How to Learn Mandarin | Eps. Starter Kit

After reading Eps. Know Mandarin Well, I believe you already have some idea about Mandarin and ready to start the journey to be a Mandarin expert. Lets go!

If you are going to start for learning Mandarin, let's have some preparation before start and how to start from the right step.

Basic is the most important. 基礎最重要

Foundation is the most important before anything start, you need to have good and strong enough basic first. The first thing you need to learn in Mandarin is ㄅㄆㄇㄈ or b p m f . Kids with Mandarin as their mother language will start to learn this in kindergarten first, so just imagine know you will re-born as a child with Mandarin as your mother language.

Picture above is the list of ㄅㄆㄇㄈ or b p m f . This is how I learn and memorize it : Learn from the Simplified one how to spell it than if you already know how to spell it you learn Traditional one and learn how to write it. Level of equation between those 2 is 90%. The different is : Simplified have ong while Traditional don't have, and there is Ü which is u with two dots at the top as substitute symbol to spell ㄩ.

I read it over and over, write it again and again every day within 1 week, and I have some improvement and become friend with them. The key is practice and practice. 

So this is why you need to memorize that list above. 



For beginner or usually kids whose learn Mandarin as their mother language, this is how the character will look like as picture above. For Traditional Mandarin ㄅㄆㄇㄈ put in right side of the character and for Simplified Mandarin b p m f  will put below the character. 

Now even you still don't know how to read the character you already have one weapons to read, spell with ㄅㄆㄇㄈ or b p m f . So now you realize the importance to memorize that table right?

But, don't forget without tone everything back to zero cause you will getting lost to spell it and people won't understand what are you talking.



So, practice the tone every time you have free time. It is the most difficult part for beginner, especially to those who usually talk in their language without tone like Bahasa, English, etc, or even if you can some dialects that have tone, try to practice the original Mandarin tone. Some people just can't resist to mark off the different tone of those some language he can.

Just remember always when you start to study something, start it with the right way, learn it from the original one and you will know more deeply about it.

Let's try your spelling with number. Why number? Numbering is the basic one, simple and easy to learn. Did you realize each time tourist come to one country they will ask how to say 1, 2, 3. Well, let's start!

Don't be afraid, only 10 numbers  first, it should be okay :)

Try to spell it one by one, it's just a beginning, keep calm and practice more.

How to Learn Mandarin | Eps. Know Mandarin Well

I got a lot of question about this topic, how I learn mandarin, how to speak mandarin fluently and some similar question still about how I can speak mandarin. So, I decide to write it here, dedicate to those who still in struggle of learning mandarin whether you currently have course abroad or still stay in your own country and have mandarin course. Let's start!

First, let me introduce my background. I'm overseas Chinese born in Indonesia and live in Jakarta since I was born for 15 years old. Done my elementary & junior high in a school that has mandarin extracurricular twice a week (*I think, it quiet long time ago, I can't remember :P ). Then after graduate from junior high I go to Taiwan to continue my study.

And the story begin.

As I say before I have Mandarin extracurricular in elementary & junior high, but you only understand the basic one, numbering, basic conversation, and some vocabulary. 9 years and I feel like I will say I can't speak mandarin if people ask. Why? For me the stage when you say you can speak some language is mean it doesn't matter what people are talking about you'll understand, you can answer, and you know how write & read about it.

Before I go to Taiwan, I have intensive course every morning & afternoon, so I come twice to the course center. The mentor is Taiwanese and she can't speak Bahasa so I can learn faster that she will introduce some more difficult vocabulary with simple Mandarin also. How to learn fast is to force yourself and your mind adapt quickly with Mandarin. I have course for around 2 months and go to Taiwan.

You need to know about what you're going to learn. Traditional Mandarin or Simplified Mandarin?
There is 2 kind of Mandarin which separate by the difficulties of the character. Traditional Mandarin or 繁體中文 is the more difficult one due the stroke is more complex but it's the original version of Mandarin character and use in Taiwan currently. While, Simplified Mandarin or 簡體中文 is easier than the first one I mention, it was the simple version character that long time ago China government announce to let their resident easily learn to read & write, currently use in China, Singapore, Malaysia.

Simplified (left) radical is mouth & Traditional (right) radical is ear

Personally I suggest you to learn Traditional Mandarin, cause it's the original one, you can know lot of character meaning by its radical - 部首 while the radical in Simplified Mandarin already change from it's meaning to reduce the character stroke. If you know well Traditional Mandarin character, you can guess the simplified one easily and also learn quickly. I prefer to pain in the first and satisfy after it :)

I do fall in love in Mandarin since the first time I learn it, its such an amazing when every time you learn new character you can learn new things and it's so touching to know, for example :

Make me think about Jesus calms the storms story :)

Besides the character is different, how you will learn to spell it also different. In Traditional Mandarin you will learn how to spell the character by ㄅㄆㄇㄈ& in Simplified Mandarin using b p m f.

How about the pronunciation? Every country that speaks Mandarin have different pronunciation actually, in Taiwan it more light accent, China have kinds of accent in different province mostly "roll tongue" accent or we say 捲舌, also Singapore & Malaysia accent is closer to Hokkian accent.

Do mother language effect for my Mandarin accent? I guess yes but it's depend on how well you learn. For Chinese people that can speak dialect like Cantonese, Chao Zhou, Hokkian, Khe, or something else it's easier to learn but quiet hard to change the accent into Mandarin accent. But if you are a new comer to Mandarin it doesn't matter as long as you practice hard and listen local pronounce oftentimes.

Special case in Mandarin is there is tone for each character, so different tone is different meaning. It was the difficult one when you learn how to speak Mandarin fluently, there are 4 tone and 1 tone is for shorten spell. Between Traditional & Simplified Mandarin, the only different is in the first tone and short tone, while Traditional one don't have any symbol one 1^st tone but Simplified have a flat line, and for short tone Traditional one have a circle upside and Simplified fine don't have.



The common mistake on pronunciation that newbie made is about z & zh, c & ch, there is so much pronounce that have h and no, the different is : for H one you roll your tongue and for no H your tongue meet to inner of your front teeth. (*Can you imagine it hahaha

So, are you ready to learn Mandarin?

Eps. Starter Kit is ready for you.

Brunch Idea for Pescatarian

Basically I'm not a meat lover, but not vegetarian yet. I do love vegetable more but so do I love to eat fish and seafood. Recently I got a new vocabulary that match me much "pescatarian".  What is pescatarian?  Pescatarian (sometimes spelled "pescatarian" with an e) is a word sometimes used to describe those who abstain from eating all meat and animal flesh with the exception of fish. 

If people ask what is the difference I feel when I stop eating red meat? I would say light feel. I feel light and fresh. You can try for 1 month to reduce your red meat consumption and change to vegetable and fruit and you will feel the difference. 

When homed, I love to cook during weekend, especially brunch or breakfast. I do make some journal in instastory named #dapurweekend. 

Here is some idea if you want to cook some pescatarian simply brunch. Suitable for any people. 

1. Stir Fried Spaghetti & Scramble Egg 

Need to prepare : 

- Spaghetti mentah (saya pakai La Fonte)

- Garlic di cincang halus 

- Cabai merah di potong kecil - kecil 

- Kol di cincang sedikit 

- Garam, Minyak

- Telur 

Cara memasak : 

1. Rebus air secukupnya, tambahkan garam. Setelah mendidih masukan spaghetti dan tunggu sampai spaghetti lunak, tiriskan dan siram dengan air dingin. 

2. Panaskan teflon, masukan minyak, garlic, dan sedikit garam, tumis sampai kecoklatan. Masukan kol dan cabai, tumis sebentar, masukan spaghetti, biarkan di pinggir teflon. 

3. Sementara bagian satu teflonnya kasih minyam sedikit, masukan kocokan telur sambil di aduk2 biar jadi scramble egg. 

4. Matang semua, sajikan deh! 

2. Mushroom Ball

Need to prepare : 

- Jamur (gak tau ini namanya jamur apa, dipasar banyak)

- Kol di cincang kecil - kecil 

- Garlic di cincang halus

- Minyak, garam, lada

Cara memasak : 

1. Tumis kol yang sudah dicincang dengan minyak, garam, dan garlic sampai matang, lalu angkat. 

2. Bersihkan bagian tangkai jamur, isi dengan kol yang sudah di tumis, lalu masak di atas teflon yang sudah dikasih minyak sedikit dan air kira - kira 1 sendok nasi dengan api kecil dan ditutup biar jamurnya mateng sampai meresap gitu airnya. 

3. Kalau sudah matang semua angkat dan tiriskan. Taburi lada bubuk di atasnya sesuai selera. 

3. Brunch ala sawah 

Nah kalau yang ini kayaknya gak usah diajarin cara masaknya ya. Ikan cue beli di pasar tinggal pan fried aja di teflon bolak balik pake minyak dikit, daun singkong di rebus pakai sambal terasi ulek, dan telor dadar pakai daun bawang dan cabe. 

Karena aku sendiri sukanya yang gak terlalu asin jadi kalau kalian suka asin mungkin bisa ditambah kadar garam dan bumbu sesuai selera ya. Murah dan mudah bukan brunch seperti ini, bisa dicoba di rumah atau di kost karena bahannya gampang dan cara masaknya yang mudah. Selamat mencoba jadi pescatarian ya!