XKI0005 Chinese 1 (4 cr)

Course description

As the first part of the introductory course package, the course offers a comprehensive introduction to Mandarin Chinese to students with no previous background in Chinese.

It begins with an introduction to the Chinese alphabet, known as Pinyin, the phonetic system for transcribing Chinese into the Roman alphabet. In class, there will be conversation practices that help students get familiar with intonations and pronunciations in Chinese. Chinese character study includes the evolution of Chinese characters, their rudiments and components, and how to read and write them. Basic grammar will also be covered to help students build up sentences in the correct word order. The course will also organize cultural events for students to attend.

Main content

• Pinyin, Chinese phonetic system
• conversation practices in pairs/groups
• Chinese characters’ evolution, rudiments, and components
• Chinese basic grammar
• HSK test is introduced
• Cultural events

On the completion of the course, the student is expected to

• be able to use daily phrases in Chinese
• acquire simple dialogues, basic grammar, and characters
• be able to understand simple texts with the help of Pinyin
• read and write Chinese single-component characters
• be aware of Chinese customs and cultures.

• Both Finnish and international students are welcome.
• Note that Chinese characters are widely used in China while Pinyin is mostly used as a tool to help with pronouncing or typing Characters on computers/mobiles. Hence it is important to be trained in reading not just Pinyin but also Chinese characters.
• For building a good foundation for further Chinese language studies, students are recommended to continue with Chinese 2.

This course is aimed at true beginners, with no prerequisites.

Learning materials are provided by the teacher.