Full disclosure: I am biased when it comes to the Chinese language.
As a native speaker, I think Mandarin is one of the most beautiful historical languages in the world. Just one character or phrase can convey so much and express a great many things depending on the context. Even if you don’t share my sentiments about Mandarin, you’ll surely agree that learning Chinese as a second language is extremely useful.
Not convinced? Here are 14 incredible benefits of learning Chinese that will convince you to start learning the language yourself!Â
1. Chinese is the most widely-spoken language in the world
One of the most obvious benefits of learning Chinese is simply that it is the most widely-spoken language in the world.
Beyond the borders of Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, you’ll also find Mandarin being spoken widely in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and even the United States. In fact, it is estimated that one in every six people speak the language!
With so many Mandarin speakers in the world, it’s only natural to want to be part of the conversation.
2. Learning Mandarin opens the door to new career opportunities
Thanks to China’s booming economy and ever-growing market, one of the most practical advantages of learning Chinese is how it expands your career prospects both at home and abroad.
Simply put, learning Chinese as a second language gives you a distinct advantage when seeking employment opportunities. To be even more precise, one of the benefits of learning Chinese for business is how it enables you to expand into the Chinese market!
With companies rushing to establish a foothold in China, being able to utter phrases beyond nihao is extremely beneficial, both figuratively and literally.
3. It also greatly expands your social circle!
Another one of the benefits of learning Mandarin is that it greatly expands your social circle. As we’ve already covered, there are over a billion Chinese speakers in the world today, and that’s only taking into account native speakers.
By learning Mandarin as a second language, you’ll be able to converse with way more people than before. Be it casual conversations about the weather or something a little more playful, you’re bound to make plenty of new friends once you start speaking Mandarin.
Who knows? You might even meet “the one”! -wink-
4. It unlocks whole new travel experiences
The best travel experiences are often those that only true locals know about. Most avid travelers know that.
If you love traveling, some of the benefits of learning Mandarin are clearest when you’re visiting places like China, Taiwan, and more. As you converse with locals, you’ll find out about the best eats, the most beautiful hidden spots, and the easiest routes to get around the city. Good luck finding those in travel books!
What’s more, with Chinese tourists making up the bulk of international travelers, many popular locations around the world now feature Chinese translations. I remember when I visited Jeju a few years back, almost everyone could speak Mandarin!
5. You’ll get to taste the best Chinese food
On the subject of discovering hidden gems, being fluent in Chinese can also be beneficial to your palette!
For one, some of the best food in China is sold from humble street carts whose owners hardly speak any English. So if you can speak Mandarin, even just a little, you’ve already unlocked a wider array of Chinese street food than most other typical tourists. You can also customize your order to your liking without worrying about getting lost in translation.
What’s more, true-blue foodies will tell you that the best restaurants in China are often those that don’t provide English translations. So if you want to sample the most authentic Chinese dishes, don’t forget to learn a little Mandarin before your trip!
6. You’ll be exposed to a whole new culture
As language learners can all attest to, learning a new language also means learning about new cultures. That is certainly the case when it comes to learning Mandarin as a second language.
Not only is Chinese culture far removed from what English speakers are familiar with, but it is also a gateway to the Asian culture in general. As you learn to read, write, and speak Mandarin, you’ll discover the ways that Chinese and other Asian cultures intertwine and influence each other, both in their respective languages and in daily life.
You’ll also come across unfamiliar scenarios, foreign customs, and refreshing perspectives on issues that you might have taken for granted up till now. In short, one of the benefits of learning Chinese is that it truly broadens your horizons!
7. You’ll fully appreciate the intricacies of Chinese culture
Of course, there’s a distinction between being exposed to Chinese culture, and fully falling in love with it. Beyond festivals and traditional folklore, learning Mandarin can help you fully appreciate the beauty of Chinese culture.
That’s because the rich history of the Chinese civilization is fully integrated into its language. The way certain characters are written, why there are different words to describe certain things, and how the most popular idioms came about can all be traced back to specific events spread throughout over 5,000 years of Chinese culture and heritage.
Even in daily life, you will find elements of Chinese culture that you wouldn’t understand if not for your proficiency in Mandarin. Take, for example, the superstition involving the number “4” as an unlucky number and why the Chinese try their best to avoid it.
8. Learning Chinese is like power squats for your brain
One of the most scientific benefits of learning Chinese is how it greatly improves your cognitive abilities.
While it’s true that learning any language from scratch is intellectually challenging, trying to master Chinese is an even tougher workout for your brain! Thanks to its different writing, phonetic and grammar system, Chinese is a language that’s likely completely different from what English speakers are used to.
You’ll be forced to get creative and adapt accordingly to make the most of your time studying. What’s more, because how learning Chinese as a second language is heavily reliant on recognizing and memorizing words, trying to master Mandarin also improves your memory and attention span!
9. There are a ton of resources to help you learn Chinese
Despite everything that was just said above, you’ll be happy to know that learning Chinese, while challenging, isn’t actually that difficult these days.
That’s because you have a wealth of resources at your fingertips to help you improve your Mandarin proficiency.
Whether you prefer picking up some books, tuning in to podcasts, or simply using apps to learn Chinese, you’ll find that learning Chinese as a second language is now easier than ever!
10. Mastering Chinese gives you an unparalleled sense of accomplishment
While I won’t mince words and say learning Chinese is a breeze (it’s quite a challenge), I will tell you that once you start seeing your progress, you will feel extremely pleased with yourself!
After all, because of how different Chinese is compared to English, mastering the language is no small feat! Even if it’s just to the point of being able to recognize certain words or phrases, it is a great confidence booster, not just for continuing to learn Mandarin, but for taking on other challenges in life too!
11. You get to fully enjoy Chinese movies and Netflix shows
Chinese media is on the rise, not just domestically in China, but also on the global stage. That is thanks in big part to streaming platforms like Netflix that host countless Chinese films and tv shows.
While that’s all well and good, one thing that I’ve always found amusing (and annoying) is the subpart standard of the English subtitles. Even though they tend to capture the general meaning of the dialogue, the translated subtitles always seem to just miss the finer details that make a good scene “great”.
One of the more entertaining advantages of learning Chinese is simply being able to fully enjoy Chinese movies and TV. By focusing on the actual Chinese words that are used in the original audio, you’ll be able to pick up on inside jokes, better appreciate the dialogue, and fully immerse yourself in the wonderful world of Chinese film and TV.
12. You will fall in love with Chinese pop music
At this point, you might be asking: What about Chinese pop music (or Mandopop)? Oh, there’s a reason why I’m discussing Chinese music on its own.
Before Korean pop music took over the world, the big thing in Asia was Mandopop. The likes of Jay Chou, Wilber Pan, Jolin Tsai, and more serenaded their legion of adoring fans with their sweet melodies on a regular basis.
As you start learning Mandarin as a second language, try listening to some Mandopop and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with the genre too!
13. It opens the door to a whole host of amusing puns, pickup lines, and jokes
Personally, one of the best benefits of learning Chinese today is being able to enjoy the best TikTok and Douyin content!
Unlike TikTok in the U.S., the social media app in China is a massive platform where independent, creative content creators share their work, many of which are hilarious short skits. As you enjoy these videos, you’ll no doubt come across amusing puns and jokes that will tickle your funny bone.
What’s more, if you’re looking to improve your game, Chinese pickup lines are on a whole different level if I dare say so myself. From cheesy to genuinely funny, there are plenty of opening liners that work only because it’s in Mandarin! So, if you want to make a better first impression, you know what to do!
14. Learning Chinese also helps you learn Japanese and Korean!
Finally, learning Chinese as a second language also has the added benefit of helping you learn other languages, specifically Japanese and Korean! As mentioned earlier, Chinese culture permeates many Asian cultures. The same can be said of the language itself.
Chinese and Japanese may sound different, but they share many similar words and characters, especially in Kanji. On the other hand, while the Korean alphabet looks nothing at all like Mandarin characters, listen closely and you’ll notice there are plenty of words and phrases that sound phonetically similar.
Most of them also share similar meanings, such as the Korean word, taeyang, which means “sun”. In Chinese, it’s taiyang! Basically, if the benefits of learning Chinese go beyond just the language itself and opens the door to many more exciting languages!
Conclusion
And there you have it: 14 incredible benefits of learning Chinese! Of course, being a native speaker myself, I could have written an entire book about the importance of learning Chinese. But I’m guessing that, by now, you’re already thinking about how best to start your journey to master Chinese.
Well, as mentioned there are plenty of resources online to get you started. In fact, you can also check out my top tips to learn Mandarin quickly, and my guide to speaking Mandarin fluently. Hopefully, by the next we meet, we’ll be able to exchange pleasantries in Mandarin! Jiayou!