haha you're kinda like my role model when it comes to learning Japanese. I can't give up if I want results 😊
It’s a mental battle! I’m glad this is helping you to keep on going.
You're a big inspiration, thank you for these videos!!!
After almost 2yrs at a Chinese company I now feel like I really, really want to learn the language.
Pros: I can get help from my colleagues (and they really like to help) so I can study while working and
Cons: It is hard... :D
Wow, that was certainly good!
Hello, saw this video 14 hours ago though.
I love you and the inspiration you give to all of us!♥️
A wave of young people will go to China and Japan inspired by you in just a few years, and all thanks to you. (I include myself)
Thank uuuu!⭐
Thanks so much for coming back and leaving a comment later on. I appreciate it.
6 hours a day! At times like this, I wish I didn’t have ADHD. (Or I wish my ADHD loved to hyperfocus on my target lang)
Still, I appreciate the logical argument and you not hiding what truly is involved. Now I just need to figure out a way for me to actually do it 😩 (or accept it will take me 36 years at best)
I believe in short intensive burst of studying. I would do 6 hours a day for 6 months, then bring the pace down for 6 months and then increase it again. Now I’ve done the work and can just sit back and enjoy the benefits.
Keep up the good work. I also speak English, Spanish and French fluently. I learned to write in Spanish and French when I was only 14. It took years and years of watching movies, writing, learning the IPS sounds, and reading of course. I’m moving on to German this year and I’m 20 btw.
Might pick up chinese as a third language since I do medicine. channels like this inspire me
That's so awesome! Go for it!
Agreed. But there are mistakes that can be avoided, which is why it always becomes easier after each language. In other words, I underestimated how much of Portuguese I’d lose after studying it for a almost a year when I was a teen. After a decade and 0 practice, I could no longer form more than a single sentence. After only 6 months of very casual studying, I was at a solid B1, and now I doubt I’m at a B2 but Ive had enough português for at least a few more months. in a year I’d hope so. I do like time goals because I seem to always underestimate myself. My main tip would be to take a break whenever you feel burntout and dip your feet into the very basics of other languages. Each language is different, and toying with it for a while before the final plunge has helped me with French so far. But yeah, take breaks, so that the motivation can naturally creep back up to you after some time, but never allow more than a year to go by without studying unless you’re truly at a C2 level. One major tip I never see talked about is the effort to keep your linguistic plans to yourself, at least until you reach a more advanced level. I think out of passion, the impression could be that you’re showing off (stupid I know) when the truth is we’re just excited to have finally chosen a new language. I highly recommend language stacking as it prevents you from burning out. It’s even a more effective way if the two are related (though there is also a paradoxical effect of confusing two languages if you’re not strong enough in one of the two). Also never more than two at a time I’ve learned that the hard way. I tried learning Port & Italian at the same time for about a month and the only end result was a slight regression in my Portuguese. Anyway, in the early phases, listening and listening helps, both phonetically and grammatically, more than you’d think. Writing and handwriting is still just as important but getting the rhythm and patterns of its sounds helps accelerate the learning process. Or perhaps it just makes it more enjoyable. As a native English speaker, learning a language is more of a hobby than anything else and I’m grateful/aware that it’s unnecessary to learn anything other Spanish (which i was raised speaking) here in the US. But, many people just cannot wrap their heads around how fun, interesting, and personal studying any languages can be. Which brings me back to my tip: eventually a well-meaning person will challenge your logic, sometimes even aggressively. As if I’m wasting my time or mentally weird for choosing the wrong one in their eyes. there are the people who equate studying to acquiring. By studying them I HOPE to one day speak well enough to say with confidence I am fluent and “speak” it.!Will I ever need to use French? I doubt it. Portuguese? Never. Will it benefit me financially these days? French, I somewhat doubt it. And I definitely doubt it with Portuguese. Will I form some meaningful bonds with French speakers? 100%. But even that isn’t the most rewarding part! t’s a spiritual journey that doesn’t end, is akin to opening endless doors. Language is more abstract than it is made out to be. I’m studying French by secretly stacking it with Portuguese, and I’ve already had people assume that I gave up on Portuguese. Or that I should’ve chosen Italian, when the reality is no other major language is more similar to French than Italian is, at least lexically. It is actually my next choice until my French is strong enough to be used as a stacker for Italian (Just as Portuguese was for English, Spanish when I learned Portuguese, etc). Anyway, I wish I knew more people who understand.
That is very nice to hear that. I can't wait when you mastered it with Japanese language!
BTW, I couldn't to learn anything other language due to my limited time :D (Maybe duolingo.... maybe not.)
I'll try to get the Japanese version of this video out in the next few weeks!
The only thing that can stop you is yourself! Just do your best!
I just started learning this week, so this is a great pep talk! I'm 39, and I've had a lot of people telling me it will be harder... but I have a lot more dicipline than when I was younger and in a pandemic.. I now have the time.
I think my teacher is very good and I will make sure I don't neglect any aspects.
Thanks for being so encouraging to everyone! I'm off to do my homework 😉
It is harder to learn as you get older, but don’t convince yourself it’s impossible.
It was so hard for me to follow the text, Chinese is so distracting when you try to read :) I used to play the clarinet (and saxophone, same thing) and at every contest, the Chinese were the best. Every single time! Followed by Russians, ofc. So keep practicing the violin in China and you might start a violin youtube channel. How about you play the violin on the channel one day? (I just hope you didn't already and I made a fool of my self)
I used to play the clarinet in middle school too! It would be fun to play the violin on the channel one day, but sadly my violin is in China right now.
incredible achievement!
I really like the smoothness of the voice and the clear speech.
This has inspired me to start learning more and really focussing. My wife is chinese and I want to learn more to speak with her parents. Do you recommend any books to help study? Also, love your videos 👍.
Yes, I highly recommend the book series by “Beijing language and culture university”. I mention it in the video “20 secrets of successful language learners.”
Anming, you're the real deal when it comes to language learning! Thank you for inspiring your viewers- We so appreciate it! :-)
It is interesting that almost all Japanese knows 一石二鳥 as a proverb but only a few people know that it is originally from Chinese. It is also funny that the pronunciation is totally different between Chinese and Japanese.
Yes, there are quite a few 4 character proverbs that are the same between Chinese and Japanese.
@@OrientalPearl Wow. Interesting! 有趣
It's true. It's all about interest. The more fun you have the more you'll want to practice all four skillsets of a language. Making native friends is really fun too because you'll learn from them when they speak to you whether it be voice or writing.
我爱你！
。
。
。Greetings from Greece!! 😍
我也爱你！谢谢希腊🇬🇷
唯有努力學習, 才能掌握外語 It's all about self discipline. I also at first learning so hard after a year I realize that three to five word a day is enough if you really understand the words. The only way is to ask native and daily practising.
There was a lot of Japanese characters in those Chinese characters you were studying ;)
You're right. That was footage from Japanese. I don't study Chinese much nowadays.
@@OrientalPearl Yeah, I figured that would be the case but still funny to me :)
I noticed that as well. Confused at first, but then thought to myself that you were just using it for footage and it can’t possibly be Hanzi. But thanks for clarifying it 👍🏻 Keep those great educational videos pouring in ❤️👍🏻
Thank you so much. You are a living example of how hard work and passion pays off !
Omg...lovely story.. Ur boyfriend was unlucky... Bcoz he broke up with u.
I love ur style
I am so impressed that your pinyin is so accurate. Its v easy to tell whos a foreigner based on pinyin. But ur pinyin is almost 100% like a native speaker, same with the flow of ur sentences and expressions. I would have thought you grew up in a chinese speaking family or country. Amazing man!
Thank you so much. I asked my teacher to be merciless about my pronunciation.
Thank you for your advice that I need to be able to learn foreign languages 🙏🏻🙏🏻👌🏻👌🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙇🏻🙇🏻🙇🏻🙇🏻
Languages and cultures really are amazing. They may be the best things about humanity. I am so glad to have inspirations like this. Thank you for telling everyone to never give up. It seems like not much but it really is everything! Don't give up everyone! No matter what you are persueing! : )
Can you do a video on how long it took you to learn Japanese and any tips? Nice video btw very helpful!
Yep, that video will be coming out soon. It will be a lot like this one.
'Nothing is unachievable ' great quote. Thumbs up!
i really wanna learn Japanese, would you suggest learning Chinese first as Japanese has kanji which comes from Chinese....?
I would recommend leaving kanji for later, after you have built up some grammar and vocab.
Danm I've been since September going to chinese classes and I can say it's pretty difficult, anyway, I am quite proud I can get some of the words in this video
I’m proud of you too!
omg, 3 years for HSK 6 is fast af
Thanks Alyssa. Great video. Love watching your videos. Especially the ones about language learning. Very helpful. Thanks again. Barry.
I'm not here cause I want to learn Chinese per se. I just like seeing and hearing you speak it. I guess you could say I have a crush on you :)
Aww you are so sweet!
Well said, thanks for giving us the encouragement to stay positive and carry on with our journey in learning a new language!
You are actually one of my inspirations to learn chinese. I'm struggle with tones as an english and spanish speaker though. I love that you share your experience abroad. Do you/ anyone know any good Chinese music playlists? Thanks
I'm so happy to hear that. I best thing about making these videos is inspiring people to study!
I have watched your other video about polyglotism, I couldn't agree more on the point you said that learning a language takes a lot of years of dedication and endeavor. I have been living in Canada for 19 years, I still make a lot of mistakes in English. I can speak 10 languages, I would not say I am fluent in all these languages, because every language is so difficult to reach a native level, even some native speakers are not being able to speak their mother tongue very well. I am still improving my English, I want to be a simultaneous interpreter in English to Chinese or English to French, but I still have a lot to improve. I really love your videos, you are a wonderful woman with talents. You are very humble that you said you have no talents at all learning a language, but I believe you have such a talent.
Hi anming hopefully you stay safety anywhere you going pretty girl miss you and love the most
厲害了安明！👍🏻 我還是認為這是需要對文化有深深的興趣，加上一分天份九分努力，最後有練習的機會和緣份，不容易啊！謝謝你的分享！
Lol you showed japanese writing as you talked about learning Chinese characters. nice flex.
This is true. I was being quite lazy and just used some old stock footage I had rather than film that again in Chinese. Lol
That's impressive. Best Chinese student I saw so far across RUclips
Romanic pop star it here and take a imagine she look so beautiful and so proud anything she this for anyone she so kind an so honestly🐕🐧🐣🐺🌷💗
Thank you for this helpful video. I'm gonna share this video with my brother who just started learning Chinese. It was actually surprising to me, because I always wanted to motivate him to start learning the languages I'm learning myself. But I guess he found his own language he wants to study☺.
I know what I have to do now, and that makes me a very happy man. It's time to get a Chinese boyfriend.
That always helps. But my boyfriend didn’t teach me anything. I just used what I learned to practice with him.
Hi Anming, I really enjoyed your videos and 鼓励。In your video, you showed all the hand writing characters are Japanese! Of course, it does show that you gave the same dedication and method to learning Japanese as you did Chinese. It did remind me, I must also do the same as I’m also trying to learn Mandarin and Japanese too. Thank you!
Thank you for creating this video! Learning a new language can feel very discouraging at times, and there’s too much glorification and bs about mastering a language IN 3 MONTHS here on RUclips
perfect video right before i study chinese right now! Love your videos keep it up! hope all is great with u!