We teach Modern Standard Chinese, known as 普通话 Pǔtōnghuà. References are made to other forms of Mandarin Chinese spoken in different regions.

Courses

We offer a variety of courses which aim to develop your intercultural competence and linguistic skills. You can find out more about our foreign language courses.

The following Mandarin Chinese courses are available for students currently studying at the university:

Introduction to Chinese Characters (Semester 1 & 2)
Learn Chinese with Weekly News (Semester 1 & 2)
Complete Beginner (Semester 1 & 2)
Chinese for Business (Semester 2)
Post Beginner (Semester 2)
Lower Intermediate Part 1 (Semester 1)
Lower Intermediate Part 2 (Semester 2)
Intermediate Part 1 (Semester 1)
Intermediate Part 2 (Semester 2)

Placement test

If you have never learned Mandarin Chinese with us before, please take this placement test so that you know which course is suitable for you.

Please also refer to the course descriptions below.

Course descriptions

New: Chinese for Business (Semester 2)

This is a beginner level course designed to develop your competence and fluency in using Mandarin Chinese in a range of business and employment contexts. Enrol on this course if you have never studied Chinese before or if you know some basic Chinese phrases.

We recommend you take the 'Introduction to Chinese Characters' course alongside this course if you have never come across Chinese characters before.

In addition to developing your language skills, this course will also provide you with the opportunity to:

explore Chinese workplace practices and work culture
understand Chinese society within a business context
explore Chinese social media use and its application in workplace communications
develop your intercultural competence and improve your employability skills

Introduction to Chinese Characters (Semester 1 & 2)

This 50 minute long course can be taken as a standalone course or as a supplement to the Complete Beginner or the Chinese for Business course.

A substantial amount of lesson time will be devoted to practising writing Chinese characters with the support of your tutor. During this course, you will also learn:

the origins, evolution and structures of Chinese characters
to read and write some useful phrases and sentences

Complete Beginner (Semester 1 & 2)

Enrol on this course if you have never studied Chinese before, or if you know a few basic phrases. 

We strongly recommend you take the 'Introduction to Chinese Characters' course alongside this course, especially if you have never come across Chinese characters before.

Post Beginner (Semester 2)

Enrol on this course if you have completed the Complete Beginner course with us, or if you can:

note down words and phrases you hear using pinyin with reasonable accuracy
engage in basic conversations, exchanging information such as age, name, nationality, occupation, and so on.
read and write around 50 basic Chinese characters

Lower Intermediate Part 1 (Semester 1)

Enrol on this course if you have completed the Post Beginner course with us, or achieved the Chinese standard examination HSK 1, or if you can:

engage in conversations on topics such as the weather, routine and leisure activities, state preferences
read and understand short texts written in Chinese characters on familiar topics
produce short texts using Chinese characters to give basic information and describe simple situations

Lower Intermediate Part 2 (Semester 2)

Enrol on this course if you have completed Lower Intermediate Part 1 with us, or achieved the Chinese standard examination HSK 1, or if you can:

perform simple tasks such as shopping, asking for information such as directions and opening hours
understand straightforward written resources on familiar topics written in Chinese characters
write short texts using Chinese characters to give essential information and describe simple experiences

Intermediate Part 1 (Semester 1)

Enrol on this course if you have completed Lower Intermediate Part 2 with us, or achieved the Chinese standard examination HSK 2, or if you can:  

engage in conversations on a number of non-abstract topics such as jobs, travel, and leisure activities
read and understand straightforward written resources on a variety of familiar topics 
produce structured texts in Chinese characters on a variety of familiar topics, including description of past events and future plans

Intermediate Part 2 (Semester 2)

Enrol on this course if you have completed Intermediate Part 1 with us, or achieved the Chinese standard examination HSK 2, or if you can: 

engage in conversations in a variety of situations with a degree of confidence
read and understand written resources in Chinese characters on familiar matters and some abstract topics
produce structured texts in Chinese characters with a degree of confidence on topics such as shopping, travel, jobs and some abstract topics

Learn Chinese with Weekly News (Semester 1 & 2)

Enrol on this course if you have completed Intermediate level Part 2 with us, or have reached the Chinese standard examination HSK level 3 or above, or if you have learned Chinese in the past and none of the courses above meet your needs.

In this course we will discuss bite-sized news items that are written in graded Chinese following the Chinese standard examination HSK levels. During this course you will have the opportunity to:  

further develop your independent learning skills  
have personalised learning experience to take your Chinese language skills to a higher level  
develop your intercultural competence and improve your employability skills

Course dates and times

All courses consist of 10 weekly interactive sessions delivered either on campus in person (IPL = In-person learning) or remotely (LOIL = Live online interactive learning).

Enrolments are now closed.

Student experience

"I started learning Mandarin with Zhu Laoshi in my first year as a complete beginner. The three years studying with her encouraged me to have confidence in my language abilities. Most importantly, Zhu Laoshi’s classes are very enjoyable and allow you to learn the culture alongside the language." (Aqeel Abdul-Rahman, MEng Mechanical Engineering)

Read students' experiences of learning Mandarin Chinese in the following blogs:

In addition to our courses, there are opportunities to develop your language and intercultural skills informally with other students through Peer Assisted Learning, Virtual Exchange, the Virtual Chinese & English Club on Microsoft Teams and the Language Café.

Learn Mandarin Chinese with the Skills Centre if you are a University of Bath student

Find out about our courses and how to enrol on the right one for you.