How long does it takes to learn Mandarin Chinese?
1-3 years, assuming you are really interested to learn Mandarin Chinese.
Well, if you want to learn a few Chinese characters, you can do so in a few hours. If you just want to learn some common Chinese greetings, you can learn in a couple of days. A few examples:
- 你好 (nǐ): You
- 你好 (hǎo): How
- 你好 (nǐ hǎo): Hello; how do you do; how are you
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However, if you want to learn Chinese seriously, especially to live/work in China, then I would suggest you to learn/know at least until HSK Level 2. This can be done is a year (even if you are a beginner).
With a full time dedicated study, you should be able to cross 2 HSK levels per year.
That is to say, you can cross HSK 6 in 3 years. That’s what I mean when I say it takes 1-3 years to learn Chinese.
HSK 6 is a damn good level. With a knowledge of HSK 6 level, you can manage your daily life in China fairly well, such as buying food at restaurants, using public transportations, talking to your colleagues, going on dates, travelling solo in China, booking trains/hotels, etc.
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Further, as you continue to learn Mandarin, your learning abilities will improve dramatically with time.
The more time you spend learning Chinese, the more you will love this language. You will grasp faster after HSK 2.
I would say Mandarin Chinese is more of a different language, not necessarily a difficult one.
Never give up.